'4 hours to get to work!' Commuting nightmare in NJ

ALL. >> BUT WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS AND AN ABSOLUTE TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE FOR COMMUTERS IN NEW JERSEY, BOTH ON THE RAILS AND THE ROADS. IT'S REALLY BAD. >> LATE FOR WORK. CAN'T DO NOTHING. CAN'T FLY. STANDSTILL. I ALMOST FELL ASLEEP. NOTHING WAS MOVING. NOTHING. >> IT'S LIKE A DOUBLE HEADED MONSTER. TRAFFIC AT THE LINCOLN TUNNEL HAS BEEN SNARLED FOR HOURS AFTER A MOTORCYCLE CRASH EARLIER THIS MORNING SHUT DOWN THE CENTER TUBE. THE TUBE REOPENED A FEW HOURS AGO, BUT THE BACKUPS HAVE PERSISTED. >> YEAH, THINGS ARE SO BAD. AT ONE POINT, PEOPLE WERE JUST ABANDONING BUSSES AND WALKING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO TRY AND FIND ANOTHER WAY IN. AT THE SAME TIME, NEW JERSEY TRANSIT TRAINS ONCE AGAIN BROUGHT TO A HALT. A POWER OUTAGE AT A SUBSTATION CAUSING MASSIVE DELAYS. THAT POWER HAS NOW BEEN RESTORED, BUT STILL RESIDUAL DELAYS OF UP TO ABOUT 50 MINUTES. >> AT ONE POINT, THE DEPARTURE BOARD ON THE NEW JERSEY TRANSIT APP WASN'T EVEN WORKING. BECAUSE OF ALL OF THESE ISSUES. SOME PEOPLE TRIED TO HEAD TO THE FERRY BUT FOUND THEY HAD A TWO HOUR WAIT JUST TO GET ON BOARD A BOAT. ALL OF THIS MADE FOR A VERY CHALLENGING MORNING. >> THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST COMMUTES THAT I CAN REMEMBER. >> THE LATEST IS THAT IT IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE. >> IT SURE WAS. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE ON THE RAILS FROM NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK AND THE SKY. BUT WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER ANTHONY CALO, WHO'S IN HELL'S KITCHEN NEAR CATTARO. ANTHONY >> WELL, IF YOU WOKE UP TODAY AND DECIDED, HEY, I'M GOING TO WORK REMOTE, I'M GOING TO WORK FROM HOME, YOU MIGHT WANT TO PLAY THE LOTTO BECAUSE YOU'RE VERY LUCKY YOU AVOIDED A LOT OF THIS MESS ON THE ROADS. THIS IS A SLOW TRICKLE OUT OF THE LINCOLN TUNNEL. AS YOU SEE DRIVERS COMING IN FROM JERSEY HERE INTO THE CITY. THINGS ARE SLOWLY IMPROVING, BUT WE'RE STILL MEETING DRIVERS WHO ARE BEHIND BY HOURS IN THEIR SCHEDULE, ALL BECAUSE OF DELAYS SET OFF BY A MOTORCYCLE CRASH IN THE LINCOLN TUNNEL. THINGS WERE SO BAD THAT VIDEO SHOWS COMMUTERS JUMPING OUT OF BUSSES AND DANGEROUSLY CROSSING A ROADWAY IN SECAUCUS AS TRAFFIC HEADING INTO THE TUNNEL BUILT UP. SO WHY WAS IT SO BAD? WELL, A LOT HAPPENED AT 350 THIS MORNING. A MOTORCYCLE CRASHED INSIDE THE LINCOLN TUNNEL CENTER TUBE. THE NORTHBOUND TUBE WAS ALREADY CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION. COMPLICATING THINGS, ALL WESTBOUND LANES AT THAT POINT CLOSED AT 615. OVER TWO HOURS LATER, THE PORT AUTHORITY PULLS THE PLUG ON CONSTRUCTION IN THE NORTH TUBE TO TRY TO HELP THE CENTER TUBE STAYED CLOSED FOR MOST OF THE MORNING AFTER THAT MOTORCYCLE CRASH INVESTIGATION. THEN, IF THINGS WEREN'T ALREADY BAD, A BUS STALLED IN THE INBOUND SOUTH TUNNEL WHERE TRAFFIC HAD BEEN SHIFTED, CAUSING 90 MINUTE DELAYS AT 7 A.M, CRASHES ON ROUTE THREE IN BOTH LANES IN EAST RUTHERFORD COMPOUNDED WHAT HAD ALREADY BEEN A BAD COMMUTE, FORCING PEOPLE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY BY PACKED FERRY, OR WITH NO CHOICE BUT TO DEAL WITH THE NIGHTMARE. I SPOKE WITH A HUSBAND DRIVING TO THE CITY TO GET HIS PREGNANT WIFE TO THE DOCTOR. >> WE HAVE TO GET TO A HOSPITAL APPOINTMENT. SO OH MY GOODNESS YEAH YEAH. SO. >> SO YOU'RE OFF TO THE HOSPITAL NOW? >> YEAH, IT'S JUST A SONOGRAM. BUT WE'RE LATE BECAUSE OF THAT. >> MY GOD, HOW LONG WERE YOU WAITING FOR IN THE TUNNEL? >> AN HOUR? YEAH, A WHILE, 2.5 HOURS. >> SO FAR FROM FROM SCOTCH PLAINS, NEW JERSEY. >> DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON? JUST GOOD LUCK EVERYWHERE. >> YEAH, EVERYTHING'S LOCKED UP. >> I'M BUSY. I'M LATE. I'M GLAD I'M LATE. >> TELL US WHAT TIME YOU STARTED OUT. I LEFT MY HOUSE AT 545 IN WAYNE, NEW JERSEY. >> MY KIDS WERE CALLING ME IN THE MORNING. HOW IS YOUR DAY GOING? I'M LIKE, NOT GOOD SO FAR. I HOPE YOU HAVE A BETTER DAY. >> BETTER DAYS. THAT MAN YOU JUST HEARD FROM. AS WE TAKE ANOTHER LIVE LOOK AT TRAFFIC EXITING THE TUNNEL HERE FROM THE JERSEY SIDE, COMING INTO THE CITY. WE'RE ON THE NEW YORK CITY SIDE. THAT MAN YOU HEARD FROM STARTED OUT AT 545. HE DIDN'T GET TO THE CITY UNTIL 915. SO OVER THREE HOURS OF HEADACHE RIGHT NOW, NEW JERSEY BUS SERVICE TRAVELING INTO AND OUT OF THE PORT AUTHORITY, STILL SUBJECT TO 45 MINUTE DELAYS. SO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU TREK OUT OF THE HOUSE TODAY. WE'RE LIVE AT THE LINCOLN TUNNEL. ANTHONY KARLO, CHANNEL SEVEN EYEWITNESS NEWS. THANK YOU ANTHONY. >> WELL, LET'S GET AN UPDATE ON NEW JERSEY TRANSIT. WITH THE ROADS JAMMED UP, MANY TURNED TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ONLY TO FIND A NEW SET OF ISSUES. NEW JERSEY REPORTER ANTHONY JOHNSON LIVE IN SECAUCUS WITH MORE ON THAT PART OF OUR STORY. ANTHONY >> YO, DAVID, JUST LISTENING TO ANTHONY CARLO DESCRIBED WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING, GAVE ME A HEADACHE. WE ARRIVED HERE AT SECAUCUS JUNCTION. THERE WAS A MASS OF PEOPLE JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE I'VE BEEN AT THIS LOCATION. MANY, MANY TIMES. I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS. MANY COMMUTERS ALL PILED UP AT THIS STATION. AND CERTAINLY THEY WERE PILED UP FOR A LONG TIME. AND THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF FRUSTRATION OUT HERE. THE TRAIN STARTED ROLLING AROUND 1030, JUST AFTER 1030 THIS MORNING. BUT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS IT WAS NOTHING BUT A MISERABLE COMMUTE FOR SO MANY PEOPLE. AT THIS LOCATION. HOW BAD IS IT? JUST TELL ME. >> IT'S A SIGN TO GO HOME. THE NEXT TRAIN WILL BE ARRIVING ON TRACK THREE. >> IT WAS A MORNING OF MISERY FOR THOUSANDS OF COMMUTERS WHO DEALT WITH DELAYS AND DISRUPTIONS. THE DOMINOES BEGAN TO FALL WITH PROBLEMS IN THE TUNNEL, AND BY MID-MORNING, NEW JERSEY TRANSIT SUFFERED A POWER OUTAGE. >> TERRIBLE. I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE ON THE BUS THAT GOT DIVERTED HERE BECAUSE THE LINCOLN TUNNEL WAS NOT OPERATING, I GUESS BECAUSE OF TWO BIG ACCIDENTS. SO NOW I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. I MIGHT GO BACK HOME, BUT I'M NOT SURE I CAN GET HOME VERY EASILY EITHER. SO IT'S BEEN A SAGA. >> MANY WERE TOLD TO USE PATH FROM SECAUCUS TO GO TO HOBOKEN, BUT THAT BEGAN TO LOOK LIKE A CATTLE CAR. IT'S BEEN A LITTLE PAINFUL FOR SURE. >> HOBOKEN IS A LITTLE BIT OF A HASSLE. EVERYBODY GOING DOWN THERE, THAT'S JUST GOING TO ADD, BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO GET IT STRAIGHT HERE TO GET EVERYBODY ON TRAINS TO NEW YORK. SO IT'S BEEN THAT'S BEEN TOUGH. >> PASSENGERS WERE OUTSIDE OF THE SECAUCUS STATION TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THEIR NEXT MOVE. >> I'M PROBABLY GOING TO TURN AROUND AND GO HOME IF I'M BEING HONEST, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN AN HOUR AND A HALF AND THERE'S 8 BILLION PEOPLE TRYING TO GET ON THIS TRAIN. IT'S TERRIBLE. >> IT WAS A MORNING COMMUTE FILLED WITH FRUSTRATION. >> THEY'RE TELLING US TO TAKE THE TRAIN INTO HOBOKEN AND THEN TAKE THE PATH TRAIN INTO MANHATTAN AND TO MIDTOWN. IT'S JUST HORRIBLE. IT'S LIKE THE DOUBLE WHAMMY EFFECT. >> I THINK I'M GOING TO STILL GO TO HOBOKEN BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE JAMMED GOING INTO NEW YORK, AND THERE'S STILL RESIDUAL DELAYS. SO IT'S A CRAZY DAY, RIGHT? YEAH, YEAH, WHATEVER. WE GOT TO ROLL WITH IT. >> YEAH, THAT IS TRUE. PEOPLE ARE STILL ROLLING WITH IT. THERE ARE STILL SOME RESIDUAL DELAYS ON NEW JERSEY TRANSIT. THIS ALL STARTED WITH AN AMTRAK POWER FAILURE. THERE WAS A SUBSTATION OVER IN NORTH BERGEN. THAT'S WHERE THE POWER FAILURE WAS LOCATED. OF COURSE THAT'S AMTRAK, BUT NEW JERSEY TRANSIT USES THOSE RAILS AND USES THAT TO GET INTO NEW YORK CITY. SO THAT STARTED THIS WHOLE PROBLEM ON NEW JERSEY TRANSIT. COMBINE THAT WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT TOOK PLACE THIS MORNING, THIS WILL PROBABLY BE A TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE THAT NOT MANY WILL SOON FORGET. THAT IS THE LATEST LIVE FROM SECAUCUS JUNCTION IN SECAUCUS. ANTHONY JOHNSON, CHANNEL SEVEN EYEWITNESS NEWS. >> ANTHONY, THANK YOU. AND AS WE HAVE BEEN REPORTING, THIS REALLY ALL BEGAN BEFORE THE SUN CAME UP THIS MORNING. AND OUR JOHN DEL GIORNO HAS BEEN WATCHING AND REPORTING IT ALL AS IT UNFOLDED FROM HIGH ABOVE THE SCENE IN NEWSCOPTER SEVEN. JON. I MEAN, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SHOT. KIND OF HARD TO IMAGINE ALL THE CHAOS THAT WAS BELOW. BUT HOW HAVE THINGS DEVELOPED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED COVERING THIS? >> WELL, IT WAS A MORNING THAT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO FORGET. I WAS SHOWING YOU THAT PICTURE OF MANHATTAN BECAUSE THERE ARE MORNINGS LIKE THIS THAT REMIND US THAT MANHATTAN IS AN ISLAND WITH A BODY OF WATER THAT SEPARATES IT FROM ANY OTHER PLACE, AND THERE'S ONLY LIMITED WAYS TO GET ACROSS THAT BODY OF WATER. THESE ARE LIVE PICTURES HERE OF THE LINCOLN TUNNEL. AS YOU LOOK BACK ON THIS MORNING, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER HOW ALL OF THOSE EVENTS THAT WE JUST HEARD ABOUT, ALL OF THOSE EVENTS ARE LINKED. THIS STARTED WITH AN ACCIDENT AT THE LINCOLN TUNNEL, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER TRAFFIC PROBLEM THAT CAUSED DELAYS THAT WERE SO BAD THAT NJ TRANSIT DECIDED TO SEND THEIR BUSSES OVER TO SECAUCUS. THE DELAYS INTO THE CITY WERE SO EXTENSIVE THEY SENT THE BUSSES AWAY FROM THE CITY. ONCE THOSE BUSSES WENT TO SECAUCUS, THAT'S WHEN THE TRAINS BROKE DOWN. SO YOU HAD ALL OF THESE EXTRA PEOPLE OVER THERE THAT SUDDENLY COULDN'T GET INTO THE CITY VIA TRAIN EITHER. I WANT TO SHOW YOU A PIECE OF TAPE THAT WE SHOT EARLIER, AND THIS IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE IMAGES FOR US, ALL OF THE PEOPLE STUCK ON THOSE TRAINS. YOUR NORMAL TRAIN RIDERS, PLUS THE EXTRA BUS CUSTOMERS THAT WERE DUMPED IN SECAUCUS. NOW THEY ALL HAD TO SQUEEZE ONTO THESE TRAINS TO GET THEM OVER TO HOBOKEN, WHERE MAYBE THEY COULD GET A FERRY BOAT. MAYBE THEY COULD GET A PACK TRAIN. MAYBE THE BEST IDEA WAS JUST TO TURN AROUND AND GO HOME. IT'S AMAZING TO ME THAT AT 1208, WE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT THE MORNING COMMUTE. WE'LL COME BACK HERE TO THE LIVE PICTURES. THE GOOD NEWS AT LEAST, IS THAT THINGS HAVE CALMED DOWN WITHIN THE LAST HOUR. LAST HOUR AND A HALF DELAYS RIGHT NOW AT THE LINCOLN TUNNEL DOWN TO ABOUT A TEN MINUTE DELAY COMING IN. BUT ACTUALLY I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT DOWN TO A FIVE MINUTE DELAY. THINGS ARE LOOKING BETTER. STILL SOME EXTRA CONGESTION UP AT THE GEORGE. STILL SOME EXTRA CONGESTION ON THE PULASKI SKYWAY IN JERSEY CITY. AND WE'RE LIVE OVER THE LINCOLN TUNNEL. JOHN DEL GIORNO CHANNEL SEVEN EYEWITNESS NEWS.