Gandolfini Service Area Closed For Renovations

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Anyone driving south during the holidays for the first time in a while may not know the that Montvale Service Area, first stop over the New York border on the Garden State Parkway, had its name changed to honor brilliant actor James Gandolfini, who died young.

What also may be news is that the James Gandolfini Service Area is closed for renovations. Both the main building and the service station are affected, so no food, fuel or bathrooms.

It shut down Dec. 4 and isn't expected to reopen until mid-2024, New Jersey Turnpike Authority officials said.

The Montvale Service Area on the Garden State Parkway was renamed in 2022 in honor of Gandolfini, whose portrayal of the fictional New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano made him an icon in his native state and earned him a place in the New Jersey Hall of Fame, NJTA officials said.

The Sopranos ran on HBO for six seasons between 1999 and 2007. The opening credits featured Gandolfini’s character driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, and the state’s toll roads appeared regularly on the show. An episode in Season 3 entitled “Army of One” was recorded inside the service area that now bears Gandolfini’s name. Gandolfini’s work on the show earned him three Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe.

Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge. He graduated from Park Ridge High School and Rutgers University. He died of a heart attack in 2013 at age 51 and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame the following year.

Montvale was the sixth service area to be renamed.

Cheesequake was renamed for rock star Jon Bon Jovi, Forked River for salsa star Celia Cruz, Brookdale North for baseball legend Larry Doby, Monmouth for children’s author Judy Blume, and Atlantic for singer Frank Sinatra.

Other New Jersey Hall of Fame members who had Parkway service areas renamed in their honor include journalist Connie Chung (Brookdale South) and singer Whitney Houston (Vauxhall).