New Jersey Route 55
Veterans Memorial Highway | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by NJDOT | ||||
Length | 40.54 mi[1] (65.24 km) | |||
Existed | 1969[2][3]–present | |||
History | Completed in 1989 | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | Route 47 in Maurice River Township | |||
| ||||
North end | Route 42 in Deptford Township | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New Jersey | |||
Counties | Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Route 55 is a
What is now Route 55 was originally proposed in the 1950s as a
Meanwhile, the portion between Route 47 in Port Elizabeth and the Garden State Parkway in Middle Township was canceled in 1975 due to the impact the highway would have on the surrounding environment.
Route description
Cumberland and Salem counties
Route 55 begins at a signalized intersection with Route 47 in the
Past the Route 49 interchange, Route 55 continues through Millville, passing over
The freeway turns to the west past the CR 555 interchange and crosses over Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Vineland Secondary railroad line before entering Millville again.[1] At this point, the route comes to a modified cloverleaf interchange with Route 47 adjacent to the Cumberland Mall.[1][4][5] From Route 47, the freeway enters forested areas again and makes a turn to the north, crossing back into Vineland. In Vineland, it interchanges with CR 552 near Inspira Medical Center Vineland.[1][4] This exit also serves the Rowan College of South Jersey Cumberland Campus to the east.[6]
Route 55 continues between rural areas near the Maurice River to the west and development to the east, coming to a cloverleaf interchange with Route 56.[4] Past this interchange, the route passes over a Winchester and Western Railroad line before crossing over CR 540. Farther north, a modified cloverleaf interchange serves CR 674 (Garden Road), which provides access to the northern part of Vineland. Past the Garden Road interchange, Route 55 continues through farmland and woodland, passing to the east of Rudys Airport.[4] The freeway crosses Scotland Run and briefly runs through Pittsgrove Township in Salem County.[1][4]
Gloucester County
Route 55 continues northwest into Franklin Township, Gloucester County, and reaches a cloverleaf interchange with U.S. Route 40 (US 40). Past this interchange, the freeway heads north, crossing over CR 538.[1][4] Route 55 comes to a diamond interchange with Little Mill Road before entering Clayton and turning to the west. A short distance later, Route 55 continues into Elk Township and comes to an interchange with CR 553.[1]
The route continues north into Glassboro, where it has an interchange with CR 641.[1] Past this interchange, Route 55 crosses into Harrison Township and meets US 322 and CR 536 at a cloverleaf interchange near Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill.[1][4] US 322 heads east into Glassboro and serves Rowan University.[7]
Past the US 322 interchange, the freeway continues through agricultural areas and enters
Past CR 553, the route turns north again and passes near more suburban surroundings, briefly entering
History
Following the completion of the
While the Atlantic City Expressway was completed by the authority in 1965, the Cape May Expressway was turned over to the state about this time.[12][13] The Cape May Expressway was designated Route 55 and legislated to run from US 130 in Westville to US 9 near Cape May Court House.[13] This proposed freeway was projected to cost $90 million (equivalent to $870 million in 2024[14]) and be completed in 1975.[15]
In 1969, the first segment of Route 55 opened between Maurice River Township and the Vineland-Millville border, connecting to Route 47 at both ends.[2][16] In the 1970s, the planned northern terminus of Route 55 was moved to Route 42 in Deptford. The portion of Route 55 between Route 47 in Millville and US 40 in Franklin Township was completed in the mid-1970s while the portion between US 40 and Route 42 was completed in October 1989.[3][17][18] The Route 55 freeway has been instrumental in bringing economic development to southern New Jersey. The most common use of the highway is as a commuting route northward to Philadelphia. Following its completion, residential development in the southern part of Gloucester County has increased.[18]
While the freeway was under construction in 1983, it was discovered that it ran through Native American burial grounds in Deptford. This revelation led to unsuccessful lawsuits to cease construction of the route. After the lawsuits, a couple of incidents happened to construction workers, including a construction worker being run over by an asphalt truck, another being blown off a bridge by strong winds, and a van carrying five construction workers randomly erupting into flames.[3]
Meanwhile, the portion of freeway south of Route 47 in Maurice River Township was not yet built. In 1972, NJDOT wanted to provide adequate access to the
The Route 55 freeway, like many other highways in New Jersey, once had solar-powered emergency call boxes every mile (about 1.6 km); the use of the call boxes became limited due to the increasing popularity of cell phones. To save on maintenance costs, NJDOT removed these call boxes in 2005.[22]
Despite the fact that the southern extension was held up for decades, it was revisited due to the disturbing images of
In 2009, State Senator Jeff Van Drew introduced a plan for an extension of Route 55 into Cape May County where the South Jersey Transportation Authority would build the road. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, the freeway would have been elevated.[27] The extension of Route 55 would have been tolled.[28] This effort followed two years of failed attempts for a feasibility study to relieve traffic on Route 47.[29]
However, all of these efforts faced considerable environmental opposition, which has been successful in blocking these plans, which were estimated to cost as much as $2 billion.[21][30]
Public transportation
In 1975, the
New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and the DRPA announced a comprehensive transportation plan for South Jersey on May 12, 2009.[33] This plan would introduce express bus service along the Route 55 freeway and the adjacent Route 42 freeway. It would also include a diesel light rail line called the Glassboro–Camden Line between Camden and Glassboro via Woodbury over an existing railroad right-of-way (as opposed to the expanded PATCO line via Route 55), improvements to NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line, and enhanced connections to the Atlantic City International Airport.[34]
Exit list
Exit numbers are based on the originally planned terminus of Route 55 in Cape May County, a distance of approximately 20 miles (32 km).
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cumberland | Maurice River Township | 20.00 | 32.19 | Route 47 (Delsea Drive) – Port Elizabeth, Wildwood, Cape May | Southern terminus | |||
21.49 | 34.58 | 21 | Schooner Landing Road | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
Millville | 24.59 | 39.57 | 24 | Route 49 – Millville, Bridgeton | ||||
Vineland | 26.88 | 43.26 | 26 | CR 555 – Vineland, Buena | ||||
Millville | 27.79 | 44.72 | 27 | Route 47 – Vineland, Millville | ||||
South Vineland | ||||||||
32.69 | 52.61 | 32 | Route 56 – Vineland, Rosenhayn | Signed as exits 32A (east) and 32B (west) | ||||
35.01 | 56.34 | 35 | Garden Road ( North Vineland | Southbound signed as exits 35A (east) and 35B (west) | ||||
Salem |
No major junctions | |||||||
Gloucester | Franklin Township | 39.36 | 63.34 | 39 | US 40 – Malaga, Elmer | Signed as exits 39A (east) and 39B (west) | ||
43.50 | 70.01 | 43 | Little Mill Road – Franklinville, Clayton | |||||
Elk Township | 45.36 | 73.00 | 45 | CR 553 – Centerton, Clayton, Glassboro | ||||
Harrison Township | 50.50 | 81.27 | 50 | US 322 (CR 536) – Glassboro, Richwood, Mullica Hill | Signed as exits 50A (east) and 50B (west) | |||
Mantua Township | 53.48 | 86.07 | 53 | CR 553 – Pitman, Glassboro, Wenonah, Woodbury Heights | Southbound signed as exits 53A (south) and 53B (north) | |||
Deptford Township | 56.37 | 90.72 | 56A | Route 47 south to Route 41 – Washington Township, Glassboro | ||||
56.37 | 90.72 | 56B | Route 47 north – Woodbury, Westville | |||||
58.90 | 94.79 | 58 | To CR 621 – Deptford Township, Almonesson | Access via Deptford Center Road | ||||
60.54 | 97.43 | Philadelphia | Northern terminus | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- New Jersey portal
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Route 55 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- ^ Chevron Oil Company. 1969.
- ^ a b c Fuhrmann, Doug (March 1, 2009). "Local history: Route 55". The Daily Journal. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Google (September 9, 2009). "overview of New Jersey Route 55" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ "Directions". Cumberland Mall. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ "Directions & Campus" (PDF). Cumberland County College. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ "Directions to the Glassboro Campus". Rowan University. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ "Directions to The Broadway Theatre of Pitman". The Broadway Theatre of Pitman. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- Gloucester County College. Archived from the originalon December 14, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ Weart, William D. (May 16, 1957). "Bridge is Opened at Philadelphia". The New York Times.
- New Jersey Expressway Authority. 1962.
- ^ "Atlantic City Expressway – History & Milestones". South Jersey Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
- ^ a b Laws of 1964, Chapter 16. State of New Jersey. p. 37.
- ^ a b c 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ 1985 Regional Transportation Plan. Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. 1969.
- ^ Map of New Jersey (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1970.
- Exxon. 1976.
- ^ a b "New Jersey Will Buy 1,000 Acres to Preserve Farmland". The New York Times. December 30, 1999. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ Master Plan for Transportation. New Jersey Department of Transportation. 1972.
- ^ New Jersey Route 55, Administrative Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Statement. Federal Highway Administration and New Jersey Department of Transportation. 1975.
- ^ a b c Mansnerus, Laura (May 7, 2000). "Road and Rail; Seeking a Line in the Sand". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ Barlas, Thomas (February 28, 2007). "Last call for N.J.'s roadside call boxes". The Press of Atlantic City.
- ^ "Route 55 Southern Extension". The Daily Journal. Vineland, N.J. September 27, 2005.
- ^ Smith, Joseph P. (March 14, 2007). "Lawmakers again tackle Rt. 55 tie-ups". The Daily Journal. Vineland, N.J.
- ^ "Regional Planning and Implementation Agenda" (PDF). Western/Southern Cumberland Region Strategic Plan. pp. 3, 7. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- ^ "Legislation for Route 55 Extension" (PDF). New Jersey Legislature. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ Campbell, Al (August 26, 2009). "Elevated Rt. 55 Will Be Project For Authority". Cape May County Herald. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ Barna, John (July 26, 2009). "Route 55 expansion debate revived". Today's Sunbeam. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ Smith, Joseph P. (July 19, 2009). "Route 55 extension may get big backer". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- ^ Jewell, Douglas (October–December 2009). "Election Time means …the Route 55 Extension is back on the table" (PDF). The Jersey Sierran. Sierra Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- Urban Mass Transportation Administration. 1975.
- ^ "Patco Proposal for Route 55". Residents for NJ-3. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ "Regional Transportation & Economic Development Initiative". Delaware River Port Authority. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Light Rail Extension Moves Forward – Gov Corzine Supports Multimodal Regional Initiative To Boost Mobility & Economic Development" (Press release). Delaware River Port Authority. May 12, 2009. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
External links