Connie Chung Rest Area & Bridge Closure
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
I am seeking any and all records from January 1, 2023 to present relating to the closure of the bridge connecting the Connie Chung (formerly Brookdale) Service Area to Bloomfield, NJ.
As reported by FOX5 NY on August 2025, NJTA’s Manager of Media Relations and Public Information, Tom Feeney, stated: “The Turnpike Authority did a traffic analysis and discovered that a large number of vehicles were leaving the southbound Parkway and cutting through the service area to exit onto Broad Street to avoid the toll on the Watchung Avenue exit. That was not just a toll revenue issue but also a safety issue. The parking lot and driveway in the service area are not designed to serve as a Parkway exit ramp. The additional traffic put pedestrians at risk.”
Accordingly, I specifically request a copy of the traffic analysis referenced in this public statement, along with any related safety findings or supporting materials, including but not limited to records, studies, analyses, reports, or memoranda regarding the decision to close the bridge or restrict access between the service area and Bloomfield.
Traffic analyses, findings, or studies identifying toll evasion, traffic flow, or related safety issues associated with the service area and bridge. Safety reviews, pedestrian risk assessments, or crash/incident analyses considered by NJTA in making this decision. Interagency correspondence, emails, or meeting notes between NJTA, Bloomfield Township, NJDOT, or Essex County regarding this bridge closure and traffic impacts.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Marina
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
My apologies, I forgot to include my last name.
Yours faithfully,
Marina Davis
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
I am seeking any and all records from January 1, 2023 to present relating to the closure of the bridge connecting the Connie Chung (formerly Brookdale) Service Area to Bloomfield, NJ.
As reported by FOX5 NY on August 2025, NJTA’s Manager of Media Relations and Public Information, Tom Feeney, stated: “The Turnpike Authority did a traffic analysis and discovered that a large number of vehicles were leaving the southbound Parkway and cutting through the service area to exit onto Broad Street to avoid the toll on the Watchung Avenue exit. That was not just a toll revenue issue but also a safety issue. The parking lot and driveway in the service area are not designed to serve as a Parkway exit ramp. The additional traffic put pedestrians at risk.”
Accordingly, I specifically request a copy of the traffic analysis referenced in this public statement, along with any related safety findings or supporting materials, including but not limited to records, studies, analyses, reports, or memoranda regarding the decision to close the bridge or restrict access between the service area and Bloomfield.
Traffic analyses, findings, or studies identifying toll evasion, traffic flow, or related safety issues associated with the service area and bridge. Safety reviews, pedestrian risk assessments, or crash/incident analyses considered by NJTA in making this decision. Interagency correspondence, emails, or meeting notes between NJTA, Bloomfield Township, NJDOT, or Essex County regarding this bridge closure and traffic impacts.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Marina Davis
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
Please confirm receipt of my request, sent on September 17, 2025.
Yours faithfully,
Marina Davis
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
Hi, I am still waiting for the information I requested. Can I please receive some acknowledgement that you have received my request?
Yours faithfully,
Marina
Ms. Marina,
This is to acknowledge receipt of your latest email. We are reviewing your
OPRA request and will provide a response and/or a status within 7 business
days.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300, Ext 8738
[1][email address]
[OPRA #81009 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2025 1:43 PM
To: OPRA Requests <[NJTA request email]>
Subject: Re: OPRA request - Connie Chung Rest Area & Bridge Closure
[Some people who received this message don't often get email from
[OPRA #81009 email]. Learn why this is
important at [2]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific...
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the NJTA email system. Do
not click on links or open attachments unless you were expecting this
email.
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
Hi, I am still waiting for the information I requested. Can I please
receive some acknowledgement that you have received my request?
Yours faithfully,
Marina
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Please use this UNIQUE email address for all replies to this request and
no other:
[OPRA #81009 email]
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Ms. Marina,
Our office is currently processing your OPRA request #2025-00143 and will
require an extension of time to complete. We will provide a response
and/or a status by Monday, October 6, 2025.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[1][email address]
Dear Humphreys, Alethea,
Thank you for letting me know. I truly appreciate it.
Yours sincerely,
Marina
Ms. Marina,
Our office continues to gather/review potentially responsive records for
your OPRA request #2025-00143 and will require an extension. The NJTA
will provide a response and/or a status by Friday, October 10, 2025, or
sooner, if possible.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[1][email address]
Ms. Marina,
Our office sent the below communication regarding the status of your OPRA
request and received a non-delivery message. This is a second attempt to
deliver the status of your OPR request.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[1][email address]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
From: Humphreys, Alethea <[email address]>
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2025 5:36 PM
To: [OPRA #81009 email]
<[OPRA #81009 email]>
Cc: de la Cruz, Ramon <[email address]>; Crapser, Sandra
<[email address]>
Subject: OPRA #2025-00147
Ms. Marina,
The NJTA continues to gather/review potentially responsive records for
your OPRA request #2025-00143 and will require an extension. We will
provide a response and/or a status by Friday, October 17, 2025, or
sooner, if possible.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[2][email address]
Dear Humphreys, Alethea,
I apologize for the delay in my response. I appreciate the time you are taking to get me these documents. It is greatly appreciated. I am in no rush; please take all the necessary time you need to provide me with the information I requested.
Yours sincerely,
Marina
Ms. Marina,
The NJTA continues to gather/review potentially responsive records for
your OPRA request #2025-00143 and will require an extension. We will
provide a response and/or a status by Friday, October 31, 2025, or
sooner, if possible.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[1][email address]
Ms. Marina,
The NJTA continues to gather/review potentially responsive records for
your OPRA request #2025-00143. We will provide a response and/or a status
on or before November 19, 2025.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[1][email address]
Ms. Marina,
The NJTA is in final review of your OPRA request #2025-00143. We will
provide a response on December 2, 2025.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[1][email address]
[1]Kiteworks
[2][email address] sent you a secure message
[3]Access message
Ms. Davis,
Responsive to OPRA #2025-00143, please review the attached Traffic Counts
records.
Regarding your request for traffic studies identifying toll evasion,
please be advised the Authority confirmed and does not possess responsive
records to provide for this request. The toll evasion “study” was
performed by observation only.
Regarding your request for correspondence/emails please review the
attached email records. Please take note that there were no responsive
email records concerning NJDOT and Essex County.
Please be advised also that Personal Identifying Information, which is
exempted pursuant to OPRA Exemptions Statute (N.J.S.A 47:1A-1.1(7) from
disclosure has been redacted and/or omitted.
This completes this OPRA.
Thank you.
Alethea Humphreys
Law Department
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
P.O. Box 5042
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
732-750-5300 Ext. 8738
[4][email address]
From: Marina <[OPRA #81009 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 9:52 PM
To: OPRA Requests <[NJTA request email]>
Subject: OPRA request - Connie Chung Rest Area & Bridge Closure
[Some people who received this message don't often get email from
[OPRA #81009 email]. Learn why this is
important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific...
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the NJTA email system. Do
not click on links or open attachments unless you were expecting this
email.
Dear New Jersey Turnpike Authority,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA
and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an
official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request
per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including
all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place
of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New
Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
I am seeking any and all records from January 1, 2023, to present relating
to the closure of the bridge connecting the Connie Chung (formerly
Brookdale) Service Area to Bloomfield, NJ.
As reported by FOX5 NY on August 2025, NJTA’s Manager of Media Relations
and Public Information, Tom Feeney, stated: “The Turnpike Authority did a
traffic analysis and discovered that a large number of vehicles were
leaving the southbound Parkway and cutting through the service area to
exit onto Broad Street to avoid the toll on the Watchung Avenue exit. That
was not just a toll revenue issue but also a safety issue. The parking lot
and driveway in the service area are not designed to serve as a Parkway
exit ramp. The additional traffic put pedestrians at risk.”
Accordingly, I specifically request a copy of the traffic analysis
referenced in this public statement, along with any related safety
findings or supporting materials, including but not limited to records,
studies, analyses, reports, or memoranda regarding the decision to close
the bridge or restrict access between the service area and Bloomfield.
Traffic analyses, findings, or studies identifying toll evasion, traffic
flow, or related safety issues associated with the service area and
bridge. Safety reviews, pedestrian risk assessments, or crash/incident
analyses considered by NJTA in making this decision. Interagency
correspondence, emails, or meeting notes between NJTA, Bloomfield
Township, NJDOT, or Essex County regarding this bridge closure and traffic
impacts.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail
as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you
are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person
and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Marina
Attachments expire on Jan 02, 2026
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