The closure is supposed to last for months. It was announced on the 17th in a NJDOT press release that the work would begin on the 20th. The announcement came a couple days after the rally was announced. The goal in road projects like this is to complete the work before the summer season when the route is heavily traveled. But Iâm not sure the work startup couldnât have waited until after the rally.
Hereâs a Breitbart piece on the issue: NJ Dem Gov Schedules Construction Project to Interfere with Trump Rally
From what I hear in the district (my district) the estimates of the number of ticket requests are accurate. The Convention Center itself canât hold more than about 8000 people. Because of the causeway entry to and configuration of the town, there would not be space for 100,000 people to congregate anywhere near the Convention Center, especially in winter when so much is closed off.
The work was planned for the off season - most work to the barrier island communities will be planned for the off season. It was not previously scheduled to begin before the rallyâs date. I live near the district, in a community that routinely struggles with how to work in road, dredging, drainage projects so they do not interfere with high traffic seasons. This particular project could easily have been begun in Feb, and been completed before Memorial Day.