NJ Transportation, Emergency Agencies Conducted Hurricane Evacuation Exercise

TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in partnership with the New Jersey State Police (NJSP), the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) conducted an emergency evacuation exercise on July 10 to provide operational personnel an opportunity to practice and refine a response in the event of a major hurricane.
“During a hurricane or other natural disaster, NJDOT crews are emergency responders working under the direction of the State Police,” said NJDOT Acting Commissioner Joseph Bertoni. “They ensure that people can get out of harm’s way, and that emergency personnel can get to where they are needed. This drill gives all four agencies an opportunity to work together to test our plans and communications systems.”
The objectives for this drill were to test NJDOT’s mobilization response time, interagency communication, and the effective use of contra flow plans by regional forces in the event of a hurricane.
The main element of the exercise was preparing to set up a contra flow on several highways within the state that serve as evacuation routes for the Shore. Contra flow is reversing the direction that traffic normally flows on a section of roadway to maximize the capacity of the road. The following highways were part of the July 10 drill:
• Routes 55/47/347 in Cape May County
• Route 72 in Burlington and Ocean counties
• I-195 in Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer counties
• Atlantic City Expressway in Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester counties
• Garden State Parkway in Atlantic and Cape May counties
Before traffic can be reversed in a contra flow scenario, safety devices must be strategically put in place to stop the traffic on one side of the road to allow that same lane or lanes to be used as additional lanes for evacuation from a specific area.
Nearly 300 New Jersey State Police, NJDOT, NJTA, and SJTA personnel participated in the exercise. They staged more than 5,000 cones, drums, and signs that are necessary to set up contra flow on these coastal evacuation routes. Crews followed plans all the way through to the staging of materials, stopping short of actually closing roadways. There was no impact to the motoring public as a result of this drill.
Colonel Rick Fuentes, New Jersey State Police Superintendent and Director of the NJ Office of Emergency Management, praised the efforts of all involved.
“Every level of government – state, county and local – should test emergency plans to make sure they are viable. We have implemented elements of the Contra Flow Plan during large-scale evacuations for Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene. These experiences informed the plan revisions we are testing today,” Fuentes said. “An evacuation order is a major undertaking. We rely on the New Jersey Department of Transportation to help us keep residents safe as they leave areas that are at risk from hurricanes and other severe weather events.”
The exercise began on July 7, with emails warning of a pending storm and continued through the July 10 drill. Preparations began with checking supplies, monitoring weather, managing staff resources, and establishing and implementing internal and external communications plans. In addition to the four New Jersey agencies that participated, representatives from the Maryland State Police observed the exercise.