County Route 563 (New Jersey)

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CR 629 in Margate City
Major intersections
North end Route 72 in Woodland Township
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountiesAtlantic, Burlington
Highway system
← CR 561→ CR 565

County Route 563 (CR 563) is a

Pine Barrens. Between Margate and Northfield, CR 563 runs along the Downbeach Express, a toll bridge
that is maintained by Ole Hansen & Sons, Inc.

The Margate Bridge was built in 1929 by Ole Hansen and privately maintained until being taken over by the Margate Bridge Company in 1963. It was renamed to the Downbeach Express in 2012. The portion of present-day CR 563 between

500-series county routes
in New Jersey.

The

CR 646 near the Atlantic City International Airport underwent alterations in 2011 allowing Delilah Road motorists to pass straight through the circle, and future plans call for new ramps to pass over the circle as part of a project to connect the airport directly to the Atlantic City Expressway
.

Route description

CR 563 southbound past the Garden State Parkway in Egg Harbor Township

CR 563 begins at an intersection with

CR 651 and has a ramp from the southbound direction to the Garden State Parkway. CR 563 becomes a four-lane undivided road as it crosses under the Garden State Parkway and comes to a ramp from the southbound Garden State Parkway to southbound CR 563. A short distance later, it comes to an intersection with US 40/US 322 (Black Horse Pike), where CR 563 makes a left turn to form a concurrency with that road.[1]

CR 563 northbound past US 40/US 322 in Egg Harbor Township

Along the Black Horse Pike, the road continues north and passes to the east of the

Airport Circle.[1] Following the circle, the route narrows into a two-lane road as it passes through forests prior to running to the west of the Atlantic City International Airport.[1][2] The road continues into Hamilton Township, where it has an intersection with CR 575.[1] After this intersection, CR 563 enters wooded surroundings and crosses into Galloway Township.[1][2] In this area, the road crosses over NJ Transit’s Atlantic City Line prior to an intersection with US 30 (White Horse Pike).[1]

CR 563 heads northwest to form a concurrency with the four-lane undivided US 30, passing through the community of

CR 561 Alternate.[1][2] Upon crossing Egg Harbor City Lake, CR 563 becomes Park Avenue West, Buffalo Avenue, and Egg Harbor-Green Bank Road. The road makes a turn to the north and crosses into Mullica Township.[1] In Mullica Township, the route enters the residential community of Weekstown, where it curves west before heading north at the CR 643 junction.[1][2] Upon leaving Weekstown, CR 563 turns northeast back into the Pine Barrens.[2]


View north along CR 563 at CR 679 in Washington Township, Burlington County

After crossing the Mullica River on a drawbridge, CR 563 enters Washington Township in Burlington County, where it becomes Chatsworth-Harrisville-New Gretna Road and continues northeast past homes. After heading east for a brief concurrency with CR 542, the route heads north into the Wharton State Forest, passing through rural areas for several miles. CR 563 intersects CR 679 before passing a few areas of homes.[1][2] The road runs through more forests before heading into an area of cranberry bogs.[2] CR 563 leaves the Wharton State Forest and enters Woodland Township, still in the Pine Barrens.[1][2] In Woodland Township, the route comes to the residential community of Chatsworth.[2] In the center of the community, CR 563 has a concurrency with CR 532 that crosses an abandoned railroad line.[1] After running through Chatsworth, CR 563 passes through more forests before coming to its northern terminus at Route 72.[1][2]

History

Cutout shield for Route S43
Route S43 (planned in 1938)

What is now CR 563 between Egg Harbor City and Green Bank originally existed as an unnumbered and unpaved road by 1927.[7] The Margate Bridge between Margate City and Northfield was built in 1929 by Ole Hansen and was privately maintained by F. W. Schwiers & Company. This span would be purchased in 1963 by the Margate Bridge Company, owned by the Hansen and Capaldi families, after the original owners went bankrupt.[3]

Toll plaza for the Downbeach Express

In 1938, a spur of

Cardiff Circle at the north end of the US 40/US 322 concurrency in Egg Harbor Township was eliminated in a $3.7 million project completed in 2002.[12] The Airport Circle at CR 646 was planned to be replaced with a regular roundabout due to a high accident rate at the current circle.[13] The circle was removed in 2011, allowing CR 646 motorists to pass across through the circle, and future plans call for new ramps to pass over the circle as part of a project to connect the airport directly to the Atlantic City Expressway.[14]

In 2003, an automated toll collection system was introduced along the Margate Bridge and Causeway known as the Quick Toll Card, which used a prepaid automated toll card. In 2012, the Margate Bridge and Causeway was renamed the Downbeach Express and a more efficient Downbeach Express Pass automated toll collection system was introduced.[3]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
CR 629
(Ventnor Avenue)		Southern terminus
Beach Thorofare0.901.45Downbeach Express (toll; cash or Downbeach Express Pass)
Northfield3.736.00 CR 585 (Shore Road)
4.477.19 US 9 (New Road) – Somers Point, Ocean City, Cape May, Absecon
Egg Harbor Township6.129.85
 G.S. Parkway		Southbound exit and entrance, GSP exit 36
6.2710.09

 US 40 east / US 322 east (Black Horse Pike) – Atlantic City		South end of US 40/US 322 overlap
6.9011.10

 US 40 west / US 322 west (Black Horse Pike) – Delaware Memorial Bridge, Philadelphia		North end of US 40/US 322 overlap
Hamilton Township11.5318.56
 CR 575 (Wrangleboro Road) to A.C. Expressway
Galloway Township13.7422.11
 US 30 east (White Horse Pike)		South end of US 30 overlap
Egg Harbor City16.7026.88
 US 30 west (White Horse Pike)

 Route 50 south (Philadelphia Avenue)		North end of US 30 overlap
17.5628.26 CR 561 (Duerer Street)
18.2029.29
CR 561 Alt. (Moss Mill Road) – Hammonton, Smithville
BurlingtonWashington Township24.7339.80
 CR 542 west (Hammonton Road)		South end of CR 542 overlap
24.8640.01
 CR 542 east		North end of CR 542 overlap
Woodland Township39.9864.34
 CR 532 east		South end of CR 532 overlap
40.0764.49
Tabernacle
North end of CR 532 overlap
43.8770.60 Route 72 – Long Beach IslandNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "CR 563 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Google (January 9, 2010). "overview of County Route 563" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "Downbeach Express". Ole Hansen & Sons, Inc. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Downbeach Express". DOWNBEACHEXPRESS.COM. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Fare Schedule". DOWNBEACHEXPRESS.COM. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "US 30 Straight Line Diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. October 7, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  7. ^ Map of New Jersey (Map). Tydol Trails. 1927. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  8. ^ "Laws of 1938, Chapter 216". State of New Jersey. p. 511. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  9. ^ Wilmington, Delaware 1:250,000 quadrangle (Map). United States Geological Survey. 1946. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  10. Chevron Oil Company
    . 1969.
  11. ^ United States-Canada-Mexico Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1996.
  12. ^ "Temporary detour of traffic at the Cardiff Circle to begin Friday evening, May 3". New Jersey Department of Transportation. May 1, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  13. ^ "New Jersey 2009 Five Percent Report". Federal Highway Administration. 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ Watson, Sarah (April 14, 2011). "Project would link Atlantic City International Airport directly to the Atlantic City Expressway by 2013". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved April 17, 2011.

External links

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