225-561: The Garden State Parkway ( GSP ) is a controlled-access , tolled highway that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May north to the New York state line at Montvale . Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname , the "Garden State". The parkway has an unsigned reference number of Route 444 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). At its north end,
450-649: A dual highway ) in 1932 between Cologne and Bonn . It then rapidly constructed the first nationwide system of such roads. The first North American freeways (known as parkways) opened in the New York City area in the 1920s. Britain, heavily influenced by the railways, did not build its first motorway , the Preston By-pass ( M6 ), until 1958. Most technologically advanced nations feature an extensive network of freeways or motorways to provide high-capacity urban travel, or high-speed rural travel, or both. Many have
675-533: A flume of the Atlantic City Reservoir, which has a basin on each side of the highway. Continuing north, the highway enters Galloway Township and passes over NJ Transit 's Atlantic City Line before it comes to a partial interchange with White Horse Pike ( US 30 ), serving Absecon . North of this exit, the median is home to the Frank Sinatra Service Area, which also has a barrack of
900-466: A median separates the opposite directions of traffic. This strip may be as simple as a grassy area, or may include a crash barrier such as a " Jersey barrier " or an "Ontario Tall Wall" to prevent head-on collisions . On some freeways, the two carriageways are built on different alignments; this may be done to make use of available corridors in a mountainous area or to provide narrower corridors through dense urban areas . Control of access relates to
1125-519: A super-two before the northbound lanes opened on September 22), then connected across the Mullica River to the existing section on August 28 over a temporary super-two, with the other lanes opened a few weeks later. The Cape May section of highway was also extended north to Route 50 at Seaville that day, which then was extended south to Route 47 on September 4, and north to Beesley's Point Bridge on October 6. The entire highway south of Irvington
1350-552: A 40-mile (64 km) section between Sayreville and Paramus . The NJTA may temporarily reduce the speed limit when special hazards exist. Commercial trucks with a registered weight of over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) are not allowed to use the parkway north of exit 105, just past the Asbury Park Toll Plaza. The entire length of the Garden State Parkway carries the unsigned designation of Route 444, and
1575-401: A border between residential neighborhoods to the west and forest to the east before passing to the east of a golf course and entering Barnegat , where the concentration of houses shifts to the east. After an interchange with West Bay Avenue ( CR 554 ), the parkway passes by residential neighborhoods on both sides of the highway before the median shortly narrows and the southbound roadway has
1800-501: A business district and crossing Norfolk Southern's Passaic Spur line. After passing many more residences near the route, the parkway reaches a partial interchange with the southern terminus of Route 20 . Immediately afterwards, the parkway crosses the Passaic River and enters Elmwood Park , Bergen County , where it comes to a second interchange with US 46, serving Garfield . Passing more homes, followed by several businesses,
2025-694: A cloverleaf and trumpet interchange when it opened in 1937, and until the Second World War , boasted the longest illuminated stretch of roadway built. A decade later, the first section of Highway 401 was opened, based on earlier designs. It has since gone on to become the busiest highway in the world. The word freeway was first used in February 1930 by Edward M. Bassett . Bassett argued that roads should be classified into three basic types: highways, parkways , and freeways. In Bassett's zoning and property law -based system, abutting property owners have
2250-407: A day earlier than scheduled. Mayor William McConnell ordered a blockade on this section of the highway on January 4, stating that North Arlington Avenue would be unable to handle traffic coming from the parkway. It was only when the southbound section was opened to exit 148 on January 8 that the blockade was lifted on the southbound section. At this point, Bloomfield mayor Donald E. Scott prevented
2475-443: A female householder with no husband present and 25.6% were non-families. Of all households, 21.4% were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.27. 21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
SECTION 10
#17328442237662700-473: A female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19. In the township, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
2925-620: A freeway, specialized pedestrian footbridges or tunnels may also be provided. These structures enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross the freeway at that point without a detour to the nearest road crossing. Access to freeways is typically provided only at grade-separated interchanges , though lower-standard right-in/right-out (left-in/left-out in countries that drive on the left) access can be used for direct connections to side roads. In many cases, sophisticated interchanges allow for smooth, uninterrupted transitions between intersecting freeways and busy arterial roads . However, sometimes it
3150-454: A golf course, the parkway has the John B. Townsend Shoemaker Holly Picnic Area in the median before it crosses over the abandoned Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Ocean City Branch. Continuing north, the highway comes to a diamond interchange with US 9 and Roosevelt Boulevard ( CR 623 ), which serves Ocean City and Marmora . North of this exit, US 9 begins to run concurrently with
3375-458: A highway that was intended to run from Kearny to Hackensack . The extension, Route S101, would have continued northward from Hackensack to the state line via Paramus. Approximately nine miles (14 km) in length, the extension was planned to run north through the Bergen County municipalities of Paramus, Washington Township, Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake, and Montvale to the state line, where
3600-434: A larger number of guide signs than other roads, and the signs themselves are physically larger. Guide signs are often mounted on overpasses or overhead gantries so that drivers can see where each lane goes. Exit numbers are commonly derived from the exit's distance in miles or kilometers from the start of the freeway. In some areas, there are public rest areas or service areas on freeways, as well as emergency phones on
3825-612: A law was also passed that required tolls to be kept as long as there are construction projects occurring, effectively shooting down any proposals to de-toll the tolled segments. On July 9, 2003, Governor Jim McGreevey 's plan to disband the New Jersey Highway Authority and give control of the parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) was completed. Additionally, in November of that year, construction
4050-499: A legal status which limits the types of vehicles that can use a highway, as well as a road design that limits the points at which they can access it. Major arterial roads will often have partial access control , meaning that side roads will intersect the main road at grade, instead of using interchanges, but driveways may not connect directly to the main road, and drivers must use intersecting roads to access adjacent land. At arterial junctions with relatively quiet side roads, traffic
4275-509: A meeting was held between NJHA officials, Senator Charles W. Sandman Jr. , and the Cape May County Board of Freeholders . They discussed safety issues found at exit 12;'s exit ramp. A northbound-only ramp that traveled at-grade across the southbound lanes; it had been described as a "serious hazard" by the NJHA's safety committee. After an agreement was settled on and approval came from
4500-518: A milepost system but does not use milepost markers. In Europe and some other countries, motorways typically have similar characteristics such as: Two-lane freeways , often undivided, are sometimes built when traffic volumes are low or right-of-way is limited; they may be designed for easy conversion to one side of a four-lane freeway. (For example, most of the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in eastern Kentucky
4725-447: A motorway is understood as a public road with dual carriageways and at least two lanes each way. All entrances and exits are signposted and all interchanges are grade separated. Central barrier or median present throughout the road. No crossing is permitted, while stopping is permitted only in an emergency. Restricted access to motor vehicles, prohibited to pedestrians, animals, pedal cycles, mopeds, agricultural vehicles. The minimum speed
SECTION 20
#17328442237664950-772: A national-level or even international-level (e.g. European E route ) system of route numbering . There are several international standards that give some definitions of words such as motorways, but there is no formal definition of the English language words such as freeway , motorway , and expressway , or of the equivalent words in other languages such as autoroute , Autobahn , autostrada , autocesta, autoput , that are accepted worldwide—in most cases these words are defined by local statute or design standards or regional international treaties. Descriptions that are widely used include: One green or blue symbol (like [REDACTED] ) appears at motorway entry in countries that follow
5175-421: A natural feel. Many trees were planted, and the only signs were those for exits—there were no distracting billboards. Most of the signs were constructed from wood, or a dark-brown metal, instead of the chrome bars used on most other highways. The guardrails were also made from wood and dark metal. Most early overpasses were stone, but were later changed to concrete, with green rails and retro etchings, popular around
5400-551: A northbound entrance and southbound exit at Main Street ( CR 670 ), the lanes, now as a 4-3-3-4 configuration, merge as they cross the abandoned Raritan River Railroad and reach the Raritan Toll Plaza southbound. North of the toll barrier is an exit for Chevalier Avenue; all southbound vehicles exiting here must have an E-ZPass transponder. Paralleling US 9 and Route 35, the parkway becomes 15 lanes as it crosses
5625-589: A number of patterns. The actual pattern is determined by a number of factors including local topology, traffic density, land cost, building costs, type of road, etc. In some jurisdictions feeder/distributor lanes are common, especially for cloverleaf interchanges ; in others, such as the United Kingdom, where the roundabout interchange is common, feeder/distributor lanes are seldom seen. Motorways in Europe typically differ between exits and junctions. An exit leads out of
5850-594: A park and where intersecting streets crossed over bridges. The Southern State Parkway opened in 1927, while the Long Island Motor Parkway was closed in 1937 and replaced by the Northern State Parkway (opened 1931) and the contiguous Grand Central Parkway (opened 1936). In Germany, construction of the Bonn-Cologne Autobahn began in 1929 and was opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer , then
6075-599: A partial interchange. Continuing northeast past the community of New Gretna , the parkway passes over US 9 with no access before crossing the Bass River and the median widens and contains a maintenance yard. Past this point, the median temporarily narrows again as the northbound lanes have the New Gretna Toll Plaza. Crossing northward through Bass River State Forest , the six-lane highway becomes desolate as it enters Little Egg Harbor Township , Ocean County . Here,
6300-491: A partisan basis as part of the November general election in odd-numbered years. The council includes four members elected at-large and five members elected from each of the township's five wards . The at-large and mayoral seats come up together for vote followed two years later by the five ward seats. As of 2024 , the Mayor of Woodbridge Township is Democrat John McCormac , whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. McCormac
6525-1085: A partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects from among its members a commissioner director and deputy director. As of 2024 , Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are: Director Ronald G. Rios (D, Carteret , 2024), Deputy Director Shanti Narra (D, North Brunswick , 2024), Claribel A. "Clary" Azcona-Barber (D, New Brunswick , 2025), Charles Kenny (D, Woodbridge Township , 2025), Leslie Koppel (D, Monroe Township , 2026), Chanelle Scott McCullum (D, Piscataway , 2024) and Charles E. Tomaro (D, Edison , 2026). Constitutional officers are: Clerk Nancy Pinkin (D, 2025, East Brunswick ), Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (D, 2025, Piscataway) and Surrogate Claribel Cortes (D, 2026; North Brunswick). As of March 2011, there were
6750-671: A portion of the East Coast Greenway . Merrill Park is a 179 acres (72 ha) park along the banks of the South Branch Rahway River , fully renovated in 2013. It has sports facilities, playgrounds, bike paths and walkways . James Parker founded the first printing press in New Jersey in 1751; his building has been restored with an old working printing press. It is located in Parker Press Park, Woodbridge Proper;
6975-487: A priority. In March of that year, Hardroads Inc., a firm located in East Brunswick , was hired to construct this new interchange. They quickly acquired land for the interchage, and construction began shortly after. On October 25, 1982, this exit was partially opened to traffic. Later, on November 19, the final part of the ramp was completed. In 1980, plans was proposed to construct exit 84, which would have consisted of
Garden State Parkway - Misplaced Pages Continue
7200-457: A private venture, was the world's first limited-access roadway. It included many modern features, including banked turns , guard rails and reinforced concrete tarmac . Traffic could turn left between the parkway and connectors, crossing oncoming traffic, so it was not a controlled-access highway (or "freeway" as later defined by the federal government's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices ). Modern controlled-access highways originated in
7425-609: A reduction in deaths in a range from 20% to 50% on those sections. Speed, in Europe, is considered to be one of the main contributory factors to collisions. Some countries, such as France and Switzerland, have achieved a death reduction by a better monitoring of speed. Tools used for monitoring speed might be an increase in traffic density; improved speed enforcement and stricter regulation leading to driver license withdrawal; safety cameras; penalty point; and higher fines. Some other countries use automatic time-over-distance cameras (also known as section controls ) to manage speed. Fatigue
7650-538: A separate roadway or altogether eliminates it. In some parts of the world, notably parts of the US , frontage roads form an integral part of the freeway system. These parallel surface roads provide a transition between high-speed "through" traffic and local traffic. Frequent slip-ramps provide access between the freeway and the frontage road, which in turn provides direct access to local roads and businesses. Except on some two-lane freeways (and very rarely on wider freeways),
7875-510: A similar system of express and local lanes for a maximum width of 21 lanes on a 2-mile (3.2 km) segment between Interstate 805 and California State Route 56 . In Mississauga , Ontario, Highway 401 uses collector-express lanes for a total of 18 lanes through its intersection with Highway 403 / Highway 410 and Highway 427 . These wide freeways may use separate collector and express lanes to separate through traffic from local traffic, or special high-occupancy vehicle lanes , either as
8100-541: A southbound exit and northbound entrance onto Indian Head Road. They also would have widened the New Gretna Toll Plaza. However, it was declared unbeneficial after a study deemed it to likely discourage use of public transit, and despite a replanning of the interchange, it was later shelved indefinitely. Additionally, in 1983, plans were made to reopen exit 116 as a tolled interchange. However, they ended up unsuccessful after protest from Homdel officials. In 1980, plans were made to construct exit 171, which would serve
8325-411: A special restriction on the innermost lane or a separate roadway, to encourage carpooling . These HOV lanes , or roadways open to all traffic, can be reversible lanes , providing more capacity in the direction of heavy traffic, and reversing direction before traffic switches. Sometimes a collector/distributor road , a shorter version of a local lane, shifts weaving between closely spaced interchanges to
8550-545: A total of 54,674 registered voters in Woodbridge Township, of which 20,900 (38.2%) were registered as Democrats , 6,135 (11.2%) were registered as Republicans and 27,611 (50.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated . There were 28 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election , Democrat Barack Obama received 62.2% of the vote (22,386 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 36.7% (13,200 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (386 votes), among
8775-433: A turnout of 70.2%. In the 2004 presidential election , Democrat John Kerry received 53.5% of the vote (19,662 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 45.1% (16,589 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (367 votes), among the 36,770 ballots cast by the township's 51,913 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 70.8. In the 2013 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 58.9% of
9000-578: Is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City , within the New York metropolitan area . Located within the core of the Raritan Valley region , Woodbridge Township hosts the junction of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway , the two busiest highways in the state, and also serves as the headquarters for
9225-453: Is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway , motorway , and expressway . Other similar terms include throughway or thruway and parkway . Some of these may be limited-access highways , although this term can also refer to a class of highways with somewhat less isolation from other traffic. In countries following
Garden State Parkway - Misplaced Pages Continue
9450-465: Is considered as a risk factor more specific to monotonous roads such as motorways, although such data are not monitored/recorded in many countries. According to Vinci Autoroutes , one third of accidents in French motorways are due to sleepy driving. Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in northern Middlesex County , in the U.S. state of New Jersey . The township
9675-728: Is controlled mainly by two-way stop signs which do not impose significant interruptions on traffic using the main highway. Roundabouts are often used at busier intersections in Europe because they help minimize interruptions in flow, while traffic signals that create greater interference with traffic are still preferred in North America. There may be occasional interchanges with other major arterial roads. Examples include US 23 between SR 15 's eastern terminus and Delaware, Ohio , along with SR 15 between its eastern terminus and I-75 , US 30 , SR 29 / US 33 , and US 35 in western and central Ohio. This type of road
9900-592: Is governed within the Faulkner Act , formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter law, under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of a directly elected mayor and a nine-member Township Council, with all officials elected to staggered four-year terms of office on
10125-801: Is in the Arthur Kill . Area codes 732 and 848 are used in Woodbridge. Pumpkin Patch Brook , which flows through Woodbridge, is a tributary of the Robinson's Branch of the Rahway River , which feeds the Robinson's Branch Reservoir . The township has a borderline humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) similar to most of metropolitan New Jersey. The local hardiness zone is 7a. There are distinct communities within Woodbridge Township . Several of these communities have their own ZIP Codes , and many are listed by
10350-539: Is located in the 6th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 19th state legislative district. For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Frank Pallone ( D , Long Branch ). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker ( Newark , term ends 2027) and George Helmy ( Mountain Lakes , term ends 2024). For
10575-480: Is named after Reverend John W. Woodbridge (1613–1696) of Newbury, Massachusetts , who settled in the future township in 1664. Woodbridge was the site of one of America's deadliest rail accidents on February 6, 1951, when a crowded commuter train derailed with 85 deaths . The victims are memorialized by a pair of historical markers, installed by New Jersey Transit in 2002 and by Woodbridge Township in 2013. In October 1982, Woodbridge made national news when, for
10800-441: Is named; John Bishop, senior and junior; Jonathan Haynes; Henry Jaques; George March; Stephen Kent; Abraham Toppan, junior; Elisha Ilsley; Hugh March; John Bloomfield; Samuel Moore ; Nathaniel Webster; John Ilsley; and others." Woodbridge was the site of the first gristmill in New Jersey. The mill was built by Jonathan Singletary Dunham , who was married to Mary Bloomfield, relative of Joseph Bloomfield . Woodbridge Township
11025-639: Is necessary to exit onto a surface road to transfer from one freeway to another. One example in the United States (notorious for the resulting congestion) is the connection from Interstate 70 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( Interstate 70 and Interstate 76 ) through the town of Breezewood, Pennsylvania . Speed limits are generally higher on freeways and are occasionally nonexistent (as on much of Germany's Autobahn network). Because higher speeds reduce decision time, freeways are usually equipped with
11250-450: Is not lower than 50 km/h [31 mph] and the maximum speed is not higher than 130 km/h [81 mph] (except Germany where no speed limit is defined). Motorways are designed to carry heavy traffic at high speed with the lowest possible number of accidents. They are also designed to collect long-distance traffic from other roads, so that conflicts between long-distance traffic and local traffic are avoided. According to
11475-594: Is part of the National Highway System , a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. The parkway begins at an at-grade intersection with Route 109 in Lower Township , Cape May County , where Route 109 continues south toward Cape May and west toward US 9 and the Cape May–Lewes Ferry . The Garden State Parkway runs north as a four-lane freeway on
SECTION 50
#173284422376611700-537: Is present in the southeastern cloverleaf with Route 138. Passing to the west of Shark River Park , the median contains the Judy Blume Service Area, which provides a park and ride for commuters and access to Belmar Boulevard ( CR 18 ). The parkway enters Tinton Falls and has exits for Route 33 , which runs east toward Bradley Beach and west towards Freehold Township , and Route 66 , which heads east towards Asbury Park . Soon afterwards,
11925-591: Is primarily for passenger vehicle use; trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) are prohibited north of exit 105. The parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban Northern New Jersey with the Jersey Shore resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north–south routes running through each town center, such as US Route 1 (US 1), US 9 , and Route 35 . During planning and construction of
12150-431: Is provided with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic). Principal arterials may cross through urban areas, serving suburban movements. The traffic is characterized by high speeds and full or partial access control (interchanges or junctions controlled by traffic lights). Other roads leading to a principal arterial are connected to it through side collector roads. In this view, CARE's definition stands that
12375-407: Is sometimes called an expressway . Freeways are usually limited to motor vehicles of a minimum power or weight; signs may prohibit cyclists , pedestrians and equestrians and impose a minimum speed. It is possible for non-motorized traffic to use facilities within the same right-of-way, such as sidewalks constructed along freeway-standard bridges and multi-use paths next to freeways such as
12600-480: Is specially sign-posted as a motorway and is reserved for specific categories of road motor vehicles." Urban motorways are also included in this definition. However, the respective national definitions and the type of roads covered may present slight differences in different EU countries. The first version of modern controlled-access highways evolved during the first half of the 20th century. The Long Island Motor Parkway on Long Island , New York , opened in 1908 as
12825-554: Is subject to frequent congestion. The number of lanes on the parkway ranges from four in Cape May, Atlantic , and Bergen counties, to 15 on the Driscoll Bridge . Much of the highway runs closely parallel to, or concurrently with US 9 . The speed limit on the parkway is 65 mph (105 km/h) for most of its length. However, it is posted at 55 mph (90 km/h) on a five-mile (8.0 km) section near Toms River and on
13050-824: Is the northernmost exit of the Garden State Parkway, which crosses into the state of New York soon afterwards. From there, the route becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector, a component of the New York State Thruway system, which heads north toward the thruway mainline ( I-87 / I-287 ) in Nanuet . Plans for the Garden State Parkway date back to 1942, where it would have connected to the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Fort Lee. Following World War II, traffic increased substantially on highways along
13275-744: Is the oldest original township in New Jersey and was granted a royal charter on June 1, 1669, by King Charles II of England . It was reincorporated on October 31, 1693. Woodbridge Township was incorporated by the Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of the initial 104 townships incorporated in the state under the Township Act. Portions of the township were taken to form Rahway (April 19, 1858), Raritan Township (March 17, 1870, now Edison Township ) and Roosevelt (April 11, 1906, now Carteret ). The township
13500-545: Is the result of several changes, including infrastructure safety and road user behavior (speed or seat belt use), while other matters such as vehicle safety and mobility patterns have an impact that has not been quantified. Motorways are the safest roads by design. While accounting for more than one quarter of all kilometres driven, they contributed only 8% of the total number of European road deaths in 2006. Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute provided International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) statistics for
13725-611: Is to integrate smaller areas of park land in the eastern portion of Heards Brook into the larger area of open spaces with a bioswale . In 2013, the Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve was dedicated; the Preserve occupies 67 acres (27 ha) along the Woodbridge River and has restored the river and adjacent land as a nature preserve . Activities include hiking, boating, bird watching, and picnicking. Many bird species have been observed along
SECTION 60
#173284422376613950-408: Is two lanes, but work has begun to make all of it four-lane.) These are often called Super two roads. Several such roads are infamous for a high rate of lethal crashes; an outcome because they were designed for short sight distances (sufficient for freeways without oncoming traffic, but insufficient for the years in service as two-lane road with oncoming traffic). An example of such a "Highway to Hell"
14175-478: The 2000 census . Woodbridge was the state's sixth-largest by population in 2000 and 2010. According to historian Joshua Coffin , the community's early settlers included: Captain John Pike, the ancestor of General Zebulon Montgomery Pike , who was killed at the battle of Queenstown in 1813; Thomas Bloomfield, the ancestor of Joseph Bloomfield , some years governor of New Jersey, for whom the township of Bloomfield
14400-519: The 2024-2025 session , the 19th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joe F. Vitale ( D , Woodbridge Township ) and in the General Assembly by Craig Coughlin (D, Woodbridge Township) and Yvonne Lopez (D, Perth Amboy ). Middlesex County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners , whose seven members are elected at-large on
14625-568: The Cape May County Park & Zoo and a building complex containing the Cape May County Technical School District . After a southbound entrance ramp from US 9, the parkway leaves Cape May Court House and returns to a desolate wooded setting with a wide tree-filled median. Continuing north, the parkway has an interchange with Avalon Boulevard ( CR 601 ), serving Avalon and Swainton . North of this point,
14850-678: The Cape May Peninsula through the Cape Island Wildlife Management Area, running west of swampland, separating the highway from the Jersey Shore communities. Trees occupy the median and the sides of the road for the next several miles. After passing to the east of Cape May National Golf Club, crossing over Jones Creek, and passing a pond in the median, the highway enters Middle Township and has an interchange with Route 47 , which serves The Wildwoods resort area and
15075-611: The Dartford Crossing (the furthest downstream public crossing of the River Thames ) or where it was not economic to build a motorway alongside the existing road such as the former Cumberland Gap . The A1 is a good example of piece-wise upgrading to motorway standard—as of January 2013, the 639-kilometre-long (397 mi) route had five stretches of motorway (designated as A1(M)), reducing to four stretches in March 2018 with completion of
15300-527: The New Jersey State Police . Immediately north of the service plaza, the parkway has an interchange with Jimmie Leeds Road ( CR 561 ), serving the community of Pomona . The parkway then enters the sparsely populated Pine Barrens , passing to the east of Stockton University and reaching an interchange with Pomona Road ( CR 575 / CR 561 Alt. ) Past this point, the road turns northeast and crosses into Port Republic as it winds north into
15525-406: The New Jersey Turnpike Authority , which operates both highways. As of the 2020 United States census , the township was the state's seventh-most-populous municipality , with a population of 103,639, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 4,054 (+4.1%) from the 99,585 recorded at the 2010 census , which in turn reflected an increase of 2,382 (+2.5%) from the 97,203 counted in
15750-505: The Passaic River opened on May 26, 1955. This extended the parkway's northern terminus to US 46 in present-day Elmwood Park . On July 1 of that year, the portion of the highway from US 46 to Route 17 in Paramus opened. In spring 1955, a widening project began between US 22 and the Raritan River bridge; this would expand the roadway from four to six lanes. It
15975-411: The Rahway River into Cranford , where there is an interchange with Raritan Road ( CR 607 ) and Centennial Avenue ( CR 615 ). After passing west of a business park and over Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Lehigh Line and the inactive Rahway Valley Railroad , the parkway crosses NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line and reaches an interchange with Route 28 , which serves Roselle Park to
16200-590: The Raritan River on the Driscoll Bridge , the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world. On the bridge, the northbound lanes are divided into two roadways; only the eastern roadway has access to exit 127, an interchange for US 9 and Route 440 , providing access to the Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island . Just north of exit 127 in Woodbridge Township , the parkway runs in between
16425-577: The Southern Secondary railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad and bisects residential neighborhoods before crossing the Swimming River into Middletown Township , where the road has an interchange with CR 520 , which contains a park and ride and serves Red Bank and Lincroft . The parkway then passes over Normandy Road, which serves as a road and railroad link between
16650-837: The Suncoast Trail along the Suncoast Parkway in Florida . In some US jurisdictions, especially where freeways replace existing roads, non-motorized access on freeways is permitted. Different states of the United States have different laws. Cycling on freeways in Arizona may be prohibited only where there is an alternative route judged equal or better for cycling. Wyoming , the second least densely populated state, allows cycling on all freeways. Oregon allows bicycles except on specific urban freeways in Portland and Medford . In countries such as
16875-581: The Toms River and entering Toms River , the highway passes west of the Toms River Bus Terminal serving NJ Transit buses. Past this point, the road crosses the abandoned Conrail Barnegat Branch and reaches an exit for Lakehurst Road ( CR 527 ) before passing trees and reaching a cloverleaf interchange with Route 37 , which provides access to Lakehurst , Seaside Heights , and Island Beach State Park . After heading northwest between trees on
17100-532: The U.S. Census Bureau , the township had a total area of 24.61 square miles (63.74 km ), including 23.26 square miles (60.24 km ) of land and 1.35 square miles (3.50 km ) of water (5.50%). The township borders Carteret , Edison , Perth Amboy and Sayreville in Middlesex County; Clark , Linden and Rahway in Union County . Its border with the borough of Staten Island in New York City
17325-531: The United Kingdom new motorways require an Act of Parliament to ensure restricted right of way. Since upgrading an existing road (the "King's Highway") to a full motorway will result in extinguishing the right of access of certain groups such as pedestrians, cyclists and slow-moving traffic, many controlled access roads are not full motorways. In some cases motorways are linked by short stretches of road where alternative rights of way are not practicable such as
17550-424: The United Kingdom , do not distinguish between the two, but others make a distinction; for example, Germany uses the words Kreuz ("cross") or Dreieck ("triangle") for the former and Ausfahrt ("exit") for the latter. In all cases one road crosses the other via a bridge or a tunnel, as opposed to an at-grade crossing . The inter-connecting roads, or slip-roads , which link the two roads, can follow any one of
17775-722: The United States Census Bureau as census-designated places (CDPs), but they are all unincorporated communities and neighborhoods within the Township that, together, make up Woodbridge Township. Avenel (with 2010 Census population of 17,011 ), Colonia (17,795 ), Fords (15,187 ), Iselin (18,695 ), Port Reading (3,728 ), Sewaren (2,756 ), Woodbridge or Woodbridge Proper (19,265 ) are census-designated places and unincorporated communities located within Woodbridge Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within
18000-463: The Vienna convention , the motorway qualification implies that walking and parking are forbidden. A fully controlled-access highway provides an unhindered flow of traffic, with no traffic signals , intersections or property access . They are free of any at-grade crossings with other roads, railways, or pedestrian paths, which are instead carried by overpasses and underpasses . Entrances and exits to
18225-466: The poverty line , including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. Woodbridge Center , with a gross leasable area of 1,633,000 square feet (151,700 m ), is the third-biggest mall in New Jersey, behind Westfield Garden State Plaza and Freehold Raceway Mall . Wakefern Food Corporation , owner of ShopRite , has its headquarters in Keasbey in the township. Additionally,
18450-490: The shoulder at regular intervals. In the United States, mileposts usually start at the southern or westernmost point on the freeway (either its terminus or the state line). California , Ohio and Nevada use postmile systems in which the markers indicate mileage through the state's individual counties. However, Nevada and Ohio also use the standard milepost system concurrently with their respective postmile systems. California numbers its exits off its freeways according to
18675-403: The 1950s and 1960s. The parkway was designed to curve gently throughout its length so that drivers would remain alert and not fall asleep at the wheel. The highway was extended south to New Brunswick Avenue in Woodbridge Township , Middlesex County, on November 1 that year, In Cape May County, a four-mile (6.4 km) bypass of Cape May Court House opened on July 29, 1951, from exit 12 to
18900-616: The 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of 25 schools, had an enrollment of 13,836 students and 1,193.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. High schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Colonia High School with 1,356 students in grades 9-12, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School (1,371; 9-12), Reaching Individual Student Excellence (RISE) (NA; 9-12) and Woodbridge High School (1,558; 9-12). As of May 2010 ,
19125-609: The 23,913 ballots cast by the township's 53,843 registered voters, yielding a 44.4% turnout. The Woodbridge Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade . All schools in the district are accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. The district's three standard high schools offer more than 150 courses, including Advanced Placement , college preparatory, business, vocational and cooperative work/study programs. As of
19350-405: The 36,301 ballots cast by the township's 55,262 registered voters (329 ballots were spoiled ), for a turnout of 65.7%. In the 2008 presidential election , Democrat Barack Obama received 55.9% of the vote (21,590 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 42.0% (16,251 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (472 votes), among the 38,657 ballots cast by the township's 55,075 registered voters, for
19575-497: The A1(M) through North Yorkshire . The most frequent way freeways are laid out is by building them from the ground up after obstructions such as forestry or buildings are cleared away. Sometimes they deplete farmland, but other methods have been developed for economic, social and even environmental reasons. Full freeways are sometimes made by converting at-grade expressways or by replacing at-grade intersections with overpasses; however, in
19800-657: The Barnegat Toll Plaza. Now in Ocean Township , the parkway meets the interchange with Wells Mills Road ( CR 532 ) and crosses over Oyster Creek before entering Lacey Township , where it crosses the south, middle, and north branches of the Forked River before reaching an interchange with CR 614 , serving the community of Forked River , and the Celia Cruz Service Area in the median. Father north,
20025-498: The Colonia South and Colonia North service areas. Crossing into Clark , Union County , the highway continues to pass through dense neighborhoods as a ten-lane roadway with a Jersey barrier. After crossing the Robinson's Branch Reservoir and passing an interchange with Central Avenue ( CR 613 ), the southbound lanes have access to a maintenance yard. The highway then passes west of a park and Winfield Township before crossing
20250-682: The Garden State Parkway briefly runs in between the carriageways of US 22 and the Union Watersphere appears on the east side of the parkway. Here, the parkway narrows to eight lanes, and the northbound lanes have access to the Whitney Houston Service Area. After the service area, the road crosses the Elizabeth River and briefly enters Hillside, where it reaches the northbound Union Toll Plaza before an interchange with I-78 . Running northeast into Irvington , Essex County ,
20475-472: The Garden State Parkway interchanges with North Green Street ( CR 539 ), which serves Tuckerton , before entering Eagleswood , where it crosses over Westecunk Creek and passes to the west of Eagles Nest Airport . Afterwards, the parkway enters Stafford Township where development along the road begins to increase. Here, the highway has an interchange with Route 72 , which provides access to Manahawkin and Long Beach Island . The parkway then forms
20700-602: The Garden State Parkway, and the two routes run east of the community of Beesleys Point before the median narrows, and they cross the Great Egg Harbor Bay on the Great Egg Harbor Bridge . The highway surfaces into Somers Point , Atlantic County , where the southbound roadway has the Great Egg Toll Plaza before US 9 leaves the parkway at a partial junction. Past this point, the median widens and
20925-485: The Great Egg Toll Plaza was replaced by a new, wider plaza north of the old one, and the Cape May toll plazas had two extra collection lanes constructed While initially planned for competition by July 1, competition was delayed to July 15. In the mid-1960s, a project to reconstruct interchanges in Essex County was undertaken. On January 1, 1966, a project was completed that constructed longer deceleration lanes and widened
21150-480: The Highway Authority announced that the interchange would be built at Red Hill Road. In November, it was announced the exit would replace the free exit 116, though rather than being demolished, it would simply be restricted to emergency traffic. Exit 114 would help relieve local congestion that traveled to the new Bell Labs Holmdel Complex and other industrial parks operating in the area. On December 14,
21375-408: The Highway Authority made an appropriation of $ 50,000 for the engineering work on the interchange. Construction began on the exit 114 ramps on July 30, 1962, when construction equipment was taken to the site. The exit was opened to traffic on December 20, 1962. with two toll facilities also being constructed. Exit 116 was closed as planned; this was received negatively by locals. On June 18, 1963,
21600-492: The New Jersey Highway Authority, however in 2003, the agency merged into the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), which now maintains the parkway along with the New Jersey Turnpike . The parkway uses an open system of toll collection with flat-fee tolls collected at 11 toll plazas along the roadway, as well as at several entrances and exits. Tolls can be paid using cash or via the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. Along
21825-590: The New Jersey coast. Due to the high traffic volume and presence of numerous traffic lights, it took motorists over three hours to travel between Paterson and Atlantic City . In 1946, plans were changed to construct a high-speed parkway to provide a bypass of Route 4 , which, prior to 1953, ran from Cape May north to the George Washington Bridge by way of Paterson, largely following present-day US 1 , US 9 , and Route 35 . This highway would be constructed using state funds and be known as
22050-542: The Pascack Valley Toll Plaza—the northernmost toll plaza on the highway. North of the toll plaza, the median becomes substantially wider and trees begin to appear within it. The Garden State Parkway finally narrows from six to four lanes at the exit for Washington Avenue ( CR 502 ), serving Westwood and Emerson . Winding through the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County past many homes and woodland,
22275-403: The Raritan River was redirected onto a new roadway that lied in the median of the old one, the old were not demolished however, but rather became an exit onto US 9, effectively creating a collector-distributor road. This bypass effectively eliminated the two former exits, while these still exist, they are now Route 9 exits. On August 17, 1971, the same switch occurred to the northbound roadway,
22500-487: The Route ;4 Parkway. Construction began in 1947, and the first section to open ran from Route 27 north to Cranford and opened on June 29, 1950. The landscape architect and engineer in charge of the newly named Garden State Parkway was Gilmore David Clarke of the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff , who had worked with Robert Moses on the parkway systems around New York City . Clarke's design prototypes for
22725-480: The State Highway department, it was announced to the public on June 26 that the northbound ramp would close permanently. When this occurred on July 2, all northbound traffic that previously utilized the ramp was advised to use exit 13, only 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the north, instead. The entrance onto the northbound lanes from US 9 was left unaltered. On July 31, 1964, a project to construct exit 38
22950-654: The Toms River segment was completed, at this point the project transitioned to widening the segment between the Asbury Park toll plaza and exit 100 from two to four lanes, as well reconstructing exits 102, and widening the segment in Lakewood from two lanes to three lanes. On November 17, 1980, the road was widened from three to four lanes between exits 129 and exits 141. These new lanes were HOV lanes that were restricted to vehicles with three or more occupants, though this
23175-672: The Township Council selected Cory Spillar from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the Third Ward seat that had been held by Council President Michele Charmello until her resignation the previous month to take a position in Pittsburgh . The council chose new leadership, promoting Nancy Drumm from vice president to president (to replace Charmello) and Rick Dalina as vice president. Woodbridge Township
23400-537: The Township Council selected Sharon McAuliffe from a list of three candidates submitted by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the First Ward seat expiring in December 2025 that had been held by Nancy Bader-Drumm for a decade until her death earlier that month. McAuliffe served on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term of office. In August 2015,
23625-446: The Township, including exits 127 to 132. The Parkway connects Sayreville in the south to Clark in the north. In addition, the New Jersey Turnpike ( Interstate 95 ) passes through Woodbridge Township for about 5 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (8.4 km), and is accessible at Exit 11 (which features a 24-lane toll gate). The Turnpike's Grover Cleveland Service Area is located between Interchanges 11 and 12 northbound at milepost 92.9 and
23850-409: The US, any at-grade intersection that ends a freeway often remains an at-grade intersection. Often, when there is a two-lane undivided freeway or expressway, it is converted by constructing a parallel twin corridor, and leaving a median between the two travel directions. The median-side travel lane of the old two-way corridor becomes a passing lane. Other techniques involve building a new carriageway on
24075-477: The United States and the fifth highest in New Jersey—behind Edison (17.75%), Plainsboro Township (16.97%), Piscataway Township (12.49%) and South Brunswick Township (10.48%)—of all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. There were 34,562 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 11.4% had
24300-476: The United States, allow for limited exceptions: some movable bridges , for instance the Interstate Bridge on Interstate 5 between Oregon and Washington , do require drivers to stop for ship traffic. The crossing of freeways by other routes is typically achieved with grade separation either in the form of underpasses or overpasses . In addition to sidewalks (pavements) attached to roads that cross
24525-693: The Vienna Convention. Exits are marked with another symbol: [REDACTED] . The definitions of "motorway" from the OECD and PIARC are almost identical. In the European Union , for statistical and safety purposes, some distinction might be made between motorway and expressway . For instance a principal arterial might be considered as: Roads serving long distance and mainly interurban movements. Includes motorways (urban or rural) and expressways (road which does not serve properties bordering on it and which
24750-415: The abandoned Orange Branch of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway . Winding into Bloomfield as a six-lane roadway, the Garden State Parkway crosses NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line and has an interchange with Bloomfield Avenue ( CR 506 Spur ), where the frontage roads end. After passing under Norfolk Southern Railway 's Boonton Line and reaching an exit for Belleville Avenue ( CR 506 ),
24975-449: The abandoned Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Newfield Branch before an partial interchange with Washington Avenue ( CR 608 ) and a cloverleaf interchange with the controlled-access Atlantic City Expressway (which heads west towards Philadelphia ), where the northbound and southbound roadways split apart again. Upon leaving the commercial area, the highway passes to the east of Atlantic City International Airport and crosses over
25200-405: The boom of office complexes replacing farmland across Chestnut Ridge road. In March 1985, the entrance leading onto the southbound parkway was opened, with the exit ramp opening on July 25 of that year. In 1973, plans were made to widen a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) segment in Toms River. While this widening was planned to be completed by 1975, however, its competition was delayed to 1978. By 1979, work on
25425-783: The bridge. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge / Dartford tunnel at London Orbital is an example of this. London Orbital or the M25 is a motorway surrounding London , but at the last River Thames crossing before its mouth, motorway rules do not apply. (At this crossing the London Orbital is labeled A282 instead.) A few of the more common types of junction are shown below: There are many differences between countries in their geography, economy, traffic growth, highway system size, degree of urbanization and motorization, etc.; all of which need to be taken into consideration when comparisons are made. According to some EU papers, safety progress on motorways
25650-492: The common European definition, a motorway is defined as "a road, specially designed and built for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which: (a) is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other, either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic, or exceptionally by other means; (b) does not cross at level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath; (c)
25875-516: The community of Iselin , passing to the east of several corporate offices. Immediately after passing under Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor east of the Metropark station serving Amtrak and NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line , the GSP has an interchange with Route 27 , which serves Rahway to the northeast. North of this point, the parkway curves northeast through densely populated neighborhoods, passing
26100-531: The community of Rio Grande . North of this point, the parkway crosses over the abandoned Wildwood Branch of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines , and afterwards, the trees in the median disappear and the highway has a partial interchange with Route 147 , which provides access to North Wildwood , Whitesboro , and Burleigh . Crossing into the county seat of Cape May Court House , the median narrows and US 9 appears within yards of
26325-524: The construction of two new toll facilities. In March of that year, construction also began on a new access road to the Garden State Arts Center at exit 116. It was completed in June of that year, and on August 8, exit 116 was reopened with a new exit number. In May 1966, the borough of Paramus and the New Jersey Highway Authority announced plans to replace exit 165, as well as widening of
26550-480: The dualization of the Great Egg Harbor Bridge eliminated the final two-lane segment of the parkway. On September 18, 1969, a new exit 129 were opened, the remaining ramps were opened to traffic by early 1970. This replaced the existing interchange, and made it so that the turnpike had direct connections to both directions and vice versa. On November 24, 1970, southbound parkway traffic from there south to
26775-517: The early 1920s in response to the rapidly increasing use of the automobile , the demand for faster movement between cities and as a consequence of improvements in paving processes, techniques and materials. These original high-speed roads were referred to as " dual highways " and have been modernized and are still in use today. Italy was the first country in the world to build controlled-access highways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. The Autostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"),
27000-498: The east of a solar farm before reaching an interchange with Route 18 and Route 36 , which head north towards New Brunswick and east towards Long Branch , respectively. The connector road from the parkway to the western terminus of Route 36 and Hope Road ( CR 51 ) is designated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation as Route 444S. North of the interchange, the Garden State Parkway passes over
27225-420: The east. Upon entering Kenilworth , the highway passes many businesses before the road meets the interchange with Galloping Hill Road ( CR 509 ), passes to the east of Galloping Hill Golf Course , and enters Union , where the parkway has an interchange with Chestnut Street ( CR 619 ). Immediately afterwards, the road comes to an interchange with US 22 and Route 82 serving Hillside , where
27450-743: The entire segment between Woodbridge and East Orange was at least four lanes wide. On November 19, 1986, exit 131B was opened to traffic. The interchange, which was constructed as part of a related upgrade to Metropark station, cost $ 4.4 million to construct. In 1987, the NJHA purchased the 19 miles (31 km) of road that had been constructed by what is now the New Jersey Department of Transportation. These state-maintained segments were located in Cape May County between exits 6 and exits 12, in Ocean County between exit 80 and exit 83, and between exit 129 and exit 140. NJDOT sold
27675-416: The existing ones, replacing lighting and signage, reconstructing the unaltered exits to meet with the new overpasses, and widening the parkway in the area from four lanes to six lanes. Work on the project was fully complete by December 1987. In 1988, the northbound exit 105 ramp was reconstructed, a new new loop ramp was built to feed onto NJ route 18 northbound was built, and the existing deceleration lane
27900-410: The exit and entrance ramps of exits 148 and 144. On January 10, tolling began on exit 148. In December 1965, a related project began to reconstruct exit 143. It would contain a collector-distributor roadway . The project was completed on April 12, 1966, exit 142 was then renumbered as exit 143 . Additionally, in December 1965, plans were announced to replace exits 145. Unlike
28125-623: The express roadway in each direction gains a third lane. Immediately north of here is a southbound exit and entrance at Lloyd Road ( CR 3 ), where the parkway briefly enters Aberdeen Township and passes over the Matawan Creek before crossing the North Jersey Coast Line for a second time while the southbound lanes of the parkway briefly enters Matawan . Upon entering Old Bridge Township , Middlesex County , and reaching an interchange for Matawan Road ( CR 626 ) serving Matawan ,
28350-482: The first built in the world, connecting Milan to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore , and now parts of the A8 and A9 motorways, was devised by Piero Puricelli and was inaugurated in 1924. This motorway, called autostrada , contained only one lane in each direction and no interchanges. The Bronx River Parkway was the first road in North America to utilize a median strip to separate the opposing lanes, to be constructed through
28575-412: The first half of the 20th century. Italy was the first country in the world to build controlled-access highways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. Italy opened its first autostrada in 1924, A8 , connecting Milan to Varese . Germany began to build its first controlled-access autobahn without speed limits (30 kilometres [19 mi] on what is now A555 , then referred to as
28800-496: The first segment, the road was to be a toll-free highway designated as the Route 4 Parkway . However, a lack of funding caused the remainder of the parkway to be built as a toll road. The highway has seen many improvements over the years, including the addition and reconstruction of interchanges , bridge replacements, widening of the roadway, and removal of at-grade intersections. Previously, the road had been maintained by an agency known as
29025-415: The first time in the United States, local authorities enacted a now-repealed measure under which people were banned from using the then-popular Sony Walkman cassette players in public, while riding a bike, crossing the street, or driving a car. Violators were to be fined $ 50 and could have spent up to 15 days in jail. In April 2022, this law was repealed in its entirety by township ordinance. According to
29250-501: The frontage road for the southbound lanes is called Western Parkway. After an interchange with South Orange Avenue ( CR 510 ), the frontage roads end, and the parkway briefly enters Newark where it bisects Holy Sepulchre Cemetery , the northern end of which is in East Orange . After leaving the cemetery, the highway regains frontage roads which are known as Oraton Parkway. After passing East Orange General Hospital's Eastern Pavilion,
29475-410: The grounded ramp at exit 154. This part of the project began on August 1 and was completed by October 31. Construction had also began on a new exit 159. This interchange would serve I-80 with direct connections, as well as Midland Avenue with indirect connections. In preparation of this, exit 158 was had its northbound exit and southbound entrance closed permanently on March 16, 1963, with
29700-504: The highway are provided at interchanges by slip roads (ramps), which allow for speed changes between the highway and arterials and collector roads . On the controlled-access highway, opposing directions of travel are generally separated by a median strip or central reservation containing a traffic barrier or grass. Elimination of conflicts with other directions of traffic dramatically improves safety, while increasing traffic capacity and speed. Controlled-access highways evolved during
29925-574: The highway enters Cheesequake State Park . After crossing the Cheesequake Creek near a marina and leaving the park, the road enters Sayreville and has the Jon Bon Jovi Service Area in the median, with access to both the express and local lanes of the highway. Passing to the southwest of South Amboy , the parkway has an partial interchange with US 9 and passes over Conrail Shared Assets Operations ' Amboy Secondary line. After
30150-590: The highway enters Dennis Township and has an partial interchange with Sea Isle Boulevard ( CR 625 ), serving Sea Isle City before reaching the Bruce Willis Service Area in the median. Past the service area, the parkway enters Upper Township and reaches the Cape May Toll Plaza northbound immediately before meeting the southern terminus of Route 50 , which serves Seaville , at a partial interchange. After passing east of several homes and
30375-516: The highway north of the Raritan River runs through heavily populated areas. Between the Raritan River and Toms River , the highway passes through lighter suburban development, while south of Toms River, the road mostly runs through unspoiled wilderness in the Pine Barrens and swampland, interspersed with small towns and Jersey Shore beach communities. The highway has a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) for most of its length and
30600-415: The highway passes west of a park and east of many houses before reaching a pair of interchanges for local roads and passing through a short tunnel underneath a parking lot for Irvington Bus Terminal , serving NJ Transit buses. North of this point, the parkway gains frontage roads in each direction, which are mostly lined by residences. The frontage road for the northbound lanes is called Eastern Parkway, and
30825-629: The highway ran through too many wetland areas. The idea has since been revisited after frequent traffic jams on Route 47 . The parkway was also planned to be the southern terminus of the unbuilt Driscoll Expressway , a 38-mile (61 km) toll road that was planned in the early 1970s to run from Toms River to the New Jersey Turnpike in South Brunswick ; this plan was abandoned in 1977. In 1979, proposals for an exit at milepost 124 were proposed; in 1980 construction of this interchange became
31050-462: The highway safe; the exits were finally opened on January 21. During this conflict, the section from Route 3 to Hazel Street in Clifton opened on January 4. A similar blockade was threatened to be placed, but the announcement of speedy construction of fencing prevented this. On May 10, 1955, legislation was passed that made it legal for emergency vehicles to not pay tolls when on duty. The bridge over
31275-509: The highway then passes over the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway 's New Jersey Subdivision line and under NJ Transit's Bergen County Line before reaching an interchange with I-80 and the northbound Bergen Toll Plaza in Saddle Brook . Continuing northeast, the road passes through Saddle River County Park and crosses the Saddle River tributary into Rochelle Park . After leaving
31500-541: The highway was still under construction. On October 13, 1967, the I-280 segment and its ramps were partially opened, completing the project. These projects were carried out to reduce congestion, which had previously run rampant due to its interchanges being largely free of tolls. The Highway Authority rebuilt exit 4 into a full interchange, with new ramps being built and old ones being reconstructed to provide full connections. The project, completed on May 24, 1968, also involved
31725-450: The left-hand ramp at exits 97, which had its southbound ramp closed on July 1, 1973. The speed limit was raised from 50 to 55 miles per hour (80 to 89 km/h) on January 3, 1974. Additionally, on February 21 of that year, a project to rebuild exit 91 to increase safety was completed, as part of this project, the at-grae intersection as toll plazas were constructed. On February 27, 1974, exit 117A (now exit 118) opened to
31950-623: The main roadway, and was considered a violation even if done to correct error. By the time the parkway had been extended to the New York State Thruway, the need for a full interchange at the exit 154 was noted. Following the recommendation of a survey to do so, D. Louis Tonti, the executive director of the New Jersey Highway Authority, announced plans in December 1957 to construct two new overpasses at exit 154 in Clifton . These overpasses would connect drivers from US 46 eastbound to
32175-460: The mayor of Cologne . The German Autobahn became the first nationwide highway system. In Canada , the first precursor with semi-controlled access was The Middle Road between Hamilton and Toronto , which featured a median divider between opposing traffic flow, as well as the nation's first cloverleaf interchange . This highway developed into the Queen Elizabeth Way , which featured
32400-570: The median thorough Monmouth County; it was two lanes wide in each direction, and had much fewer exits than the local roadway. The segment from Sayerville to Keyport was opened on July 3. Alongside this project came new ramps onto exit 105. The segment of roadway from Keyport to the Tinton Falls toll plaza was opened on August 2 of that year. Alongside this segment came new ramps at exit 117. On November 1, 1975, motorcycles were relegalized after over 14 years of protest from motorcyclists; all of
32625-531: The missing movements both exit 139 and exit 140 lacked, had cost $ 108,487 in state funds to construct. On February 1, 1961, the state banned motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles from the entire road. This ban was approved by the highway department's safety committee and state attorney for the toll-free segments and NJHA's safety committee for the tolled ones. This followed a year involving 20 motorcycle accidents that resulted in two fatalities. Motorists who were caught using these modes of transportation on
32850-465: The months thereafter. The section from Irvington to Central Avenue in East Orange was scheduled to open on November 26, but complaints about the road's safety from Irvington officials stalled opening until December 9, after the erection of temporary fences along the road's length. An extension north also proved tumultuous: though scheduled to open on January 4, the extension to North Arlington Avenue opened
33075-400: The motorway system, whilst a junction is a crossing between motorways or a split/merge of two motorways. The motorway rules end at exits, but not at junctions. However, on some bridges, motorways, without changing appearance, temporarily end between the two exits closest to the bridge (or tunnel), and continue as dual carriageways . This is in order to give slower vehicles a possibility to use
33300-446: The northbound and southbound lanes of US 9. After passing under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Perth Amboy Running Track, US 9 splits off to the east and the parkway reaches an interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike ( I-95 ). Running northwest through Woodbridge as a ten-lane roadway, the highway has an interchange with US 1 and crosses under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Port Reading Secondary line as it enters
33525-509: The northbound direction opened. On February 13, tolls went into effect on the Ridgewood Avenue intersection. On January 6, 1967, exit 166 was closed to prevent traffic from traveling through them. The reasoning for this was that traffic heading onto them congested many of the local roads. By September, it had been forcibly reopened after a gag order was secured to prevent local authorities from affecting parkway operations. In early 1967,
33750-617: The northbound gap from Eatontown to Sayreville on August 7 provided for 90 miles of unbroken highway. Within Atlantic County, a large section from Tilton Road in Egg Harbor Township to the south bank of the Mullica River opened on August 11, though north of the White Horse Pike the road initially operated as a temporary super two on the southbound lanes until August 21. This was extended south to Somers Point on August 27 (again as
33975-565: The old one also became a collector-distributor road, though it rather served as a US 9 ramp to connect to the northbound GSP as well as the New Jersey Turnpike. An expansion of the Driscoll Bridge across the Raritan River was completed on September 2, 1971. Work then began on widening the Sayerville side and repairing and widening the existing part of the bridge deck, work was completed by beginning of 1972. On January 17, 1973, exit 127
34200-419: The old ramps, this new one would provide access to I-280. Also as part of this project, exit 146 would be demolished, and an overpass would be built to replace part of the depressed roadway. The exits 146 and 145 were permanently closed to traffic in late 1965. On January 12, 1966, the replacement exit 145 were opened to traffic, though the ramps onto I-280 at the latter remained barricaded off while
34425-428: The opening of the northbound lanes until the completion of a new bridge carrying Bloomfield Avenue over Second River needed to carry exiting traffic. Though this bridge was not completed for some time, the highway opened fully to US 46 on January 19, negating this prerequisite. However, Mayor Scott still barred all entrances and exits except for the southbound entrance from Bloomfield Avenue, until an inspection proved
34650-415: The other restrictions remained. Particular pushback was made by Malcolm Forbes , who filed two lawsuits to stop this ban. On April 14, 1976, exits 142 was opened to traffic. This interchange constructed by the highway department was first proposed in 1966. The parkway was planned to have a interchange with Route 55 constructed at milepost 19. This was canceled in 1975 after the conclusion that
34875-439: The other. Other methods involve constructing a service drive that shortens the long driveways (typically by less than 100 metres (330 ft)). An interchange or a junction is a highway layout that permits traffic from one controlled-access highway to access another and vice versa, whereas an access point is a highway layout where traffic from a distributor or local road can join a controlled-access highway. Some countries, such as
35100-501: The park has concert series in the summer. Woodbridge Community Center has a gym, miniature golf course, batting cages, a pool, community rooms, a playground, and also has "The Arenas", which have a roller skating rink with arcade and an ice skating rink. Joseph Medwick Park is a Middlesex County Park , shared with Carteret, along banks of the Rahway River . It is part of the Rahway River Greenway Plan. Woodbridge
35325-532: The park, it crosses a pair of interchanges for Route 208 and Route 4 as it enters Paramus near the Garden State Plaza shopping mall. North of Route 4, the parkway passes east of the Arcola Country Club and runs closely parallel with Route 17 before interchanging with it. Past this interchange, the median becomes grass-filled. After passing east of businesses and west of homes,
35550-609: The parkway as a self-liquidating toll road from Cape May to the New York state line. The parkway was extended north to Union Township on July 16, 1953. On September 16, 1953, pedestrians were banned from the parkway in order to increase safety on the segment with at-grade intersections. Sections opened in quick succession in 1954; these were the first to be tolled. The first tolled segment was opened on January 13, 1954, from US 22 to Mill Road. Due to poor weather conditions, tolls were not collected until January 15. The Toms River bypass
35775-508: The parkway briefly enters Hillsdale before entering Woodcliff Lake , where there is a northbound exit and southbound entrance for Chestnut Ridge Road, which is accessed via CR S73 and serves Saddle River . The parkway then enters Montvale , where it reaches the James Gandolfini Service Area, the northernmost service area on the road. Immediately north is an exit for Grand Avenue ( CR 94 ) serving Park Ridge ; this
36000-505: The parkway combined the example of the Pennsylvania Turnpike , a model of efficiency with parallels in the German autobahn routes of the 1930s, with the Merritt Parkway model that stressed a planted "green belt" for beauty. Both design models featured wide planted medians to prevent head-on collisions and mask the glare of oncoming headlights. The Garden State Parkway was designed to have
36225-432: The parkway comes to an interchange with I-280 and Central Avenue ( CR 508 ), which serve Downtown Newark . At the interchange, the Garden State Parkway loses a lane in each direction and passes under NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines near East Orange station . The parkway continues to run in between frontage roads containing many houses before passing west of several apartment buildings and hospitals and crossing
36450-409: The parkway crosses into uninhabited areas again before heading into a commercial area and widening to six lanes. Here, the road has an interchange with Black Horse Pike ( US 40 / US 322 ) and Tilton Road ( CR 563 ), marking the first of three interchanges with roads that serve Atlantic City , located to the east. The median then transitions to a Jersey barrier and the parkway passes over
36675-439: The parkway enters a more suburban area and the southbound parkway has the Essex Toll Plaza. The highway briefly enters Nutley before crossing back into Bloomfield, where the jersey barrier becomes a grassy median and the parkway reaches a diamond interchange for Watchung Avenue ( CR 655 ) serving Montclair and passing the Larry Doby and Connie Chung service areas, serving northbound and southbound traffic respectively, to
36900-407: The parkway faced either a fine of $ 200 or 30-day jail sentence. On December 5, 1962, a new ramp from exit 120 onto the northbound lanes opened to traffic, serving direct access to them without traveling through Cheesequake State Park . In March 1961, the Highway Authority announced that plans were being made to construct a new interchange at either Red Hill Road or Nutswamp Road. By June,
37125-405: The parkway has an interchange with Route 70 , serving Brick Township and Point Pleasant to the east; this interchange also serves CR 528 . Running along the border of Lakewood and Brick townships, the route has an interchange with CR 549 before crossing the South Branch of the Metedeconk River and passing over Route 88 with no access. Now entirely within Brick Township,
37350-423: The parkway meets the southern terminus of the Route 19 freeway, which heads north toward Paterson . Past this point, the highway curves northeast and passes over NJ Transit's Main Line before the median transitions to a Jersey barrier and the highway has a northbound exit and southbound entrance at Hazel Street ( CR 702 ), serving Passaic . The parkway heads northeast past many homes before heading into
37575-440: The parkway northbound, and from the parkway southbound to US 46 westbound. In May 1958, a bid of the project went to Thomas Nichol Company, Inc. of Farmingdale , and construction began immediately. By August 1958, the piers for the new viaduct from US 46 eastbound to the parkway northbound were finishing up. In September, the completed piers had roadway construction on top of them. The new ramps opened on January 1, and
37800-404: The parkway passes in between the Paramus Park shopping mall and New Bridge Medical Center before reaching an interchange with East Ridgewood Avenue ( CR 80 ), which serves Oradell and has a park and ride. After bisecting residential neighborhoods, the parkway has an partial interchange with Linwood Avenue ( CR 110 ) before entering Washington Township where the southbound lanes have
38025-421: The parkway passes to the west of the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets and has a partial exit for Asbury Avenue ( CR 16 ), where the road widens to ten lanes. North of this point, the parkway reaches the northbound Asbury Park Toll Plaza. Immediately north of the toll barrier, the road divides into a local-express lane configuration with two express and three local lanes in each direction. The parkway passes to
38250-521: The parkway passes west of Brick Township Reservoir through woods. The parkway crosses the Manasquan River and passes under the Capital to Coast Trail before reaching a large interchange near Allaire State Park . The interchange includes a pair of collector-distributor roads and serves the eastern terminus of I-195 (which runs west across Central Jersey toward Trenton ), Route 34 (which runs southeast toward Point Pleasant), and Route 138 (which runs east toward Belmar ). A park and ride
38475-415: The parkway passes west of the Greate Bay Country Club and some homes before a partial interchange with West Laurel Drive, which provides access to Somers Point and Ocean City. After passing to the west of more residences, the median briefly becomes a Jersey barrier as the route crosses the Patcong Creek into Egg Harbor Township , where developments begin to appear on the west side of the highway. Eventually,
38700-519: The parkway was opened through Clifton in 1955, a spur was supposed to open south of its exit to Broad Street at exit 155P. However, by 1965, no other construction had occurred, and the parkway's spur had been canceled. Because of this, in 1967, work began on a project to construct the remaining ramps at exit 155P (now exit 155A); instead of serving as a spur of the parkway, they would serve Route 20 (now Route 19 ) instead. The ramps were opened to traffic on October 20, 1969. In 1972,
38925-415: The parkway was widened from four lanes to six lanes between the Bergen Toll Plaza and exit 161 in Paramus. In 1968, the road was widened from four lanes to six lanes between exit 163 and exit 165. In early 1969, the roadway was widened between exit 163 and exit 161. These widenings made the entire 80-mile (130 km) stretch from Ocean County to Paramus at least six lanes wide. When
39150-421: The parkway would be reconstructed to be wider. Work on this project began immediately, and the ramp was opened to traffic in January 1998, six months ahead of schedule. Despite the fact it was not designed with it in mind, the overpass carrying I-80 traffic was not rebuilt, instead, a retaining wall was constructed instead On April 1, 1998, a project to construct a new northbound ramp to Lomell lane at exit 83
39375-418: The parkway would meet with a connecting spur from the mainline of the New York State Thruway. Part of the extension to Chestnut Ridge opened on July 3, 1957, and the Thruway's Garden State Parkway Connector opened on August 29 that year. In only 36 hours, the extension reported 8,000 drivers. On February 7, 1958, U-turning was banned in order to increase safety. This was enforced at both the toll plazas and on
39600-452: The parkway's opening, congestion on Route 17 increased substantially, prompting an extension of the parkway to Montvale , connecting to the newly-built New York State Thruway . By November 30, 1955, it had been determined that this extension was financially feasible. On January 18, 1956, the NJHA entered into an agreement with the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) for the prompt, and coordinated plans for extension. The agreement
39825-403: The point where the parkway directly parallels US 9 north of Burleigh. However, due to a lack of funds, construction of the Route 4 Parkway stalled. The only segment to open was 1952, only the bypass of Toms River was opened on July 3. The solution was for the state to establish the New Jersey Highway Authority (NJHA) in April 1952 to oversee construction and operation of the remainder of
40050-407: The preserve is the Butterfly Garden. Downstream and north of Port Reading Avenue is Woodbridge River Park. It covers 40 acres (16 ha), and has been described as "loaded with channels, backwaters , oxbows and suitable for canoes." The Middlesex Greenway is a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) long rail trail , a former Lehigh Valley Railroad rail line between Metuchen and Woodbridge. It makes up
40275-471: The public; a temporary northbound ramp was opened while exit 117 was reconstructed into a right side exit. This was completed later that year, the new exit 117 as well as the southbound exit 117A were tolled, unlike their original equivalents. On July 2, 1973, southbound traffic heading onto exit 105 was redirected onto a new right hand ramp, and the left-hand ramp was permanently closed. In mid 1974, construction began on new express roadways in
40500-420: The ramps. In June 1958, the southbound road between the exit 117 and the Asbury Park Toll Plaza was widened from two lanes to three lanes. Additionally, that same summer, the Highway authority began enforcing the speed limit through use of radar . On June 19, 1959, the northbound roadway equivalent was widened, completing the project. On December 30, 1959, exit 139B was opened. The ramp, which served
40725-477: The rate is higher than the risk on urban roads. Speeds are higher on rural roads and autobahns than urban roads, increasing the severity potential of a crash. According to ETSC, German motorways without a speed limit, but with a 130 km/h (81 mph) speed recommendation, are 25% more deadly than motorways with a speed limit. Germany also introduced some 130 km/h (81 mph) speed limits on various motorway sections that were not limited. This generated
40950-425: The remaining connections closed on June 22. On December 23 of that year, the ramps onto Midland Avenue from exit 159 were opened to traffic. Tolling of the interchange began immediately. However, the ramps to and from I-80 would not open until October 20, 1964. The project cost a total of $ 4,500,000. In November of that year, the northbound exit and southbound entrance at exit 157 were permanently closed. This,
41175-643: The rights of light , air and access to highways, but not parkways and freeways; the latter two are distinguished in that the purpose of a parkway is recreation, while the purpose of a freeway is movement. Thus, as originally conceived, a freeway is simply a strip of public land devoted to movement to which abutting property owners do not have rights of light, air or access. Freeways, by definition, have no at-grade intersections with other roads, railroads or multi-use trails . Therefore, no traffic signals are needed and through traffic on freeways does not normally need to stop at traffic signals. Some countries, such as
41400-421: The river, particularly at the Oros Preserve. Bird sightings include wading birds ( great blue herons and great egrets ), the bald eagle , belted kingfishers and Canada goose . Eight mammal species have been noted, including raccoon and red fox; nine fish species have been identified, including the American eel . The Preserve has been called "an important hot spot in an otherwise highly developed area." Within
41625-412: The road becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector , a component of the New York State Thruway system that connects to the Thruway mainline in Ramapo, New York . The Garden State Parkway is the longest highway in the state at approximately 172 miles (277 km), and, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, was the busiest toll road in the United States in 2006. Most of
41850-428: The road crosses over Cedar Creek and enters Berkeley Township , passing west of a golf course and Central Regional High School while traversing Double Trouble State Park . The route then crosses into Beachwood and passes west of several homes before entering South Toms River , where the median narrows and the parkway becomes concurrently with US 9 once again at an interchange with CR 530 . After crossing
42075-497: The road heads into suburban areas. North of Tinton Falls , the route splits into a local-express lane configuration, which it maintains through Sayreville . Here, the highway crosses the Raritan River into Woodbridge Township , where it meets the New Jersey Turnpike ( Interstate 95 , I-95). North of here, the Garden State Parkway passes through densely populated communities in Middlesex and Union counties and intersects I-78 near Newark . The parkway eventually passes to
42300-489: The route are 11 service areas , providing food and fuel to travelers. Historically, the road had ten picnic areas along its length, but only one remains open today. The Garden State Parkway begins at Route 109 in Cape May County . It runs north along the Jersey Shore , crossing the Great Egg Harbor Bay and passing to the west of Atlantic City . The parkway passes through the sparsely populated Pine Barrens until it reaches Toms River in Ocean County . From here,
42525-403: The route crosses the North Branch of the Metedeconk River and reaches a second exit for CR 549, where a pedestrian bridge for the Brick Park & Ride, located to the east, passes over the parkway. North of this interchange, the road widens to eight lanes and passes west of a solar farm . Upon entering Wall Township , Monmouth County , the southbound lanes have a truck inspection area and
42750-428: The sections for one dollar with the requirement that tolls were never to be charged on them. That same year, the roadway between mileposts 99.5 and 83.5 was restriped from two lanes with a shoulder to three lanes with no shoulder. In December 1986, a new right hand ramp at exit 100 was opened, the existing the left-hand one was then closed permanently. Work also began in March 1987, to construct new overpasses, implode
42975-405: The segment to three lanes. It would have involved construction of new overpasses and demolition of the old ones, including a new pedestrian overpass to serve a nearby school. Costing $ 3.7 million (equivalent to $ 26.5 million in 2023), Construction on the new complete interchange began almost immediately, with the new southbound ramps opening on November 30, 1966, On December 29, the dual ramps on
43200-432: The side of a divided highway that has a lot of private access on one side and sometimes has long driveways on the other side since an easement for widening comes into place, especially in rural areas. When a third carriageway is added, sometimes it can shift a directional carriageway by 20–60 metres (50–200 ft) (or maybe more depending on land availability) as a way to retain private access on one side that favors over
43425-404: The south and east of Paterson and meets I-80 in Saddle Brook . After traversing the suburban northern section of Bergen County , the road enters the state of New York where it becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector , continuing north to the New York State Thruway mainline. The parkway serves as a major route connecting North Jersey with all of the state's shore points, and as such,
43650-400: The southbound entrance once was, thus eliminating the traffic signal that existed prior. This was completed on November 20, 1996, though at the cost of $ 4.4 million. In April 1997, plans to construct an jughandle overpass from southbound exits 159 onto eastbound I-80 were made. Also as part of this, new traffic signals would be installed at the Midland avenue ramps, and its overpass crossing
43875-431: The southbound lanes of the parkway as it passes west of The Shore Club golf course. The two highways then split apart and the Garden State Parkway bisects residential areas before reaching an interchange for Stone Harbor Boulevard ( CR 657 ), which serves the Cape Regional Medical Center and Stone Harbor . Past this point, the road comes to an interchange for Crest Haven Road ( CR 609 ), which provides access to
44100-459: The toll booths on the ramps opened the in February, replacing the toll booths on the grounded ramps, which were later demolished. The total cost of the project was $ 2.25 million, which was half a million higher than the original estimate. Dedication of the overpasses occurred on January 15, 1959, when the Highway Authority and several city officials attended a ceremony and a luncheon. During 1959, traffic counts noted 1.5 million cars used
44325-432: The township had a total of 303.32 miles (488.15 km) of roadways, of which 244.16 miles (392.94 km) were maintained by the municipality, 28.79 miles (46.33 km) by Middlesex County, 17.69 miles (28.47 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 12.68 miles (20.41 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority . The Garden State Parkway extends 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (12.1 km) through
44550-520: The township include: Boynton Beach, Demarest Hill Top, Edgars , Fairfield, Hazelton, Hopelawn , Keasbey , Lynn Woodoaks, Menlo Park Terrace, , Ostrander, Saint Stephens, Sand Hills, Shore View, Union, and Woodbridge Oaks. The 2010 United States census counted 99,585 people, 34,615 households, and 25,754 families in the township. The population density was 4,290.0 per square mile (1,656.4/km ). There were 36,124 housing units at an average density of 1,556.2 per square mile (600.9/km ). The racial makeup
44775-436: The township is one of a handful in New Jersey that have authorized the sale of medical cannabis through local dispensaries. In the center of Woodbridge Heards Brook passes through Heards Brook Park. Described as "the most preferred tourist attraction in Woodbridge," it has a wooded area, picnic tables, tree-lined stone pathways, basketball courts and "stunning views of the brook." The Rutgers University floodplain plan
45000-515: The township was $ 32,144 (+/− $ 717). About 3.8% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 United States census , there were 97,203 people, 34,562 households, and 25,437 families residing in the township. The population density was 4,224.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,631.1/km ). There were 35,298 housing units at an average density of 1,534.1 per square mile (592.3/km ). The racial makeup of
45225-431: The township was 70.83% White , 8.75% African American , 0.17% Native American , 14.46% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 3.30% from other races , and 2.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.21% of the population. As of the 2000 Census, 9.19% of Woodbridge Township's residents identified themselves as being of Indian American ancestry, which was the tenth-highest of any municipality in
45450-474: The two sections of Naval Weapons Station Earle . Continuing northwest past houses and parks, the route has an interchange with Red Hill Road ( CR 52 ) as it enters Holmdel Township , where it serves the PNC Bank Arts Center and the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial . Upon entering Hazlet , the parkway crosses NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line before reaching an interchange for Route 35 and Route 36, which serves Keyport . At this point,
45675-417: The uninhabited Port Republic Wildlife Management Area. With some occasional development appearing along the sides of the road, the median narrows to a Jersey barrier as US 9 merges back onto the parkway, along with the Pine Barrens Byway , and the three routes cross the Mullica River . The highway surfaces into Bass River Township , Burlington County , and US 9 and the Pine Barrens Byway depart at
45900-529: The vote (12,122 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.7% (8,183 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (286 votes), among the 21,064 ballots cast by the township's 56,121 registered voters (473 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 37.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 50.1% of the vote (11,987 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 41.9% (10,029 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.2% (1,710 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (261 votes), among
46125-435: The west and neighborhoods on the east, the Garden State Parkway turns northeast as the median widens and contains a maintenance yard, and US 9 leaves the parkway at an interchange with Route 166 . Past the interchange, the parkway reaches the bi-directional Toms River Toll Plaza and passes by lighter suburban development in addition to parkland, with Ocean County College to the east. Upon entering Lakewood Township ,
46350-445: The west of the Upper Montclair Country Club. The parkway crosses into Clifton , Passaic County , where it reaches an interchange with Route 3 . At this point, the space between the northbound and southbound roadways contains the Allwood Road Park and Ride serving NJ Transit buses. After passing under a set of power lines and bisecting a residential area, the route has an incomplete interchange with US 46 . Immediately north,
46575-406: The year 2010, comparing overall fatality rates with motorway rates (regardless of traffic intensity): The German autobahn network illustrates the safety trade-offs of controlled access highways. The injury crash rate is very low on autobahns, while 22 people died per 1,000 injury crashes—although autobahns have a lower rate than the 29 deaths per 1,000 injury accidents on conventional rural roads,
46800-443: Was European route E4 from Gävle to Axmartavlan , Sweden. The high rate of crashes with severe personal injuries on that (and similar) roads did not cease until a median crash barrier was installed, transforming the fatal crashes into non-fatal crashes. Otherwise, freeways typically have at least two lanes in each direction; some busy ones can have as many as 16 or more lanes in total. In San Diego, California , Interstate 5 has
47025-417: Was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $ 60,683, and the median income for a family was $ 68,492. Males had a median income of $ 49,248 versus $ 35,096 for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 25,087. About 3.2% of families and 4.8% of the population were below
47250-495: Was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 98.0 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $ 79,277 (with a margin of error of +/− $ 2,537) and the median family income was $ 88,656 (+/− $ 2,537). Males had a median income of $ 60,139 (+/− $ 1,971) versus $ 46,078 (+/− $ 1,635) for females. The per capita income for
47475-430: Was 59.18% (58,935) White , 9.85% (9,810) Black or African American , 0.32% (321) Native American , 22.42% (22,324) Asian , 0.04% (39) Pacific Islander , 5.28% (5,254) from other races , and 2.91% (2,902) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.63% (15,562) of the population. Of the 34,615 households, 33.6% had children under the age of 18; 57.2% were married couples living together; 12.4% had
47700-436: Was also rebuilt to give each direction dedicated toll canopies instead of all traffic merging into a single canopy like previously. The project was completed in December 1963. They also repaved a 2 mile segment of roadway from the Passaic County line to exit 154 in order to add a one inch overlay of asphalt. This project also entitled lengthening and widening northbound acceleration lanes to exit 153A, exit 153B, and
47925-452: Was completed on July 9 of that year. In late 1955, construction of a northbound roadway began in Cape May. The new roadbed was opened north of Seaville by October 17, south of Cape May Court House by October 25, and fully by October 28. On April 16, 1956, the parkway's trailblazer was posted. The final stretch of permanent roadway was opened alongside the Great Egg Harbor Bridge , completing the parkway as outlined in original plans. Soon after
48150-439: Was completed on the $ 16.23 million exit 89, a new southbound exit and northbound entrance in Lakewood . This new exit featured a toll facility, and was located in the same general area as exit 88. Due to featuring collector-distributor lanes, the Cedar Bridge Road bridge had to be demolished and a replacement with a wider superstructure built in its place. Controlled-access highway A controlled-access highway
48375-405: Was completed. Later that year, a traffic signal was installed at exit 81, in addition to other safety improvements. Later that year, large portions of the roadway had their speed limit increased to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). In June 1999, a project to expand the Barnegat toll plaza was completed and with it eliminated the final single canopied mainline plaza. Also included in this project
48600-413: Was completed. The cloverleaf interchange , which costed $ 800,000,000 was built to serve as a link to the newly constructed Atlantic City Expressway . In May 1962, plans were announced to widen the segment from exit 154 to just near exit 158 from two lanes to three lanes. As part of this, the Passaic River Bridge was to be reconstructed with a wider superstructure and piers. The Bergen Toll Plaza
48825-416: Was declared finished on October 9, 1954. The lone exception was across the Great Egg Harbor; the parkway temporarily detoured onto US 9 and over the Beesley's Point Bridge at this point. Literature from the time suggested that the parkway would become toll-free once bonds used for its construction were paid off. However, this speculation never became a reality. Segments north of Irvington began opening in
49050-426: Was done to encourage use of exit 159. On March 8, 1965, a project began to improve the segment between the Cape May Toll Plaza and exit 30. It involved a major reconstruction of exits 29, replacing the at-grade intersection with a new grade separated northbound exit and southbound entrance. Exit 30 also had its northbound entrance and southbound exit closed and a toll plaza constructed. Additionally,
49275-420: Was extended south to Manahawkin on July 15, and north to the Eatontown Spur (now Route 36 ) on July 30, 1954. The bridge carrying the parkway over the Raritan River was also opened to northbound traffic on this day, extending the highway south to US 9 in Sayreville. The southbound lanes were opened on the bridge south to Eatontown on August 4, and an extension to New Gretna opened the day after. Closing
49500-723: Was first elected on November 7, 2006, and sworn in on November 14, 2006. McCormac replaced Frank G. Pelzman, who became mayor on January 17, 2002, when former mayor James E. McGreevey resigned to become governor. Members of the Township Council are Council President Kyle M. Anderson (D, 2027; at-large), Council Vice President Cory S. Spillar (D, 2025; Third Ward), Harold R. "Howie" Bauer Jr. (D, 2025; Second Ward), Lizbeth DeJesus (D, 2027; at-large), Gregg M. Ficarra (D, 2027; at-large), Sharon McAuliffe (D, 2025; First Ward - elected to serve an unexpired term), Debbie Meehan (D, 2025; Fifth Ward), Virbhadra N. "Viru" Patel (D, 2025; Fourth Ward) and Brian F. Small (D, 2027; at-large). In January 2022,
49725-428: Was formally signed on February 1 by NJHA Chairwoman Katharine E. White and NYSTA Chairman Bertram D. Tallamy. Groundbreaking for the road began on May 1 of that year. Unlike previous segments of the roadway, this one uses prestressed concrete for overpasses; this made correcting errors during construction or future demolition easier. It was originally proposed as part of a northern extension of the unbuilt Route 101 ,
49950-520: Was later lowered to two or more occupants in June 1981. They were converted into general use lanes in 1982 after almost universal criticism. In late 1983, a project to widen the segment of roadway near the Raritan Toll Plaza from five to six lanes began. The entire project was completed by 1984. Work on the rest of the project was completed at the end of 1985. Also as part of this project the Asbury Park and Union toll plaza were reconstructed with dedicated canopies in each direction. This project made it so that
50175-422: Was new fencing, new electrical work, increased landscaping, and a toll re-coordinating shed. E-ZPass was first installed at the Pascack Valley Toll Plaza in December 1999, with the Raritan Toll plaza following in April 2000. By August, installation of the system had been fully completed. In April 2001, a project to replace the Dover Road overpass to allow for improvements to said road was completed. Later that year,
50400-422: Was opened to Route 440 south. By June, the link to Route 440 north had opened. In May 1973, exit 98 was opened to northbound traffic. On July 3, 1973, the southbound exit 98 opened, completing the project. this exit replaced the preexisting exits 96, 97, and 97A, with the new exit featuring a right hand collector-distributor roadway combining the cloverleafs at exits 97 and 97A as well as
50625-466: Was replaced by a new one. In addition, an on-ramp was built that allows southbound Route 18 traffic to enter the southbound local roadway. In 1994, a third lane was added to the segment between mileposts 81 and 82. The Highway Authority rebuilt exit 74. In addition to the construction of toll plazas in both directions, other alterations were made, such as demolishing the southbound entrance and exit ramps and constructing new ones to turn around at where
#765234