Garden State Parkway

Garden State Parkway
Route information
Maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority
Length: 172.40 mi[1] (277.45 km)
Existed: 1947 – present
Major junctions
South end: Route 109 in Lower Township
  AC Exwy. in Egg Harbor Township
Route 37 in Toms River Township
I-195 in Wall Township
Route 18 / Route 36 in Tinton Falls
US 9 / Route 440 in Woodbridge
I-95 / NJ Turnpike in Woodbridge Township
I-78 in Union/Hillside Township
I-280 in East Orange
I-80 in Saddle Brook Township
Route 17 in Paramus
North end: G.S. Pkwy. Connector to I-87 / I-287 / Thruway at Ramapo, NY
Highway system
New Jersey Turnpike Authority

New Jersey State Highway Routes
Interstate and US

Route 440 444 Route 445

The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a 172.4-mile (277-km)[1] limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer to it as simply "the Parkway" or "the Garden State". The Parkway's official, but unsigned, designation is Route 444. At its north end, the Parkway becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector, a component of the New York State Thruway system that connects to the Thruway mainline in Ramapo. The Parkway has been ranked as the busiest toll highway in the country based on the number of toll transactions.[2][3]

Contents

Route description

The Garden State Parkway begins in Lower Township at a traffic light with Route 109.[1] For the first three and a half miles, the Parkway crosses over streams. At 3.48 miles (5.60 km), the Parkway crosses over Taylor Creek and enters Middle Township. Exit 4A is for Route 47 North to Rio Grande, and exit 4B is for Route 47 South to Wildwood and Wildwood Crest.[1] At 6.54 miles (10.53 km), Parkway exit 6, which is for Route 147 and North Wildwood, leaves to the right. The first traffic light exit, exit 9, is for Shellbay Avenue. The second traffic light intersection, exit 10, is for County Route 657, also known as Stone Harbor Blvd, at Cape Regional Medical Center, the county's only hospital. Exit 11 is for U.S. Route 9 at the Cape May County Park & Zoo. In May 2009, guardrails were installed in between the northbound and southbound lanes between mile markers 7 and 11.5. This was due to the numerous fatal accidents that occurred in the past year where a driver who lost control of the car (or in more extreme circumstances, a drunk driver) inadvertently ended up facing head on traffic. Exit 13 is for Avalon Boulevard. At 14.85 miles (23.90 km), the Parkway enters Dennis Township after crossing Uncle Aaron's Creek. At 17.5 miles (28.2 km), exit 17 leaves to the right for County Route 625.[1] At milepost 19.38, the Parkway enters its first toll, the Cape May Toll Plaza. A little more than 20 miles (32 km) in, exit 20 leaves for Route 50. In Upper Township, exit 25 leaves for County Route 623. At 27.77 miles (44.69 km), the Parkway enters Atlantic County.[1]

Just before exit 29 (northbound only) for U.S. Route 9, the Parkway enters the Great Egg Toll Plaza.[1] Exit 30 (southbound only) leaves to the right at milepost 30 for Laurel Road in Somers Point which leads to Ocean City via a circle and, past that, the Route 52 causeway. Now in Egg Harbor Township, exit 36 opens onto local roads. Exit 37 is the Parkway's interchange with the Black Horse Pike (US 40/322). Exit 38 interchanges with the Atlantic City Expressway. Eastbound travelers on the expressway take the last few miles to Atlantic City. Westbound travelers head for Camden and Philadelphia. Now entering Galloway Township, U.S. Route 30 interchanges with the Parkway at exit 40.[1] exit 44 is next, leading to County Route 561 Alternate. Just after exit 48 for U.S. Route 9 near the Mullica River and Bass River State Forest, the Parkway enters Burlington County. Exit 50 is for Route 9 as well, while exit 52 is for Burlington County Route 654.

Now in Ocean County, exit 58 is for County Route 539, exit 63 is for Route 72, and exit 67 is for County Route 554. Exit 69 leaves to the right in both directions at milepost 70.45. Exit 74 leaves to the right, which heads to Forked River. Exit 77 is for Bayville. Exits 80 and 81 are for county roads and U.S. Route 9. Route 9 then merges in for a few miles.[1]

Between exits 80 and 83, the Parkway has a concurrency with U.S. Route 9 just south of the Toms River Toll Plaza. It was from here that the Driscoll Expressway was to start (south of exit 83) and run to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Route 37 interchanges with the Parkway at exits 82 and 82A in Toms River.[1] At exit 83, U.S. Route 9 leaves the Parkway and heads north. Exit 88 comes at 89.4 miles (143.9 km) for Route 70. In Brick Township, exit 90 (northbound) and exit 91 (southbound), leave for County Route 549. At this point the road is in Monmouth County. Exit 98 leads to Interstate 195, Route 34 and Route 138. Exit 100 leaves southbound for Route 33. Route 66 also exits northbound. Exit 102, a southbound only exit leaves for Neptune Township.[1]

Exit 105 for Route 18 and Route 36 leading to Long Branch is the point at which all trucks are forced to leave the Parkway.[4] The Parkway has become a local and express lanes configuration.[1] The express lanes have no direct access to any exits, except for exit 105 in Tinton Falls (southbound only) and exit 117 in Hazlet. Exits 109 and 114 are for Middletown and Holmdel. The next exit, exit 116, is for the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. Exit 117 is for Routes 35 and 36. Exit 117A (southbound only) is for Lloyd Road in Aberdeen. Exit 120 is for Laurence Harbor Road and Cheesequake State Park.

At this point, the road enters Middlesex County in Old Bridge Township. Southbound exits 123 and 124 leave to the right, but only on the local lanes. The express and local lanes merge and become one highway again shortly after. Northbound exit 125 makes a sudden exit for Route 35.[1] Afterwards, you cross the Driscoll Bridge over the Raritan River. After the bridge, exit 127 leaves for Routes 9, 440 and Interstate 287. At milepost 129.5, the New Jersey Turnpike leaves to the right at exit 129. Southbound exits 127 and 129 are merged into one exit, which is marked as exit 129. A southbound only exit, exit 130 is for U.S. Route 1. The next three exits are marked 131, 131A and 131B. The lettered ones are for Metropark, while exit 131 is for Route 27.

Exit 135 is for Clark Township in Union County.[1] Exits 136 and 137 are for Cranford Township and Route 28. Exit 138 is in Kenilworth for County Route 509. Exits 139A and 139B are northbound exits only for a local road (Chestnut Street) and U.S. Route 22. Exits 140 and 140A are for U.S. Route 22 and NJ Route 82. Exit 141 is for Vauxhall Road and exit 142 is for Interstate 78.[1] The 143s are for Lyons Avenue, exit 144 is for Irvington and 145 is for Interstate 280. Exit 147 is for Renshaw Avenue in East Orange, and exit 148 is for Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield. Exits 149, 150, and 151 are for Essex County roads.[1] Exits 153A and 153B are for Route 3 and U.S. Route 46 in Passaic County.

Saddle Brook to NY State Line

As the Parkway leaves Clifton, it heads into Elmwood Park by crossing the Passaic River. Exit 156, which comes before the river, is for U.S. Route 46 and New Jersey Route 20. There is also access to New Jersey Route 21 just south of the interchange. Cedar Lawn Cemetery is also located northbound along 20 from exit 156. As the Parkway continues to the northeast, it interchanges with Route 46 again in Garfield. Riverside Cemetery is accessible off exit 157 by going east along 46. At exit 159, the Parkway interchanges with Interstate 80 in Saddle Brook. Going southbound, there is also access to Bergen County Route 67 (Midland Avenue). The Bergen Toll Plaza is next, before crossing over Saddle River County Park.

Exit 160 comes next, as the Parkway enters Paramus and interchanges with West Passaic Street, which heads to New Jersey Route 208. Not far afterwards, at exit 161 is New Jersey Route 4. Westfield Garden State Plaza is visible from the Parkway and is off exit 161. Exit 163 is for New Jersey Route 17 in Paramus, which heads north to Ridgewood, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Ramsey and Mahwah before entering Rockland County, New York (on the southbound side of the Parkway, the exit is for New Jersey Route 17 south toward the Meadowlands area and Hudson County). The Parkway goes between Paramus Park Mall and Bergen Regional Medical Center as it heads north. Just after, exit 165 intersects for Bergen County Route 80 (Oradell Avenue and East Ridgewood Avenue) in Paramus. The Parkway turns to the northwest and heads into the Pascack Valley Toll Plaza going northbound. There is a plaza southbound along the Parkway as well as exit 166 for Bergen County Route 110 (Linwood Avenue).

As the Parkway inches closer and closer to New York, exit 168 comes along, interchanging for County Route 502, which heads towards Ho-Ho-Kus and Alpine. 3 miles (4.8 km) later, at exit 171, the Parkway interchanges with Glen Road, which terminates soon after at Chestnut Ridge Road (CR 73). The Parkway's Montvale Service Area comes at milepost 171 after exit 172 which is for Bergen County Route 94. There is also access to CR 94 from the Montvale Service Area's service road. At 172.4 miles (277.5 km), the Parkway becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector at the New York state line.[1]

Spur routes

Two short spurs are given numbers by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Route 444R is the connector at exit 117 (in Hazlet) to Route 35 at the north end of Route 36 in Keyport. Route 444S is the connector at exit 105 to the south end of Route 36 at Hope Road (CR 51) near Eatontown.

Emergency assistance

On the Garden State Parkway, the emergency assistance number is #GSP, which is #477 in number form.

History

Route S101 was a northern extension of Route 101 planned from Hackensack through Paramus to the New York state line near Montvale. The section from Hackensack to Paramus was never built; the section from Paramus to the state line would become part of the Garden State Parkway.

The Parkway was originally designated as the Route 4 Parkway when it was started in 1947 in Union County, but, due to lack of funds, only 11 miles (18 km) were completed by 1950. The solution was for the state to establish the New Jersey Highway Authority in 1952 to oversee construction and operation as a self-liquidating toll road.[5] Much of the original section, between exits 129 and 140, was long administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and has always been untolled. The segment can be distinguished by the stone facing on the overpasses.

The Parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban northern New Jersey with resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north–south routes running through each town center, such as US 1, US 9, and Route 35. Unofficially, it has two sections: the "metropolitan section" north of the Raritan River and the "shore section" between the Raritan River and Cape May. Only 18 miles (29 km) had been constructed by 1950, but taking a cue from the successful New York State Thruway, on April 14, 1952, the New Jersey Legislature created the New Jersey Highway Authority, empowered to construct, operate, and maintain a self-sufficient toll parkway from Paramus to Cape May.

The landscape architect and engineer in charge of the newly named "Garden State Parkway" was Gilmore David Clarke, of the architectural firm of Parsons, Brinkerhof, Hall and MacDonald,[5] who had worked with Robert Moses on the parkway systems around New York City. Clarke's design prototypes for 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 on-coming headlights. The Garden State Parkway was designed to have 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 then changed to concrete, with green rails and retro etchings, popular around the 1950s and 1960s. These are now in decay and being replaced by sleek, new bridges. The Parkway was designed to curve gently throughout its length so that drivers would remain alert and not fall asleep at the wheel.

Most of the metropolitan section is like any other expressway built in the 1950s through heavily populated areas. The shore section parallels U.S. Route 9 and runs through unspoiled wilderness in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. In Cape May County, the Parkway has three traffic lights (at exits 8, 10, and 11 respectively), but these will be eliminated in the future, with construction of an overpass at exit 10 in Cape May Court House and Stone Harbor scheduled to begin in September 2012.

The Parkway had an old alignment before the Great Egg Harbor Bridge was completed. It was detoured onto U.S. Route 9 and over the Beesley's Point Bridge. This old alignment still exists today and is slowly being consumed by nature.

The Garden State Parkway was off-limits to motorcycles until Malcolm Forbes pushed successfully for legislation to allow them.[6]

On July 9, 2003, Governor of New Jersey Jim McGreevey's plan to merge the operating organizations of the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike into one agency was completed.[7]

Literature from the time of the Parkway's construction indicates that the Parkway would become toll-free once bonds used for its construction were paid off. However, additional construction projects, plus the expectation that the Parkway will pay for its own maintenance and policing (and the massive E-ZPass project) make it unlikely it will become toll-free in the foreseeable future.

The Parkway was also planned to be the southern terminus for NJ 55 at milemarker 19. This was cancelled after the conclusion that the highway ran through too many wetland areas. The idea is still being revisited after frequent traffic jams on NJ 47.

Later construction

Usage

The speed limit on the Parkway is 65 mph (105 km/h) with the following exceptions: 55 mph (89 km/h) between Mileposts 123.5 and 163.3, 55 mph (89 km/h) between Mileposts 80.0 and 100.0, 50 mph (80 km/h) between Mileposts 8.0 and 11.5, and 45 mph (72 km/h) between Mileposts 27 and Milepost 29, approaching and traversing the Great Egg Harbor Bridge, and between Milepost 126.7 and 127.7, approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge.

Commercial trucks with a registered weight of over 7,000 pounds (3.18 metric tons) are not allowed to use the northern parts of the Parkway . All trucks must exit at exit 105, just past the Asbury Park Toll Plaza. From Tinton Falls to the southern end of the Parkway at Cape May, trucks are allowed, but must pay additional tolls. Buses are allowed for the entire length of the Parkway.[13] The "truck" ban includes all vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (the vehicle's maximum fully loaded weight including fuel, passengers and cargo) over 7000 pounds, which encompasses dozens of large passenger vehicles, such as the Chevy Suburban, which can weigh in at 8,500 pounds, though in practice police do not ticket such vehicles.[14] In April 2011, New Jersey Transportation Commissioner James Simpson announced the NJTA was looking into the possibility of allowing trucks on the northern portion of the Garden State Parkway.[15] However, the idea was quickly abandoned after the agency found the road had engineering concerns that would make the consideration of allowing trucks on this segment impossible.[16]

Toll collection

Whereas the New Jersey Turnpike uses a system of long-distance tickets, obtained once by a motorist upon entering and surrendered upon exiting at toll gates (a "closed" system), the Garden State Parkway uses no tickets but collects tolls at toll plazas at semi-regular intervals along its length and at certain exits (an "open" system). The standard car toll is $0.75 on the main road at two-way toll plazas and $1.50 at one-way toll plazas. Some individual exits require a toll of either $0.50, $0.75, or $1.50. The Parkway has implemented the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system, with the first plaza opening in December 1999, and the entire system completed September 19, 2000.[17] Parkway tokens continued to be available until January 1, 2002,[18] and were invalidated effective January 1, 2009.[19] All customers using exact-change lanes will now be required to pay with coins only in all toll baskets.

Tokens originally cost $10 for a roll of 40 tokens (the toll, when tokens were introduced, was 25 cents), but when the toll was increased to 35 cents, rolls were 30 tokens for $10. Before invalidating the tokens, the NJHA gave several months' warning and gave motorists the opportunity to redeem tokens. Tokens were originally brass, but were changed to a bimetallic composition, with an outer silver-colored ring and a brass core. There were also larger bus tokens that existed in each composition, primarily for the use of Atlantic City-bound buses. These were sold in rolls of 20 for $20.

To reduce congestion, some toll plazas on the roadway were converted into one-way plazas between September 2004 and March 2007, dubbed "one-way tolling".[20] Under this program, a $1.50 toll (70 cents or two tokens when first implemented from September 2004 to November 2008 and $1.00 was implemented from December 2008 to December 2011) is collected in one direction, and the other direction is toll-free. The Cape May (in Upper Township), Great Egg (in Somers Point), New Gretna (in Bass River Township), Barnegat (in Barnegat Township), Asbury Park (in Tinton Falls), Raritan (in Sayreville), Union (in Hillside Township), Essex (in Bloomfield Township), Bergen (in Saddle Brook Township), and Pascack Valley (in Washington Township) Toll Plazas had been converted to one-way toll plazas. The Toms River (in Toms River Township) Toll Plaza is the only toll plaza that is collected in both directions.

Beginning on November 19, 2001, E-Z Pass customers were charged the approximate token rate, that is 33 cents (peak travel) or 30 cents (off-peak travel), instead of 35 cents.[18] Due to tremendous cost overruns in implementing the E-ZPass system on New Jersey's toll highways, the discount was eliminated the next year.[21] In addition, NJHA E-ZPass customers were charged a $1 per month account fee into the statement,[21] causing many customers to turn in their NJHA E-ZPass transponders in favor of a transponder from an out-of-state authority which did not charge a monthly fee.

Most toll plazas have dedicated lanes of three varieties: E-ZPass only (at some in addition to Express E-ZPass), Exact Change (coins are deposited in a toll basket which mechanically counts the deposit), or Cash Receipts / E-ZPass (manned lanes at which change is available). The manned lanes will also accept E-ZPass, the exact change lanes will not. Photo enforcement of all exact change lanes went into in effect on October 17, 2011.[22]

Tolls at entrances or exits may not have all three varieties, depending upon the number of lanes available. The location of similarly marked lanes is not identical at each plaza. To assist drivers in seeking the proper lanes, the lanes are numbered both on the booth and on the pavement leading up to them. Some lanes leading up to plazas are dedicated for E-ZPass holders only.

Signs on many of the toll baskets warn against throwing paper currency into them, which jams them.

On January 8, 2008, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine proposed increases of fifty percent in tolls on the Parkway and Turnpike effective in 2010, to be followed by similar fifty percent increases every four years through 2022. Each time tolls increased, there would be an additional increase for inflation since the last toll increase (for the first, since 2006). This increase in tolls, which would take place on all three of New Jersey's toll roads, would, according to Corzine, help pay the state's debt. The roads would be maintained by a nonprofit "public benefit corporation" which would pay back bonds to the state. Without considering inflation, the proposal would have increased the standard 35-cent toll on the Garden State Parkway to approximately $1.80 by 2022, with tolls for the entire length of the northbound Garden State Parkway rising from $4.55 to $30.10 in 2022.[23] It was considered possible that commuters will receive discounts from the higher toll rates.[24] However, the proposal was not enacted due to fierce opposition from the state of New Jersey. On September 5, 2008, a proposal to increase Parkway tolls substantially was reported. The first phase of the toll increase on the Garden State Parkway went into effect on December 1, 2008. Toll rates on the Garden State Parkway are now: $0.50 for ramp tolls, $0.75 for two-way toll barriers, and $1.50 for one-way toll barriers.[25] [26]

Toll plazas

The Cape May, Barnegat, Toms River, Asbury Park, Raritan, and Pascack Valley toll plazas also feature Express E-ZPass lanes, a form of open road tolling that allows motorists with E-ZPass to maintain highway speeds of up to 65 mph (100 km/h) through the toll plaza. Officials have already converted the Barnegat (in Barnegat Township) Toll Plaza to one-way tolling and will build it with Express E-ZPass for southbound drivers, which started on March 10, 2007 and the project was complete on Memorial Day of 2011.[20] The first phase of the Parkway Widening between 80 to 63 was complete by May 2011. The second phase of the Parkway Widening between Exit 63 to 48 in both directions has been scheduled to begin in Fall 2011 and will be completed by mid-2013. Construction on the third phase of the Parkway Widening between Exit 48 to 30 in both directions is not yet scheduled.

Picnic areas

One of the objectives of the Parkway was to become a State Park its entire length and its users would enjoy parklike aesthetics with minimal intrusion of urban scenery. Along the ride, users were permitted to stop and picnic along the roadway to further enjoy the relaxation qualitites the Parkway had to offer. All picnic areas had tall trees that provided shade and visual isolation from the roadway. Grills, benches, running water and restrooms were provided. Over time as the Parkway transformed into a road of commerce, the picnic areas were being closed for a variety of reasons. Their ramp terminals became insufficient to accommodate the high speed mainline traffic and in addition to the decreasing amount of users, the picnic areas were becoming more effective as maintenance yards and were converted as so or closed altogether.

The history of the picnic areas includes an infamous story in the murder of Maria Marshall orchestrated by her husband Robert O. Marshall in the Oyster Creek picnic area on the night of Sept. 7, 1984.[27] The story was made into a novel and television movie on NBC.

The three remaining picnic areas are closed from dusk to dawn. Posted signs within the picnic area prohibit fires and camping.

There were a total of 10 operational picnic areas:

Recent developments

Future developments

Exit list

Many entrances and exits have tolls. In general, exits have tolls when they precede a barrier toll, and exits are free when they follow a barrier toll. Conversely, entrances that precede a barrier toll are free; and you pay at entrances just beyond a barrier toll. This avoids double tolling (e.g., paying a barrier toll and then immediately paying again to exit) and under-tolling (e.g., driving a long distance and then exiting for free just before a barrier toll).

At exit and entrance tolls cars pay $0.50, $0.75 or $1.50 unless otherwise noted. While the standard exit toll is $0.50, the higher amounts apply to exit and entrance tolls that immediately precede or follow a higher-priced barrier toll.

Cars pay $0.75 at barrier tolls that collect in both directions, and $1.50 at barrier tolls that collect in one direction only.

There are no tolls between exits 141 and 127, inclusive, as this was the original road segment that predates the New Jersey Highway Authority.

County Location Mile Exit Destinations Notes
Cape May Lower Township 0.00 US 9 / Route 109 – Cape May Begin/end Parkway
Middle Township 3.90 4 Route 47 – Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Rio Grande Toll plaza at exit for northbound only - $0.50. Signed as exit 4A (north) and 4B (south) southbound.
6.54 6 Route 147 – North Wildwood, Whitesboro, Burleigh Southbound exit and northbound entrance
8.40 9 To US 9 (Shell Bay Avenue) – Cape May Court House at-grade intersection
9.90 10 CR 657 (Stone Harbor Blvd) – Cape May Court House, Stone Harbor at-grade intersection. Signed as exits 10A (west) and 10B (east).
11.04 11 CR 609 (Crest Haven Road) to US 9Cape May County Park & Zoo, County Offices, Crest Haven Complex at-grade intersection
13.60 13 CR 601 (Avalon Blvd) to US 9 – Avalon, Swainton
Dennis Township 17.50 17 CR 625 (Sea Isle Blvd) – Sea Isle City, Dennis Township, Woodbine Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Upper Township 19.38 Cape May Toll Plaza (Northbound only) with 2 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.50
20.25 20 US 9 / Route 50 north – Seaville, Tuckahoe Northbound exit and southbound entrance
25.34 25 CR 623 (Roosevelt Blvd) to US 9 – Ocean City, Marmora Begin/end US 9 detour concurrency with Parkway
(temporary measure from closure of Beesley's Point Bridge)
Atlantic City of Somers Point 28.78 Great Egg Toll Plaza (Southbound only) - Cars $1.50
28.90 29 US 9 north – Somers Point, Ocean City Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Begin/end US 9 detour concurrency with Parkway
(temporary measure from closure of Beesley's Point Bridge)
30.00 30 To Route 52 – Somers Point (TOLL $1.50) Toll plaza at exit only; southbound exit and northbound entrance
Egg Harbor Township 35.82 36 US 40 / US 322 – Pleasantville, Atlantic City Signed as exit 37 southbound
36.59 36 CR 563 – Northfield, Margate Southbound exit and northbound entrance
37.23 38 AC Exwy. – Atlantic City, Camden, Philadelphia Signed as exits 38 (east) and 38A (west)
Galloway Township 40.04 40 US 30 – Absecon, Brigantine, Atlantic City Southbound exit and northbound entrance
41.50 (41) CR 561 – Pomona, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Division Unsigned entrance and exit through Atlantic City Service Area
43.98 44 CR 575Pomona Southbound exit and northbound entrance
City of Port Republic 48.29 48 US 9 – Port Republic, Smithville Southbound exit and northbound entrance; begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
Burlington Bass River Township 50.67 50 US 9 – New Gretna Northbound exit and southbound entrance; begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
52.70 52 East Greenbush Road – New Gretna Southbound exit and northbound entrance
53.54 New Gretna Toll Plaza (Northbound only) - Express E-Z Pass coming soon - Cars $1.50
Ocean Little Egg Harbor Township 58.69 58 CR 539 to I-195 – Tuckerton, Trenton
Stafford Township 64.11 63 Route 72 – Manahawkin, Long Beach Island, Ship Bottom
Barnegat Township 67.81 67 CR 554 (West Bay Ave) – Barnegat Northbound exit opened October 19, 2010
68.61 Barnegat Toll Plaza (Southbound only) with 2 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.50
Ocean Township 70.45 69 CR 532 (Wells Mill Road) – Waretown Southbound and northbound exit and entrance; toll plaza at exit and entrance - $0.75
Lacey Township 75.34 74 CR 614 (Lacey Rd) – Forked River, Waretown Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Berkeley Township 77.40 77 CR 619 (Double Trouble Road) – Beachwood, Whiting, Bayville Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Borough of South Toms River 80.85 80 CR 530 (Dover Road) / US 9 – South Toms River Southbound exit and northbound entrance; begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
Toms River Township 81.85 81 CR 527 (Lakehurst Road) – Toms River
82.35 82 Route 37 – Seaside Heights, Lakehurst Full cloverleaf interchange
84.10 83 US 9 Northbound exit and entrance, southbound entrance only; begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
84.72 Toms River Toll Plaza (Both Directions) with 2 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $0.75
Lakewood Township 89.36 88 Route 70 – Lakehurst, Brielle Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
90.18 89 CR 528 (Cedar Bridge Ave) – Lakewood Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Brick Township 91.10 90 CR 549 (Chambers Bridge Road) – Brick Northbound exit and southbound entrance
92.62 91 CR 549 (Burnt Tavern Road) Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Monmouth Wall Township 98.23 98 I-195 / Route 138 / Route 34 – Belmar, Wall, Trenton Cloverleaf interchange with additional ramps; to access Parkway southbound from I-195, motorists must use NJ 34 southbound; to access I-195 from Parkway southbound, motorists must use NJ 34 northbound; Toll plaza at southbound exit and northbound entrance - $0.50
Borough of Tinton Falls 101.24 & 101.60 100 Route 66 / Route 33 – Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach, Freehold Borough Cloverleaf interchange with additional ramps; no direct access from NJ 33 westbound to Parkway southbound or from Parkway southbound to NJ 66 eastbound
103.15 102 Asbury Ave – Neptune Township, Asbury Park Southbound exit and northbound entrance
103.96 Asbury Park Toll Plaza (Northbound only) with 3 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.50
104.2 Parkway splits into express and local roadways/merges
106.12, 106.18, 106.39 105 Route 18 / Route 36 / Route 35 – New Brunswick, Eatontown, Long Branch (TOLL $1.50) Toll plaza for northbound entrance only; Express Lane accessible; all trucks must exit here northbound and all trucks may enter here southbound
Middletown Township 110.14 109 CR 520 (Newman Springs Road) – Lincroft, Red Bank Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Middletown Township / Holmdel Township 113.88 114 CR 52 (Red Hill Road) – Holmdel, Middletown Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Holmdel Township 115.85 116 PNC Bank Arts Center
~117 Crossover ramps between express and local lanes
Hazlet Township 118.50 117 Route 35 / Route 36 – Keyport, Hazlet Southbound exit and northbound entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50 (no toll for traffic from Parkway northbound); Express Lane accessible
Hazlet Township / Aberdeen Township 118.79 117A CR 3 (Lloyd Road) to Route 34 – Aberdeen, Matawan Southbound exit and entrance; toll plaza at exit - $0.50
Middlesex Old Bridge Township 121.13 120 CR 689 – Laurence Harbor, Matawan, Cheesequake State Park
Boro of Sayreville 124.64 123 US 9 south – Old Bridge, Sayreville Southbound exit and northbound entrance
124.99 124 CR 670 – Sayreville, South Amboy Southbound exit and northbound entrance
125.28 North end of local/express split
125.68 Raritan Toll Plaza (Southbound only) with 5 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.50
126.36 125 Route 35 / US 9 – Sayreville, South Amboy Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Woodbridge Township 128.0 127 Route 440 to I-287 / Industrial Avenue – Outerbridge Crossing, Staten Island Signed as exit 129 southbound; southbound exit to NJ 440 north is via New Brunswick Avenue
129 US 9 south – South Amboy Southbound exit and northbound entrance
129 New Brunswick Avenue – Fords, Perth Amboy Signed as exit 127 northbound
129 US 9 north / Route 184 – Woodbridge Signed as exit 127 northbound
129 CR 501 west – Fords Southbound exit and northbound entrance
129.50 129 NJ Turnpike / I-95 – Trenton, New York, Delaware Memorial Bridge, George Washington Bridge This connects to NJ Turnpike interchange 11. NJ Turnpike interchange 10 (replaced in 1966) provided access from parkway southbound to turnpike southbound and from turnpike northbound to parkway northbound.
130.63 130 US 1 – Trenton, Newark Southbound exit and northbound entrance
131.33 131A Thornall Street – Iselin, Menlo Park Terrace Northbound exit and southbound entrance, exit to reach Metropark
131.83 131B CR 657 north – Edison
131.97 131 Route 27 – Iselin, Rahway, Metuchen
Union Clark Township 136.22 135 Central Ave. Brant Ave.
Valley Rd. – Clark, Westfield
Cranford Township 137.59 136 CR 607 – Linden, Roselle, Winfield
138.74 137 Route 28 – Roselle Park, Elizabeth, Cranford
Boro of Kenilworth 140.34 138 CR 509 – Kenilworth, Roselle Park, Elizabeth
Union Township 141.10 139A Chestnut Street Northbound exit and entrance
139B Route 82 – Morristown, Union Signed as exit 140 southbound
141.70 140A US 22 / Route 82 east – Somerville, Union, Hillside Signed as exit 140 northbound
142.10 141 CR 630 (Vauxhall Road) – Union Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Hillside Township 142.66 Union Toll Plaza (Northbound only) - Cars $1.50
142.80 142A I-78 east to NJ Turnpike – Newark Airport Toll station at northbound exit and northbound entrance ($1.50)

(GSP southbound exit ramp to I-78 east opened December 10, 2010)

142.90 142B I-78 west – Springfield Toll station at northbound exit and northbound entrance ($1.50)

(GSP northbound exit ramp to I-78 west opened September 16, 2009)

143.00 142C North Union Ave − Hillside, Maplewood Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Essex Irvington Township 144.0 143 Springfield Avenue, Lyons Avenue – Hillside, Maplewood
City of Newark 145.98 144A 14th Avenue − Irvington Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance - $0.50
146.12 144 CR 510 (South Orange Avenue)
City of East Orange 146.93, 146.99 & 147.15 145 I-280 – Newark, Harrison Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance - $0.50
148.44 147 Springdale Avenue Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Bloomfield Township 149.2 148 CR 506 (Bloomfield Avenue) – Bloomfield Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance - $0.50
149.17 149 Belleville Avenue - Bloomfield, Belleville Southbound exit and northbound entrance
150.66 Essex Toll Plaza (Southbound only) - Cars $1.50
151.1 150 CR 651 (Hoover Avenue) Northbound exit and southbound entrance
152.45 151 Watchung Avenue – Nutley, Montclair Toll plaza at southbound exit and northbound entrance - $0.75
Passaic City of Clifton 154.06, 154.18, 154.45 153 Route 3 – Passaic, Little Falls Toll plaza at southbound exit and northbound entrance - $0.50
155.91 154 US 46 – Clifton, Little Falls Toll plaza at southbound exit and northbound entrance - $0.50
~156.4 155P Route 19 to I-80 – Paterson Northbound exit and southbound entrance; use this exit for I-80 westbound
156.68 155 Hazel Street Northbound exit and southbound entrance
158.19 156 US 46 / Route 20 / River Drive Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Bergen Borough of Elmwood Park 158.87 157 US 46 east – Garfield, Paterson, Elmwood Park
Saddle Brook Township 160, 160.23, 160.35 159 I-80 – Paterson, Teaneck (TOLL $1.50) Toll plaza at northbound exit only and southbound entrance; no direct access from Parkway northbound to I-80 westbound
160.46 Bergen Toll Plaza (Northbound only) - Cars $1.50
Borough of Paramus 161.53 160 To Route 208 (Paramus Road) – Fair Lawn, Hackensack Northbound exit and southbound entrance
161.88 161 Route 4 – Paramus, Fort Lee, Teaneck Northbound exit and southbound entrance
163.06, 163.15 & 163.29 163 Route 17 – Paramus, Mahwah Northbound to northbound and southbound to southbound movements only
164.94 165 East Ridgewood Avenue – Ridgewood, Oradell Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance - $0.50
165.93 166 Linwood Avenue, Highland Avenue, Pascack Road – Washington Township, Westwood Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Washington Township 166.25 Pascack Valley Toll Plaza (Southbound only) with 2 lanes of Express E-Z Pass - Cars $1.50
167.46 168 CR 502 (Washington Ave.) – Ho-Ho-Kus, Westwood Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Borough of Woodcliff Lake 170.15 171 Glen Road – Saddle River Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Borough of Montvale 171.52 172 CR 2 – Upper Saddle River Northbound exit and southbound entrance.[38]
172.40 Thruway Continuation into New York via the GSP Connector
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Service areas

All service areas are located in the center median, unless otherwise noted.

The first service area to open was Cheesequake on May 1, 1955. Prior to that grand opening, the New Jersey Highway Authority had constructed and operated two temporary service areas that offered only gasoline and other vehicular essentials.

Park-ettes

In the 1950s four petroleum companies were hired to provide gasoline and vehicular necessities - Esso, Texaco, Atlantic and Cities Service. The Cities Service company was the petroleum provider at Monmouth, Forked River, Atlantic City (Absecon at the time) and Ocean View (Seaville at the time) and offered a service where female employees were hired for those service area showrooms, wore uniforms and were known as the Park-ettes. Their duties included providing directions and other information to motorists as well as rendering odd bits of service such as sewing a missing button on a patron's coat.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Garden State Parkway straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000444__-.pdf. Retrieved December 8, 2009. 
  2. ^ Samuel, Peter (January 6, 2003). "15-lane bridge for Garden State Parkway". Tollroads News. http://tollroadsnews.info/artman/publish/article_9.shtml. Retrieved September 23, 2008.  "The Garden State Parkway is America's busiest single tollroad in terms of toll transaction numbers - 609m in 2001 or 1.67m/day average."
  3. ^ Samuel, Peter (January 29, 2008). "USA Today reports dramatically more expensive tolls - lousy data". Tollroads News. http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3373. Retrieved September 23, 2008. 
  4. ^ "TITLE 16. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - CHAPTER 32. TRUCK ACCESS". New Jersey Department of Transportation. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/rules/pdf/chapter32truckaccess.pdf. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  5. ^ a b Laurie, Maxine N.; Mappen, Marc (2004–2005). Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. p. 305. 
  6. ^ Pierson, Melissa Holbrook (1998). The perfect vehicle: what it is about motorcycles. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 82. ISBN 0393318095. 
  7. ^ "Governor McGreevey Announces Planned Improvements from Turnpike Authority Consolidation" (Press release). New Jersey Turnpike Authority. July 10, 2003. http://www.nj.gov/turnpike/msgfromgov.htm. Retrieved March 18, 2010. 
  8. ^ Photo of Exit 171
  9. ^ Travel Center Opens on Parkway
  10. ^ Garden State Parkway Interchange 89
  11. ^ Garden State Parkway Interchange 69
  12. ^ Garden State Parkway Interchange 100
  13. ^ Garden State Parkway Regulations, State of New Jersey, dated October 23, 1987. Accessed October 17, 2007. "19:8-1.9(b)15: All vehicles except cars, campers, omnibuses, and vehicles entitled to toll-free passage under N.J.A.C. 19:8-3.2 (Toll-free passage) are prohibited from the Parkway north of Interchange 105."
  14. ^ Biederman, Marcia (October 7, 2007). "Motoring; Behind the Beauty of the Parkways Is a Maze of Rules". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903EED91731F934A35753C1A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved October 17, 2007. "In New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway has different rules depending on where you are. There are no truck restrictions south of exit 105 because trucks need to use the parkway to service the commercial needs of the area. North of the exit, vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings (including passengers and cargo) more than 7,000 pounds are banned.... He said officers who patrolled the area had presented to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority a list of 70 passenger vehicles that exceed the weight limit, hoping the agency would update the rules. He said most troopers applied the rules mainly to commercial vehicles." 
  15. ^ "N.J. to consider allowing trucks on Garden State Parkway north of exit 105". The Star-Ledger. Associated Press. April 18, 2011. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/nj_to_consider_allowing_truck.html. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  16. ^ "N.J. won't allow trucks on Garden State Parkway north of exit 105". The Star-Ledger. Associated Press. April 18, 2011. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/nj_wont_allow_trucks_on_garden.html. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  17. ^ "E-ZPass open from N.Y. State to Cape May" (Press release). New Jersey Highway Authority. September 19, 2000. http://www.nj.gov/turnpike/pr091900.htm. 
  18. ^ a b "Parkway to Discontinue Token Sales" (Press release). New Jersey Highway Authority. December 26, 2001. http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/pr122601.htm. 
  19. ^ Strauss, Robert (July 20, 2008). "Soon, Token Non Grata on the Garden State". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/20tokensnj.html. Retrieved March 18, 2010. 
  20. ^ a b NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway Project. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "E-ZPass: A plan that works for NJ" (PDF). July 11, 2002. pp. 9–10. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/ezpass/ezpass.pdf. Retrieved June 22, 2009. 
  22. ^ PAY TOLL Photo Enforced to all exact change lanes [1] Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  23. ^ McCoy, Craig R. (January 9, 2008). "Corzine calls for 50% toll increase". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 
  24. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (January 11, 2008). "Corzine: Toll-hike breaks are likely". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 
  25. ^ Samuel, Peter (September 5, 2008). "Threatened by debt default New Jersey Turnpike proposes big toll increases". Tollroads News. http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3727. Retrieved September 8, 2008. 
  26. ^ Toll increase in effect on January 1, 2012 on the NJ Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway [2] Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  27. ^ Sheppard, R.Z. (January 2, 1989). "Books: Serpents in The Garden State". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956649,00.html. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  28. ^ Cape May County Points of Interest
  29. ^ Barnegat's interchange to open Wednesday May 20, 2009
  30. ^ a b NJDOT's 2007–2010 Road ImprovementsPDF (1.53 MB)
  31. ^ Driscoll Bridge opening May 20, 2009
  32. ^ a b c d NJTPA Online Transportation Information System -- Project Detail
  33. ^ "NJDOT to begin reconstruction of Route I-280/Garden State Parkway Interchange 145" (Press release). New Jersey Department of Transportation. September 15, 2006. http://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/press/2006/091506.shtm. Retrieved June 14, 2007. 
  34. ^ Pascack Valley One Way Toll
  35. ^ "New ramp linking I-78 and the Garden State Parkway opens today". New Jersey Department of Transportation. December 10, 2010. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2010/121010.shtm. Retrieved December 14, 2010. 
  36. ^ "Traffic light-removal project delayed on parkway". The Intelligencer. Associated Press (Doylestown, PA). July 27, 2011. 
  37. ^ NJDOT's 2005–2007 Road ImprovementsPDF (80.9 KB) accessed June 18, 2007
  38. ^ Cichowski, John (December 12, 2004). "Show New Yorkers how to get to work". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061210025955/http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY2MjUyNjQmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk5. Retrieved March 26, 2007. 
  39. ^ "The First Five Years of the Garden State Parkway" published by the New Jersey Highway Authority, page 29.

External links