New Jersey Route 72
Route information | ||
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Maintained by NJDOT | ||
Length | 28.74 mi[1] (46.25 km) | |
Existed | January 1, 1953[2]–present | |
Major junctions | ||
West end | Route 70 in Woodland Township | |
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East end | CR 607 in Ship Bottom | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | New Jersey | |
Counties | Burlington, Ocean | |
Highway system | ||
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Route 72 is a
What is now Route 72 was originally designated as Route S40 in 1927, a spur of
Route description
Route 72 begins at the
The highway enters Stafford Township and passes to the southwest of the residential Ocean Acres community.[1][3] The route heads to the southwest of Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center before it comes to a junction with Nautilus Drive (CR 111). Past this junction, Route 72 widens into a four-lane divided highway, intersecting CR 105 and CR 2 before coming to an interchange with the Garden State Parkway.[1] Following this interchange, the route enters the Manahawkin area and widens to six lanes as it passes woods to the northeast and business areas to the southwest. Route 72 has an interchange with US 9 and continues southeast through a mix of woods and commercial areas as a four-lane road, with CR 50 (Bay Avenue) paralleling the route to the north. The road intersects CR 20 and CR 6 before it passes to the north of the Beach Haven West residential development and passes near wetlands.[1][3] A road provides access to Bay Avenue before Route 72 crosses the Manahawkin Bay on the Manahawkin Bay Bridge, also known as the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge.[1] After traversing two small islands consisting of a mix of residences and marshland, the road continues into Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island.[1][3] Upon entering Ship Bottom, the route splits into a one-way pair following 9th Street eastbound and 8th Street westbound.[1] Route 72 passes by resort businesses, intersecting CR 4 and CR 89 before ending at CR 607 a block from the Atlantic Ocean.[1][3]
Route 72 is a major route providing access to Long Beach Island, a popular Jersey Shore resort, from Philadelphia via Route 70 and from New York City via the Garden State Parkway.[4] As such, the portion of the route east of the Garden State Parkway interchange sees congestion during the summer months.[5] It is also the only road bridge to connect Long Beach Island to the mainland; therefore, in emergency evacuations such as hurricanes, the highway and Manahawkin Bridge becomes clogged.
History
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Existed | 1927[6]–1953[7] |
What is now Route 72 was originally designated as Route S40 in the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering. It was to be a spur of Route 40 that was to run from Route 40 at Four Mile to Route 4 (now US 9) in Manahawkin.[6][8] By 1941, the route was extended east to the intersection with Long Beach Boulevard in Ship Bottom.[9] In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route S40 was renumbered to Route 72.[7][10] By 1969, Route 72 was moved to a new alignment to the south between US 9 and the Manahawkin Bay Bridge; the old alignment became Route 180.[11][12] This route was eventually removed from the state highway system and is now CR 50, although more commonly known as "Bay Avenue".[13]
A
In 2000, the Manahawkin Bay Bridge was dedicated the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge in honor of Dorland J. Henderson, who was one of NJDOT’s top engineers that designed the lighting system for the Manahawkin Bay Bridge.[17] In September 2009, the NJDOT began repairs to the deck of the Manahawkin Bay Bridge. This project, completed in May 2010, cost $4 million and received funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[18][19][20] The Manahawkin Bay Bridge underwent a rehabilitation project and a parallel bridge was built to the south. Construction began on the project May 3, 2013. The new bridge was completed in 2016 and carried traffic from both directions while the older bridge was rehabilitated. The rehabilitation of the original bridge was completed in 2019, at which point traffic began using both bridges.[21][22]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Four Mile Circle | |||||
3.43 | 5.52 | CR 563 south (Chatsworth Road) – Chatsworth, New Gretna, Batsto | Northern terminus of CR 563 | ||
8.21 | 13.21 | CR 532 west (Chatsworth Waretown Road) – Chatsworth | West end of CR 532 overlap | ||
Ocean | Barnegat Township | 13.74 | 22.11 | CR 539 (Whiting Road) – Whiting, Trenton, Tuckerton | |
15.89 | 25.57 | Brookville | East end of CR 532 overlap | ||
16.33 | 26.28 | Barnegat | Western terminus of CR 554 | ||
Stafford Township | 21.61– 21.69 | 34.78– 34.91 | G.S. Parkway | GSP exit 63 | |
23.25 | 37.42 | US 9 – Manahawkin, Atlantic City | Interchange | ||
Manahawkin Bay | 26.92 | 43.32 | Manahawkin Bay Bridge | ||
Brant Beach, Beach Haven | Eastern terminus | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- New Jersey portal
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Route 72 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- ^ "New Route Markers Go Up Next Month" (PDF). The Hackettstown Gazette. December 18, 1952. p. 17. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Google (2009-09-30). "overview of New Jersey Route 72" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ Strauss, Robert (August 26, 2001). "Getting There From Here Depends on Where Here Is". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ James, George (May 23, 1999). "Reaching the Beach on the Parkway Can Take a Toll". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ a b State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
- ^ a b "1953 renumbering". New Jersey Department of Highways. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Williams, Jimmy and Sharon. "1927 New Jersey Road Map". 1920s New Jersey Highways. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- H.M. Gousha. Mid-West Map Co. 1941. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ^ "New Road Signs Ready in New Jersey". The New York Times. December 16, 1952. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- Chevron Oil Company. 1969.
- ^ Milepost Log of State Highways (1969 ed.). New Jersey State Highway Department. 1969.
- ^ "Ocean County 50 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ a b 1985 Regional Transportation Plan. Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. 1969.
- ^ a b Master Plan for Transportation. New Jersey Department of Transportation. 1972.
- ^ Nussbaum, Paul (August 19, 1984). "Schuylkill carries the load of many routes left unbuilt". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "Laws of 2000, Chapter 144". State of New Jersey. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ Higgs, Larry (September 13, 2009). "Route 72 bridge repair work will begin, lane closures expected". Asbury Park Press.
- ^ "NJDOT to begin repairs on the Route 72 Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge". New Jersey Department of Transportation. September 11, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ "Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge Deck Rehabilitation Project". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ "Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project - Overview". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ Davis, Mike (May 22, 2019). "Manahawkin Bay Bridge is open! Drone footage of Route 72 causeway work in LBI, Stafford". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
External links
- NJ State Highways: Route 72
- Photos of NJ 72 and former NJ 180
- NJ 72 freeway
- Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 72