Through interviews and in newly released documents, MSNBC has learned previously unknown information about the George Washington Bridge access lane closures in Fort Lee, New Jersey orchestrated by Governor Chris Christie’s aides and appointees – including the intended duration of the town’s traffic nightmare.
Handwritten notes released Wednesday by the borough of Fort Lee show that on the first morning of the lane closures, Port Authority Police Lt. Thomas “Chip” Michaels told Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul that toll lane changes had been ordered by Port Authority executives as a “test” to “relieve” congestion on the Interstate-95 approaches to the bridge at the expense of Fort Lee and surrounding towns. The exercise was to last for a month, Bendul’s notes about his conversation with Michaels show. In telephone interviews with MSNBC last week, Bendul clarified and confirmed this interaction with Michaels.
MSNBC reported Sunday that Michaels drove David Wildstein, a Christie-appointed Port Authority official who has since resigned, on a survey of the crippling gridlock on the first morning of the lane closures and continued to trade text messages with him into the second day.
Bendul further revealed to MSNBC that Michaels was the first Port Authority official he contacted about the lane closures.
Also among the documents released Wednesday was an exchange of text messages between Michaels and Bendul on the first day of the lane closures, in which Michaels suggested sending cars toward the area affected by the lane closures. The text came less than an hour after Michaels texted to Wildstein he had an idea to “make this better.”
A review of additional documents indicates that Michaels may have known about the planned month-long duration of the lane closures sooner than other high-ranking Port Authority officials.
Emails subpoenaed by the N.J. Legislature show that Robert Durando, manager of the George Washington Bridge, learned that the lane closures would be continued into the following day “at a minimum” almost six hours after Michaels told Fort Lee officials that the changes would be in place for a month.
And while Michaels told Bendul that Port Authority executives in Jersey City were behind the lane closures, Cedrick Fulton, director for Tunnels, Bridges, and Terminals at the Port Authority’s Jersey City offices, actually learned of their day-to-day duration from Durando.









