Photo by Tom Horak / For NJ Advance Media.
There is a lot of news surrounding Thanksgiving, New Jersey Turnpike travelers and a Hudson County soccer game to tune into before the festivities get underway.
Let’s get into it.
Harrison High School Boys Varsity Soccer Team Is Heading To The State Championship
Vibes are running high at Harrison High School as their boys varsity soccer team is moving on to Group II State Championship finals for the first time since 2014.
The Blue Tide beat the Glen Rock Panthers in a nail-biter this past Tuesday. The game remained tied 1-1 after 80 minutes of regular play, with a Blue Tide goal from Cristian Carranza in the 19th minute and a Panther goal in the 38th, forcing double overtime. After two 10-minute halves of overtime, neither team had conceded any goals, forcing the game to penalty kicks.
Yusufu Jaite netted the Blue Tide’s game-winning penalty kick as he took the fifth kick. The Blue Tide outscored the Panthers in penalties 5-3, with the game ending 2-1 in favor of the Blue Tide. Blue Tide goalkeeper Fransico Appolo made one save.
The Harrison High Blue Tides take the field again in hopes of winning its 26th Group II State Championship tomorrow, Nov. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at Franklin High School in Somerset, NJ.
The game will be available to watch here!
How Thanksgiving Travel Is Impacting New Jersey
One of the busiest travel days of the year is coming up in just five days.
If you’re one of the thousands who will be traveling for the holidays, here’s some tips you can take to make it a smoother trip.
If you’re driving or heading on a road trip, you can estimate how much it will cost you in gas by using the AAA gas cost calculator. Just enter the make, model and year of your car or the miles per gallon, and complete it with the starting location and destination.
People should try to avoid traveling during the afternoons of Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Wednesday, Nov. 27, if possible. The INRIX, which provides transportation data, reported that those days will see the most traffic.
Instead, according to the INRIX, the best time to hit the road is on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28 since this is when interstates and highways are most clear of traffic. You can see the best and worst times to travel between Monday, Nov. 25 to Monday, Dec. 2 by clicking here.
According to the data, the best time to head back are the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 1.
But road traffic is not the only traffic to anticipate this holiday season!
Air traffic at Newark Airport is also anticipating record breaking travel numbers. You can plan out how much time it’ll take to get you to the airport, whether you’re driving or taking an Uber or Lyft. To cut down on time, avoid baggage claim by traveling light.
New Jersey Turnpike Tolls Set To Rise In 2025
Jersey is getting another toll hike.
NJ Turnpike Authority officials approved a $2.7 billion 2025 budget that includes the fourth NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway 3% increase since 2020. The increase will go into effect for both roads on Jan. 1.
The turnpike toll will go up by 16 cents. According to a spokesperson with the NJ Turnpike Authority, areas where this applies includes:
- From Interchange 4 to Interchange 7A to go up by 10 cents
- From Interstate 95 through Interchange 6 to the Newark airport (Interchange 13A) will go up by 30 cents
- To travel south from Interchange 4 to the Delaware Memorial Bridge will go up 13 cents
The $2.7 billion 2025 budget includes a $95.3 million increase from 2024 and projects an increase in toll revenue by 2.9%. Other reasons for the budget surge are increases in health insurance and contractual wages increase.
The billion-dollar budget will also fund the first construction to replace the Newark Bay Bridge, which is between Bayonne and Newark. That contract is the first part of the controversial $10.7 billion project that looks to widen the Hudson County extension, which is widely opposed by Jersey City and Hoboken officials.
Hudson Bergen Light Rail Is Making Changes
A new operator is coming to town for the Hudson Bergen Light Rail.
The NJ Transit Board of Directors awarded a $1.5 billion contract to Puerto Rico-based ACI-Herzog JV, who will be the second Hudson-Bergen Light Rail operator since 2000.
“With this new contract, NJ TRANSIT maintains its focus on keeping the highest standard of service our Hudson-Bergen light rail (HBLR) customers have come to expect, while supporting the continued growth of Hudson County,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett in a statement.
That current contract will be expiring in 2025 and ACI-Herzog will be by Sept. 15, 2025.
According to NJ Transit, the HBLR runs through 24 stations, running north-south along the Hudson River waterfront in Hudson County for 20.6 miles and brings its service to more than 48,000 daily weekday riders.
Jersey City Progressive Activist Running For Council Seat
Eleana Little is looking to fill in Ward E Councilman James Solomon’s spot.
Little, who works as an environmental engineer, announced earlier this month that she will be running for the Ward E council seat next year.
“I don’t take money from big developers or special interests; our movement is people-powered so our neighbors can trust that I’ll work for them, not the powerful,” she said in a statement.
“From tenant protections to flood prevention, I have spent years advocating for our neighborhoods and fighting to ensure Jersey City is a place where everyone can thrive.”
Little said she will focus on tenant protections, climate resilience, transparent government and prioritizing resources for community programs.
Solomon will not seek re-election for the Ward E council seat because he announced in September that he’s running for Jersey City Mayor. Little, who is running as an independent, is only the second person to announce her campaign. The first is Alexander Hamilton, a former Board of Education Trustee.
Little donated to Solomon’s campaign to succeed Mayor Steven Fulop. Fulop is running for state governor and is not seeking mayor re-election.
