Interstate 195 (New Jersey)

Route map:
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I-295 / Route 29 in Hamilton
Major intersections
East end
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountiesMercer, Monmouth, Ocean
Highway system
Route 187 US 202

Interstate 195 (I-195) is an

US state of New Jersey. Its western end is at I-295 and Route 29 just south of Trenton in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, while its eastern end is at the Garden State Parkway, Route 138, and Route 34 in Wall Township, Monmouth County. I-195 is 34.17 miles (54.99 km) in length. The route is mostly a four-lane highway that mainly runs through agrarian and wooded areas in Central Jersey. It has an interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) in Robbinsville Township and serves as a main access road to New Jersey's state capital of Trenton, the Horse Park of New Jersey, the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park, and the Jersey Shore. I-195 is occasionally referred to as the Central Jersey Expressway. On April 6, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed H.R. 4263 naming I-195 in New Jersey the James J. Howard Interstate Highway, in honor of the late James J. Howard
.

The current I-195 was initially planned as a

Bristol Township, Pennsylvania
, but it was decided to extend the I-295 designation west and south, along existing I-95 instead.

The highway, along with the Route 138 extension, was built to also be an evacuation route in times of emergency, such as before Hurricane Sandy, when the eastbound lanes were reversed all the way from the coast to the Turnpike/ I-95 to accommodate for mass evacuations.[3]

Route description

I-195's western terminus is at a modified

CR 620.[2] Following this, I-195 passes near more neighborhoods and runs to the northwest of Gropp Lake before turning more to the east.[4] The route has a cloverleaf interchange with Yardville-Hamilton Square Road before passing near business parks and reaching a cloverleaf junction with US 130. After US 130, the road enters Robbinsville Township as the settings start to become more rural, with a few areas of suburban development.[2][4] In Robbinsville Township, there is a ramp that provides access to the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95). Shortly after passing over the New Jersey Turnpike, I-195 reaches the exit for CR 526.[2] The highway runs to the north of Allentown before briefly forming the border between Robbinsville Township to the north and Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County, to the south as it reaches the interchange with CR 524/CR 539.[2][4]

park-and-ride lot for motorists. The median of I-195 widens past the CR 527 junction before narrowing as it comes to the CR 638 interchange.[2][4] The road runs through more woodland, with nearby residential development increasing.[4]

After crossing the

North Branch Metedeconk River, I-195 continues into Howell Township, Monmouth County, and turns northeast, reaching a cloverleaf interchange with US 9.[2][4] At this point, the road turns east again and soon heads back into dense woods, passing over the Southern Secondary railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad.[4] After crossing the Manasquan River, the expressway interchanges with CR 547, which provides access to CR 524 and CR 549. Shortly after CR 547, I-195 enters Wall Township and passes through Allaire State Park.[2][4] The eastern end of I-195 is located at exit 35, its junction with Route 34 that has access to the southbound Garden State Parkway from the eastbound direction.[2] At the exit for Route 34, I-195 ends and Route 138 begins, but the highway and exit numbering continue onto Route 138, marking the interchange with the Garden State Parkway as exit 36.[2][4] Past this interchange, Route 138 continues east to Belmar on the Jersey Shore as an arterial boulevard, making connections with Route 18 and Route 35.[4]

History

A four lane freeway at an interchange in a wooded area with two green signs over the road. The left one reads Interstate 195 west Trenton and the right one reads exit 21 County Route 527 County Route 526 Jackson Siloam upper right arrow
I-195 westbound at the CR 527 exit in Jackson

What would become I-195 was first proposed in the late 1950s as a

Interstate Highway funding for the freeway, with funds to be diverted from the canceled I-278 in Union County. The proposed freeway would cost $60 million (equivalent to $418 million in 2023[10]).[11]

US Geological Survey
map illustrates

By 1970, construction took place on the route between CR 539 near Allentown and CR 527 in Jackson Township.[12] The portion of I-195 between the New Jersey Turnpike and CR 527 was opened by 1973 and construction on the section between White Horse and the New Jersey Turnpike began.[13] In 1979, I-195 was completed east to Squankum.[14] By 1983, the length of I-195 was completed.[15]

When it was planned, I-195 did not intersect I-95 at all; it instead connected to I-295 at its west end.

Miami, Florida, to Houlton, Maine
.

On April 6, 1988, President

US Representative from New Jersey who advocated improving the highways of the US.[18]

In 1997, separate ramps were added from I-195 to westbound and eastbound CR 537, and the westbound ramp was expanded to two lanes for Six Flags traffic.[19]

View west along I-195 in Hamilton

I-195, like many other highways in New Jersey, once had solar-powered emergency

callboxes every one mile (1.6 km). With the advent of cellphones, the callboxes saw limited use. To save on maintenance costs, NJDOT removed the callboxes in 2005.[20]

On April 30, 2010, NJDOT started a project to repave the expressway both eastbound and westbound from just east of the turnpike overpasses near exit 7 in Robbinsville Township to exit 11 in Upper Freehold Township. This was completed in late 2010.[21]

From July 2009 until November 2014, the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) was widened with the construction of new outer roadways ("truck lanes") that extended the "dual-dual" roadways south to Interchange 6 in Mansfield Township from its former end at Interchange 8A in Monroe Township. As part of this project, the overpasses carrying I-195 over the turnpike were reconstructed, the Interchange 7A toll gate was widened, and all the ramps connecting directly to the mainline of the turnpike were rebuilt which included building a new high-speed ramp over I-195 to enter the northbound lanes of the turnpike.[22][23][24]

View east along I-195 from its western terminus at I-295 in Hamilton

For about a decade, there was a plan to extend the designation of I-195 to the west in concurrence with the rerouting of I-95 planned as part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project. Beginning in 2005, plans were made to extend I-195 west from its present-day western terminus along I-295 and I-95, continuing counterclockwise to the north, west, and south around Trenton to the new interchange.[17] I-295 would have been truncated to the current interchange with I-195. Officials from New Jersey and Pennsylvania had agreed to submit the I-195 request to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), as no route designation is official until approved by them.[25] Had it been approved, approximately 27.1 miles (43.6 km) would have been added to I-195.[26] Interchange renumbering would have also taken place in concert with the future I-195 designation in Pennsylvania and both the planned and current I-195 designation in New Jersey.[27] This proposal had received conditional approval from AASHTO.[28] However, on May 20, 2015, the original plan of extending I-295 west and south into Pennsylvania to the new interchange was approved instead, leaving the western terminus of I-195 at its current location.[29]

In 2018, the exit numbers at the interchanges for I-295 (exits 60A–B) and US 206 (exits 1A–B) were renumbered to exits 1A–B and exits 1C–D, respectively. This change was done as part of the I-95/I-295 redesignation project to match the milemarkers along I-195.[30]

Future

In the late 1990s, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) considered the possibility of widening I-195 to six lanes between the New Jersey Turnpike and CR 537 in order to accommodate traffic going to Six Flags Great Adventure.[31] NJDOT has revied the possibility, and has studied proposals to widen I-195 between CR 537 and the New Jersey Turnpike from four to six total lanes, eliminating the grass median in the process.[31]

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[2]kmOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
I-295 to US 1 – Camden, Princeton
Western terminus; continues north as Route 29; partial cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); Exits 60A-B (I-295)
0.921.481A-B1C-D
US 206 – Bordentown, White Horse
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as exits 1C (south) and 1D (north)
1.552.492
CR 620) – Yardville
US 206 and Arena Drive signed westbound; Yardville signed eastbound
3.375.423Yardville, Hamilton SquareSigned as exits 3A (Yardville) and 3B (Hamilton Square)
4.907.895 Signed as exits 5A (south) and 5B (north)
Robbinsville Township6.2510.066

I-95 Toll / N.J. Turnpike – New York, Camden
Exit 7A (I-95/N.J. Turnpike)
7.3111.767 CR 526 – Robbinsville, AllentownNo access from CR 526 westbound to I-195 eastbound; access provided by Exit 8
MercerMonmouth
county line
RobbinsvilleUpper Freehold
township line
8.5413.748 CR 539 – Allentown, Hightstown
CR 43
MonmouthOcean
county line
MillstoneJackson
township line
16.7126.8916 CR 537 – Freehold, Mount Holly, Six FlagsSplits into exits 16A (west) and 16B (east) eastbound
Siloam, Jackson
22.9937.0022
CR 638
MonmouthHowell Township27.1743.7328 US 9 – Lakewood, FreeholdSigned as exits 28A (south) and 28B (north)
31.5750.8131

CR 547 to CR 524 / CR 549 – Farmingdale, Lakewood, Allaire State Park
Signed as exits 31A (south) and (north)
Wall Township34.1754.9935
G.S. Parkway south / Route 34 – Matawan, Brielle, Point Pleasant


G.S. Parkway north / Route 138 east – Belmar
Eastern terminus of I-195; continues as Route 138; signed as exits 35A (south) and 35B (north)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Interstate 195 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  3. ^ DeNicola, Linda. "Red Cross urges residents to heed hurricane warnings". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Google (June 8, 2009). "overview map of I-195" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  5. ^ "Directions to the Restaurant / Golf Club". The Greens Restaurant & Banquet Hall. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  6. ^ Kahn, Eve M. (September 13, 1991). "Great Adventure: Highs and Lows". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  7. New Jersey State Highway Department
    . August 1964.
  8. ^ Plans for a Central Jersey Expressway System. New Jersey State Highway Department. 1965.
  9. ^ Route 37 Freeway Relocation Study. New Jersey Department of Transportation. 1967.
  10. Gross Domestic Product deflator
    figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  11. ^ New Jersey Highway Facts. New Jersey Department of Transportation. 1967.
  12. ^ Map of New Jersey (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1970.
  13. Exxon
    . 1973.
  14. ^ Narvaez, Alfonso A. (September 2, 1979). "State to Winnow Highway Program; State to Winnow Highway Projects" (Fee required). The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  15. ^
    State Farm Insurance
    . 1983.
  16. ^ United States-Canada-Mexico Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1996.
  17. ^ a b Frassinelli, Mike (September 7, 2010). "N.J., Pennsylvania officials plan to close longtime gap on Route 95". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  18. ^ "Today in Interstate History". American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2006.
  19. ^ "I-195 Improvements End Great Adventure Backups". Asbury Park Press. July 17, 1997.
  20. ^ Barlas, Thomas (February 28, 2007). "Last call for N.J.'s roadside call boxes". The Press of Atlantic City.
  21. ^ "Expect Delays on I-195 in Upper Freehold". Examiner. May 6, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  22. ^ "Widening Program Overview". New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  23. ^ "Brief Overview Central Jersey Transportation Forum July 20, 2006 Meeting" (PDF). Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. July 20, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  24. ^ Gov. Christie, NJDOT Commissioner FoxPraise $2.3 Billion NJ Turnpike Infrastructure Investment Project Archived 2014-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Accessed November 3, 2014. "The Widening Program created a three-lane Outer Roadway in each direction over the 25 miles between Interchange 6 in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, and Interchange 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County."
  25. PA Turnpike / I-95 Interchange Project. September 14, 2005. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on October 2, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2006.
  26. ^ Google (January 5, 2010). "overview map of I-195 extension" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  27. ^ The Design Management Team, Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project, Exit renumbering, The re-designation of I-95 and a portion of I-295 in NJ as I-195, necessitated when the PA and NJ Turnpikes are designated as I-95, will indeed require new exit numbers on those interstates as well as the existing stretch of I-195 in NJ. This action, which is still approximately 5-6 years away since the new connection between I-95 and the PA Turnpike needs to be constructed, was acknowledged by the NJ Department of Transportation in their support of the re-numbering request to the Federal Highway Administration and AASHTO. Details regarding interim exit numbering and public relations efforts at that time are not available, but will be determined as the project moves forward.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 5, 2007). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  29. ^ Nadeau, Gregory G. (May 20, 2015). "FHWA to AASHTO I-95 Designation" (PDF). Letter to Bud Wright. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  30. ^ "I-95/I-295 Signing Redesignation Project Overview". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  31. ^ a b Sapia, Joseph (August 2, 1996). "Expansion of I-195 Gets Look from DOT". Asbury Park Press.

External links

KML is from Wikidata