Fog Shuts Down Part Of N.J. Turnpike, Brings Major Delays To Airports

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Foggy conditions shut down part of the New Jersey Turnpike and sparked major delays at local airports Friday night.

The New Jersey Turnpike Western Spur was shut down in both directions late Friday between the Vince Lombari Service Area and Interchange 14 due to the dense fog.

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As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, the Western Spur had been shut down for more than eight hours by 11 p.m., which is incredibly rare. So while the fog moved across the New Jersey Turnpike Western Spur, cars did not.

"This is the first time that I've seen it shut down," said Sonja Sharif of Harlem.

Tamiko Ward said the traffic was "terrible."

"I'm from Philadelphia and I'm like, 'What the heck is going on?'" Ward said.

It took Patti and Bill Henriques of Massachusetts three hours to drive eight miles from the George Washington Bridge to the Lombardi Rest Stop.

"It's been crazy," said Patti Henriques. "I didn't know what it was. I thought it was an accident

The George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel all had delays because of the Western Spur shutdown. The Port Authority Bus Terminal also reported significant departure delays.

WCBS 880's Jim Feldman also reported that major fog was impacting the Palisades Parkway.

Meanwhile, the low clouds led some arriving flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport to be delayed by an average of 5 hours and 12 minutes in the early evening. Some departing flights were delayed by an average 5 hours and 5 minutes.

The delays come at the end of a messy several days at JFK, during which a a snowstorm created days of chaos, a water pipe burst in Terminal 4, and numerous travelers were left with their bags nowhere to be found.

Some arriving flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed by 2 hours and 27 minutes in the early evening, while some departing flights there were delayed by 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Friday was also a difficult day for Newark Airport. Earlier in the day, a manhole fire outside the airport forced officials to evacuate a section of Terminal C.

At LaGuardia Airport, some arriving flights were delayed an average of 2 hours and 52 minutes, while some departing flights were delayed by an average of 2 hours and 14 minutes in the early evening.

By 11 p.m., delays at JFK had been reduced to one hour, Newark 2 hours and 27 minutes, and LaGuardia 15 minutes or less.

The fog was seen all around the area. Around dusk along the Hudson River, the fog was almost lying on top of the water. A similar scene was seen on the East River earlier in the day.

While the weather made for some good pictures, it caused a lot of other headaches. Thousands in New Jersey from Bergen to Hudson and Middlesex counties lost power.

PSE&G blamed it on salt-soaked snow melt getting into equipment.

Back at the Lombardi Rest Stop, the fog almost looked like smoke rising from the dirty snow. Drivers just hoped to get to their destinations.

There was no word late Friday about when the Western Spur would reopen.

CBS2's Lonnie Quinn reported as of the late afternoon, visibility in some areas was dramatically reduced. While visibility stood at 9 miles in New York City, it was only 0.1 mile in Woodmere, Long Island, and 0.3 mile in Stamford, Connecticut.

The fog is expected to continue for most of the night. Temperatures could still measure 60 degrees at 2 a.m. as rain continues, but temperatures will drop dramatically and quickly to 40 for the city by 7 a.m., 30 by noon.

In:
• New Jersey Turnpike
• John F. Kennedy International Airport