Students commuting to the University may as well have come by boat earlier this week, as Route 18 and other nearby roadways were completely submerged in water. Boats proved to be unnecessary, as the University decided to cancel classes both Monday and yesterday due to an intense nor'easter that has ravaged much of the East Coast.
The storm, which collided with the northeast on Sunday, left large portions of the state underwater, causing Acting Gov. Richard Codey to declare a state of emergency, granting him extra powers to assist in dealing with the situation.
As of yesterday, the state of emergency was still being upheld.
"While floodwaters are receding in most areas across the state, conditions are still dangerous in some areas. Over a thousand residents in the state are still unable to return to their homes, and we are working around the clock to get them back home," Codey said in a press release.
The speed limit on the New Jersey Turnpike was reduced to 45 miles per hour, and Exit 9, which provides access to New Brunswick, was closed in both directions due to flooding on Route 18.
Although the highway was inundated with water from the Raritan River less than 36 hours ago, progress has been made in clearing the roads, state Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Greeley said. By yesterday afternoon, the George Street exit ramp, which had been completely flooded, was cleared entirely of water.
"Our crews are out there in the northbound travel lanes on Route 18 working to clear the road," he said. "Our contractors are in the process of patching potholes that arose from flooding."
The operation was on schedule to be completed by late yesterday afternoon, Greeley said.
"Our goal is to have all of [Route] 18 through that stretch open for [Tuesday's] evening rush hour, and it looks like that deadline should be met."
As a result of the University becoming nearly inaccessible, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip J. Furmanski made the decision to cancel classes for the past two days, said E.J. Miranda, director of media relations.
"We canceled classes because flooding on area roads prevented [the University] from moving students safely from campus to campus," he said.
Miranda said the final decision to cancel classes is made after Furmanski consults with several other bodies, including the state Department of Transportation, the Rutgers University and state police and the weather service.
"We take in factors, such as the time of day, the day of the week, the point in the semester and disruptive effects that [the cancellations] will have on the educational process," Miranda said. "But the decision is based primarily on safety."
In addition to the University shutting down temporarily, New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill declared the city was in a state of emergency yesterday after excessive flooding, city spokesman Bill Bray said.
Bray said Cahill asked that all non-essential people not enter the city, and that residents limit their travels within the city. The announcement did not affect essential personnel such as police officers, hospital works and utility workers, he added.
In response to the canceling of classes and the inclement weather, the University Department of Transportation elected to scale back its regular bus services, said Jack Molenaar, director of Parking and Transportation.
"We didn't have to run our regular Monday and Tuesday service," Molenaar said. "If people aren't going to classes, there's no reason to spend money on the buses."
Molenaar said the regular number of buses in operation, 43, had been cut down to 18. He cited the closure of Route 18 as a main factor of traffic buildup in the area, which resulted in possible delays of the transportations service. While buses should arrive 15 to 20 minutes apart from one another, traffic may cause longer delays, Molenaar said.
"Without Route 18, you really can't operate New Brunswick," he said.
Molenaar said he expects Route 18 to be cleared up by today, and that the buses will resume service at full capacity.
Construction on the highway, which has been ongoing for several years, should not be greatly altered by the rain, Greeley said.
"The weather shouldn't really affect the schedule on the project," he said. "We've been working hard, but there's only many drainage systems and so much street sweeping that you can do."
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