A gasoline tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel crashed into a minivan and burst into flames last night just after 9 p.m. on the New Jersey Turnpike in Carlstadt. NBC New York reports that the accident occurred near exit 18W in the northbound E-ZPass lane of the Turnpike, and that the tanker caught fire soon after the crash. The ensuing fireball could be seen for miles in the November darkness, but should not be interpreted as some sort of apocalyptic symbolic of America's self-destructive addiction to fossil fuels. Here's video: more ›

At least one person is dead and a dozen injured after a D.C. Trails bus crashed into a tractor-trailer on the southbound NJ Turnpike. The crash occurred north of Interchange 8A - NJ 32 in Monroe around noon. The bus had started in Brooklyn and, after a pitstop in Manhattan, was headed to D.C., more ›

After the bus crash that killed 15 in the Bronx on Saturday and the crash that killed two in NJ on Monday, lawmakers are becoming more and more concerned with the cheap buses that ferry people from Chinatown to various points on the East Coast. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have now co-sponsored a bill that would require bus drivers to receive training. That's right, as NY1 reports, "Currently, federal regulations do not require drivers to have training." more ›

Investigators are looking at whether a blown tire caused a bus headed from Chinatown to Pennsylvania to crash on the NJ Turnpike on Monday night, killing a passenger and the driver. The driver, Wei Wang, 50, of Forest Hills, Queens, was not wearing his seat belt and was thrown through the windshield "when the... Super Luxury Tours bus veered along a grassy median before striking a concrete overpass support." more ›

Just days after a bus headed to Chinatown crashed in the Bronx, killing 15 people, a bus headed from Chinatown to Philadelphia crashed on the NJ Turnpike last night, killing the driver and a passenger. WCBS 2 reports, "Investigators said no other vehicles were involved when the bus rode up onto the grassy center median and then struck an overpass support, before it crashed into an embankment on the right side of the road." more ›

Earlier today, a tour bus overturned on the southbound New England Thruway, killing 13 people. Yesterday afternoon, another bus avoided such a tragedy, when a bus driver of a NY-Baltimore BoltBus was arrested for allegedly driving drunk. more ›

A six-car crash on the NJ Turnpike has claimed at least two lives. According to WABC 7, "The accident happened in the southbound eastern spur near mile marker 116 just before 7:00 a.m. Authorities said the two people, possibly ejected, were found crushed under the vehicles." The AAA says that 90% of year-end holiday travel is by car, "The organization expects more than 85 million people to take driving trips of 50 miles or more - an increase over the 83 million holiday travelers who drove last year." more ›

Today in stories-to-get-your-blood-boiling: according to a new audit, the NJ Turnpike has wasted more than $43 million on unnecessary bonuses and perks for employees, even as it has raised toll prices for commuters. Wouldn't that money be better used going toward getting the Hudson Tunnel project back up, or wooing Carmelo Anthony, or making the Jersey Shore go away forever? more ›

If you think New York State’s deficit is bad, take a look at New Jersey, where a $11 billion budget gap is pushing officials to think creatively. One plan? Sell the naming rights for 12 rest stops on the NJ Turnpike and eight on the Garden State Expressway. "The 'Nike Stop' . . . maybe that would be worth $10 million," suggested DOT Commissioner James Simpson, according to the AP. One highly trafficked hub is named for Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, while others bear the names of Revolutionary war heroes, poets like Walt Whitman and political figures like Alexander Hamilton. In the future, they could go strictly corporate, however a naming rights expert says $1 million is a more realistic pricetag. more ›

Thanks to some emergency work on the NJ Turnpike, the outbound Lincoln Tunnel is closed until further notice. According to WABC 7, "Only buses are being let out of the city at the Lincoln Tunnel" as crews try to fix a hole in the road "on the southbound side of the NJ Turnpike eastern spur near Exit 15X." There are 20-minute delays at the Holland Tunnel. The George Washington Bridge is supposed to be better, but there are delays on the northbound West Side Highway between the 50s and the bridge. more ›

It's a Thanksgiving miracle! A wild turkey hailing from Staten Island found her way to the New Jersey Turnpike, where for days she's been dodging vehicles and worrying toll booth attendants. more ›

Yesterday morning, the two toll booths on the NJ Turnpike were robbed, prompting NJ Turnpike Authority spokesman Joe Orlando to call them "the stupidest criminals in history." Why? Because the booths at Exits 15X and 16E are little used and don't have that much cash anyway. In fact, a toll collector's 8-hour shift at 15X usually only nets $200-$300. Spokesman Joe Orlando said, "This definitely wasn't a plot for 'Ocean's 11.'" The Star-Ledger reports that the robbers, in three different vehicles, "disguised their faces with bandannas and dark sunglasses and flashed guns at toll takers." The robbers used a white Nissan and dark Jeep to rob Exit 16E and the Jeep and a Mercedes—which had been carjacked an hour earlier—to hit 15X. The Turnpike Authority expects to find the criminals, as the 10 individuals who previously robbed the NJTA have all been captured. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a gas tanker overturned and exploded on the NJ Turnpike near the Meadowlands. Authorities believe the tanker failed to negotiate the curve on a ramp; heavy smoke could be see for miles. Two good Samaritans driving behind the truck helped smother the flames. One, Angelia Mercado, used her coat to bundle up truck driver Rajinder Singh and drove him to a hospital in Newark (she also said Singh gave her phone numbers of family members to call). Singh, a Queens resident, is currently in critical condition after suffering second- and third-degree burns. more ›

The NJ Turnpike Authority will be raising tolls on the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. The Star-Ledger reports that the "first hike comes in December, and the second comes in 2012....A drive along the full length of the Turnpike, which now costs $6.45, will more than double to $13.75 by 2012. Driving the Parkway from top to bottom also will more than double in four years." While the state government raised tolls to fund road improvements and fund other projects, the NJ Motor Truck Association criticized the plan, "If you're paying $8 extra per truck and you have a fleet of 100 trucks, that's an extra $800 per day. How many small businesses can absorb that?" more ›

The NJ Turnpike Authority presented a plan that would rails tolls 50% next year--and then another 50% in 2012 and 11% in 2023, according to WCBS 2. Given the state's budget troubles, Governor Jon Corzine has been trying to increase the fare to more than $3 in 2014 and to $5.80 in a decade--to much public outcry--but this plan would see a $3 toll in 2023. Right now, the toll is $1.20 (average), and under the proposed plan, it would be $1.80 in 2011 and $2.70 in 2012). The NJTA's board said, "We believe increasing tolls, even minimally, is an action of last resort, not one of first choice," but there are many infrastructure projects, like maintaining the roads and bridges, that need funding. more ›

Hope drivers had their windows closed on the NJ Turnpike, or at least some Benadryl: Apparently a huge swarm of bees--thousands--converged on various vehicles near Cherry Hill, NJ. The Turnpike Authority thinks "a beekeeper's beehive...fell beside the highway." The TA is looking for a beekeeper to deal with the situation. more ›