Dear New Jersey Attorney General's Office,

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 submitted an OPRA request for both Bloomfield and NJTA. Bloomfield did respond promptly, but, as of now, there's no information from the NJTA to Bloomfield or vice versa relating to the Connie Chung rest area, the partial bridge blockage, the GSP SB Exit 151 or anything that provides more information regarding a news article I read.

Context: As reported by FOX5 NY in August 2025, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’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.”

I have tried to get confirmation from the NJTA regarding my request, but nobody is answering. I am very interesting in finding out what, when, how, who, and why the blockage of the bridge occurred. I would really appreciate anything that could provide me with to gain understanding and clarity.

I am submitting to you the exact message I sent to NJTA. I'm not sure if you guys, the NJ Attorney General Office, have access or are able to provide me with this information.

Timeframe: January 1, 2023 to present. I believe the timeframe fits into when the Connie Chung rest area was opened for public access to today.

Records requested:

The “traffic analysis” referenced above, any copy received by Bloomfield (in whole or in part), including attachments, cover letters, transmittals, or presentations from NJTA or its consultants, and any internal Bloomfield distribution e-mails when it was received or discussed.

Safety findings considered by Bloomfield; any pedestrian-risk reviews, crash/incident analyses, or other safety assessments regarding the Connie Chung/Brookdale Service Area connection to Broad Street or the bridge/access point, whether created by Bloomfield or received from NJTA/NJDOT/Essex County or their consultants.

Interagency correspondence—e-mails, letters, meeting notes, agendas, calendar invites, or MOUs between Bloomfield officials/staff and (a) NJTA, (b) NJDOT, or (c) Essex County regarding: the bridge closure or restricted access between the service area and Bloomfield; toll-evasion/cut-through; traffic flow/impacts on Broad Street/Watchung Avenue; or pedestrian safety at the service area driveway.

Governing body materials—Council agendas, minutes, resolutions/ordinances, staff reports, or meeting packets where any of these terms appear: “Connie Chung,” “Brookdale Service Area,” “service area,” “bridge,” “access,” “Broad Street,” or “Watchung Avenue,” in relation to the closure/restriction.

Traffic/engineering materials in Bloomfield’s possession relating to the service area/Broad Street/Watchung Ave access: traffic counts (incl. turning-movement counts), queueing or safety analyses, crash summaries, consultant reports or deliverables, and any “traffic analysis” or memorandum discussed with NJTA/NJDOT.

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.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration of my request.

Yours faithfully,
Marina Davis