New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).[a] The 117.20-mile (188.62 km) mainline's southern terminus is at Interstate 295 (I-295) and U.S. Route 40 (US 40) in Pennsville Township in Salem County, near the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with I-80 and US 46 in Ridgefield Park. Construction of the mainline from concept to completion took 22 months, from 1950 to 1951. It was opened to traffic on November 5, 1951, between its southern terminus and exit 10.[5]
This article is about the modern toll highway. For the 19th century turnpike, see List of turnpikes in New Jersey § Jersey Turnpike.
New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
1951–present
- Route 700 (unsigned) from Pennsville Township to Mansfield Township
I-95 from Mansfield Township to Ridgefield Park
I-78 Newark Bay Extension from Newark to Jersey City
Buses and commercial vehicles must use outer roadways between exits 6 and 14
Route 73 in Mount Laurel
I-95 / Pearl Harbor Extension in Mansfield Township
I-195 in Robbinsville Township
I-287 / Route 440 in Edison
G.S. Parkway / US 9 in Woodbridge Township
I-278 in Elizabeth
I-78 / Newark Bay Extension / US 1-9 in Newark
I-280 in Kearny
Route 3 / Route 495 in Secaucus
Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Essex, Hudson, Bergen
The turnpike is a major thoroughfare providing access to various localities in New Jersey.[6] The toll road provides a direct bypass southeast of Philadelphia for long-distance travelers between New York City and Washington, D.C. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and one of the most heavily traveled highways in the nation.[7]
The northern part of the mainline turnpike, along with the entirety of its extensions and spurs, is part of the Interstate Highway System, designated as I-95 between exit 6 in Mansfield Township and its northern end. South of exit 6, it has the unsigned Route 700 designation. There are three extensions and two spurs, including the Newark Bay Extension at exit 14, which carries I-78; the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension, officially known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Turnpike Extension, at exit 6 which carries I-95 off the mainline turnpike; the Eastern Spur and the Western Spur which split traffic between Newark and Ridgefield; and the I-95 Extension which continues the mainline to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee. All segments except for the I-95 Extension are tolled.
The route is divided into four roadways between exit 6 and exit 14. The inner lanes are normally restricted to carrying only cars, with the outer lanes for cars, trucks, and buses. The turnpike has 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) lanes, 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) shoulders and 13 rest areas named after notable New Jersey residents. The Interstate Highway System took some of its design guidelines from those for the turnpike.[8] The turnpike has been referenced in music, film, and television.
