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That's just Jersey, baby.

When we were kids, we rotated the option of choosing which way to go down the shore from Nothern Jersey: The Smelly Way (NJ Turnpike) or The Pretty Way (GSP). My brother -- the only boy -- always picked The Smelly Way.

I noticed a strong odor pulling off the turnpike at the Liberty State Park exit about 2 weeks ago that continues today in varying strengths depending on location and wind. It is hard to say what the smell is like, but it reminds me of when my father would take me with him to bring a load to the dump when I was a small child.

I don't know a whole lot about the Pulaski fire other than what you mentioned. The fire is out now and that is why it is being considered for redevelopment finally and why the options for it are somewhat limited. I do remember hearing that at the fire's hight in the 70s, that there were bitter complaints from the faithful parishioners at St. Alyosius parish on West Side Avenue whose territory bordered the site. It was particularly hard for them to sit through the episcopal visitations when the Archbishop would go on about saving the world while he allowed this property to burn and ruin the neighborhood and Lincoln Park.

Yeah I too would love to know more about the fire. Is this the landfill property soon to be a warehouse and park? I remember reading this a while back but never found out anything more:

"The landfill property, the bulk of which is owned by the Archdiocese of Newark, has been the subject of controversy for decades. Contaminants burned in a raging underground fire there for years, although the fire has now long been out."

I tried google but came up with nothing. Must have sucked living near that -- sounds like it might have been harmful.

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wait I did find this thread and this fact:
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I did find this
RailRoad list

PJP was a municipal solid waste landfill that caught fire underground and burned for several decades IIRC. When the wind was from the south, the PATH trains would pass thru the smoke. When I was commuting on the PATH, I was able to taste that plume on many occasions.

The company I worked for at the time was awarded the contract to remediate the site. Many previous attempts were made to extinguish the fire by injecting millions of gallons of water into the site (the landfill was old and only 10 to 15 feet deep). The trash was pretty much dumped into the marsh back when. The fire was successfully extinguished by excavating the site in sections and applying chemical foam. My job was to perform air monitoring, a task that required twice-daily visits to a monitoring station we had at an upper floor of the housing projects across the street. We were required to wear hard hats when walking to the projects as the tenants had a tendency to throw garbage directly out of their apartment windows.
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The underground fire was finally put out in 1985 by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

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Sorry, I can't help with your question, but can you tell us more about the fire at the foot of the Pulaski? That sounds pretty interesting...

Anybody notice the smell of a smoldering fire in the Lafayette Section over the last month or so? It smells like it is a fire that is just about out, but I keep smelling it. Saturday night it was so strong that it permeated my whole house. I hope this is nothing like the underground fire that burned at the foot of the Pulaski for more than 20 years.