NJ rest stop named for Jon Bon Jovi is closed for renovations

⛽Gas, food and bathrooms at the Parkway's Jon Bon Jovi service area are unavailable

⛽One more Parkway service area will close before the end of the year

⛽12 Turnpike and 9 Parkway service areas have been renovated in the past 10 years

Services at a key Garden State Parkway service area are temporarily unavailable as a long-term renovation project nears its end.

The Jon Bon Jovi service area south of the Driscoll Bridge, formerly known as the Cheesequake service area, closed Tuesday until "mid-2024," according to the Turnpike Authority website. The commuter parking lot remains open.

The lack of services means drivers will have no place to fuel up, grab a coffee or rest for approximately 40 miles between the Colonia Service Areas in Woodbridge and the Judy Blume (former Monmouth) Service Area in Wall.

The John Fenwick and Clara Barton service areas at the southern end of the New Jersey Turnpike are also closed. The buildings at both locations are being replaced.

Turnpike Authority spokesman Thomas Feeney said the James Gandolfini service area in Montvale at the northern end of the Parkway in Montvale will close before the end of 2023.

"Once the work at Fenwick, Barton, Bon Jovi, and Gandolfini is complete, all 21 of the Turnpike Authority-owned service areas on the Turnpike (12) and Parkway (nine) will have been replaced or significantly rehabilitated over the past decade," Feeney said.

What's going in?

Feeney said he did not know the final list of restaurants and other services are coming to the renovated areas.

The completion of the most recent renovations at the Whitney Houston and Connie Chung service areas were delayed until summer because of supply chain issues.

The Colonia North and Colonia South service areas are privately owned and not part of the renovation.

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