U.S. Route 46

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

PANYNJ
Length75.34 mi[1] (121.25 km)
Existed1936–present
Major junctions
West end I-80 / Route 94 in Knowlton Township
Major intersections
East end
US 1-9 at the New York state line on the George Washington Bridge
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountiesWarren, Morris, Essex, Passaic, Bergen
Highway system
Route 46
Route 5Route 6 Route 7

U.S. Route 46 (US 46) is an east–west

Parsippany-Troy Hills, Wayne, Clifton, Ridgefield Park, Palisades Park, and Fort Lee. It crosses over the Upper Passaic River at several points. The road has been ceremonially named the United Spanish–American War Veterans Memorial Highway.[1]

What is now US 46 was originally designated as three separate routes. Pre-1927 Route 5 was created in 1916 to follow the road from

US 611 Alternate
), and US 46's western terminus remained as an interchange ramp with I-80 and Route 94. Its number is out of place since U.S. Route 46 lies north of U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 40.

Route description

Warren County

View west along US 46 at Grand Avenue in Hackettstown

US 46 begins at a complex interchange with I-80 and Route 94 near the Portland–Columbia Toll Bridge leading to PA 611 in the community of Columbia in Knowlton Township, Warren County. From this interchange, the route heads southeast along the east bank of the Delaware River as a four-lane divided highway briefly before narrowing into a two-lane undivided road. The road passes through wooded mountainous areas before reaching the community of Delaware. In Delaware, US 46 intersects Route 163, the approach to the former Delaware Bridge, before passing a few commercial establishments. From here, the route continues alongside the river, passing more rural areas of woods and farms with occasional development as it enters White Township. US 46 makes a sharp turn to the east away from the Delaware River, widening into a four-lane divided highway again as it bypasses the town of Belvidere and has a few businesses on it. The road turns back into a two-lane undivided road and comes to a crossroads with CR 519. Past this intersection, US 46 continues through rural sectors with some business before coming to the northern terminus of Route 31.[1][2]

From this point, the route continues east through dense woods prior to turning northeast into Liberty Township. The road passes through the community of Townsbury before crossing into Independence Township. Here, US 46 enters more agricultural areas and turns east again, with development increasing along the road as it passes through Great Meadows-Vienna. It continues southeast before entering Hackettstown, where the road becomes Main Street. In Hackettstown, the route crosses NJ Transit's Morristown Line and Montclair-Boonton Line before coming to an intersection with CR 517. Here, CR 517 forms a concurrency with US 46, and the two routes continue southeast through the downtown area. At the intersection with the northern terminus of Route 182, CR 517 splits from US 46 by heading south on that route while US 46 continues to the east.[1][2]

Morris and Essex counties

Roxbury Township. Here, the road passes through wooded areas, meeting I-80 at another interchange and briefly becoming a divided highway at the crossing under I-80 and again at the actual interchange. US 46 remains a divided highway with jughandles past this point, continuing southeast into the Ledgewood area.[1][2]

At a three-way intersection which was formerly

Denville and has a limited interchange with I-80, where it can only be entered to and from the westbound lane and where US 46 east can only be entered from the eastbound lane and to the eastbound lane. As it crosses under I-80, US 46 becomes a six-lane divided highway.[1][2]

US 46 westbound past Route 159 in Montville Township

The road is lined with a moderate number of businesses, most with

trumpet interchanges providing access to Fairfield Road, which runs a short distance to the south of US 46.[1][2]

Passaic County

US 46 westbound at exit for Route 62 and CR 646 in Totowa

The route crosses the Passaic River again into Wayne in Passaic County.[1][2] The median splits as the road passes to the north of the Willowbrook Mall, with an exit serving the shopping mall, before reaching the Spaghetti Bowl interchange with partial access to I-80 and full access to Route 23.[1][2][3] Within this interchange, US 46 passes under the Montclair-Boonton Line again. From here, it passes businesses and many shopping centers with RIRO access as a six-lane highway, heading into Totowa. In this area, the route has interchanges with CR 640 and Route 62/CR 646. The road turns southeast, crossing the Passaic River a third time into Little Falls. At this point, US 46 runs along the Little Falls/Woodland Park border, interchanging with CR 639 and Browertown Road. After the exit for Lower Notch Road, the route enters more wooded surroundings, interchanging with Notch Road/Rifle Camp Road before entering Clifton. Upon reaching Clifton, US 46 has an interchange with the western terminus of Route 3 and Valley Road (CR 621), with the Valley Road exit stitched into the Route 3 side of the highway fork.[1] Prior to reconstruction of the interchanges, the Valley Road ramp exited before Route 3 began, and Route 3 branched off immediately after Valley Road.[2]

Past Route 3, the highway narrows to four lanes, continuing east-northeast as a limited-access divided highway with some RIRO-accessed businesses still on it, though many roads are accessed through over and underpasses. US 46 has an exit for Van Houten Avenue/Grove Street before coming to a large interchange with the southern terminus of the

Norfolk Southern's Newark Industrial Track line and NJ Transit's Main Line
and has an exit for Hazel Street/Paulison Avenue. US 46 then begins a brief concurrency with Piaget Avenue in Clifton with a series of connector streets and three intersections controlled by stoplights. After the third, at Day Street near Christopher Columbus Middle School, the two roads split at a fork, marked as an exit, with US 46 continuing eastbound to the left and Piaget Avenue continuing to the right. Vehicles traveling west on Piaget Avenue have access to US 46 westbound through use of a one way underpass that carries US 46 eastbound over it, and also have access to US 46 eastbound by a right-turn only lane near the intersection of Piaget Avenue and Fourth Street.

After the split, US 46 turns into a limited-access road again and passes under Main Avenue/CR 601 and Norfolk Southern's Passaic Spur line before coming to an interchange with the northern terminus of the Route 21 freeway. From this interchange, the route turns north along the west bank of the Passaic River, crossing the Garden State Parkway again before widening to six lanes and meeting the southern terminus of Route 20 at an interchange near the border of Paterson.[1][2]

Bergen County

US 46 westbound in Lodi

US 46 turns east and crosses the Passaic River a fourth and final time, entering Bergen County in Elmwood Park. Immediately after the river, the route has an interchange for CR 507. Passing through more RIRO-accessed business areas, the road narrows to four lanes and has a partial interchange with the Garden State Parkway. Past the parkway, US 46 continues as a road with some jughandles and other traffic light-controlled intersections (but still largely maintaining RIRO access to driveways and side streets), crossing New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's Dundee Branch line and passing through a small corner of Garfield before crossing into Saddle Brook. Within Saddle Brook, the road turns more to the southeast and crosses over NJ Transit's Bergen County Line. Continuing east, US 46 has an exit for with Outwater Lane and crosses into Lodi. Through this area, there is no access across the median of US 46, as it interchanges with Main Street. The route continues into Hasbrouck Heights, where it turns more south-southeast, interchanging with Boulevard. A short distance later, US 46 reaches an interchange with Route 17 and crosses NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line near the Teterboro station.[1][2]

From here, US 46 enters

Northern Running Track railroad line into the Morsemere neighborhood.[4] Upon entering Palisades Park, the road has an interchange with Route 93 before reaching a diamond interchange with US 1-9.[1][2]

History

Before 1916

What is now US 46 west of Netcong was part of the Manunkachunk Trail, an old Lenape trail running from the Great Minisink Trail in Netcong west to Manunkachunk Village, now Belvidere. Another Lenape trail extended from Netcong to what is now Parsippany and

Lackawanna Trail, running through Pennsylvania to Binghamton, New York.[8] This designation was removed by 1924, when the state of Pennsylvania rerouted the highway south to Philadelphia.[9]

Routes 5, 10 and 12: 1916–1927

A stamp on a bridge reading State Highway Route 5
Bridge stamp for pre-1927 Route 5 along Route 163 (former US 46)

Prior to 1927, what is today US 46 was followed by three different routes. The first route was pre-1927 Route 5, which was first legislated in 1916. It began by crossing the Delaware River from Pennsylvania at the community of Delaware. Several undercrossings of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad near Delaware were bypassed with a short new road on the southwest side of the railroad. From there, Route 5 used the existing Delaware Road to north of Belvidere, then the Buttzville-Belvidere Road to Buttzville, the Buttzville Road to Great Meadows, and the Danville Mountain Road to Hackettstown.[10]

From Hackettstown to Denville, Route 5 ran concurrently with pre-1927 Route 12, which was first legislated in 1917.

Parsippany and Rockaway Turnpike to Denville.[10]

At Denville, Route 5 turned south, while Route 12 continued east along the Parsippany and Rockaway Turnpike to

Pre-1927 Route 10, which was legislated in 1917, continued east on Market Street on the other side of Paterson to Edgewater, where it connected to the Fort Lee Ferry across the Hudson River. The new alignments were generally built as planned, except at Little Falls, where a bypass was to be built for Route 12.[12]

Route 6: 1927–1953

Route 6 marker

Route 6

LocationDelawareFort Lee
Existed1927–1953

The expansion of the highway system followed the opening of the George Washington Bridge.[13]

In the 1927 renumbering, Route 6 was assigned to the route across northern New Jersey, using the old Route 5 from Delaware to Netcong, Route 12 from Hackettstown to Paterson, and a generally new alignment parallel to Route 10 from Paterson to the proposed George Washington Bridge; the old Route 10 alignment between Paterson and Edgewater was to become Route 5. In Paterson, Route 6 was marked along McBride Avenue, Spruce Street and Market Street.[14][15]

US 46 westbound in Palisades Park

Route 6 was redefined in 1929 to use none of the old road east of Paterson (it had formerly been planned to use Market Street west of roughly where

Route S6, as a spur of Route 6.[16] Route S6 became Route 62 in the 1953 renumbering, and has since been truncated to a short piece between US 46 and I-80 in Totowa.[18][19]

Original Route 6 highway stamp in Totowa

In December 1937, a section of highway was opened from the Passaic River at

Route 5N (now Route 53) was built.[22] The Route 6 designation was dropped in favor of US 46 in the 1953 renumbering.[18][19]

By Joint Resolution No. 1, approved April 14, 1941, the New Jersey Legislature designated the highway as the United Spanish War Veterans Memorial Highway in honor of the United Spanish War Veterans.[24]

U.S. Route 46: 1936–present

US 46 westbound at exit for CR 509 southbound in Clifton

In 1925, the US 46 designation was first proposed for a route in

US 40S.[25][26]
The current US 46 was marked in 1936 between

Following this, US 611 was rerouted to cross the river twice in order to use the freeway through the

Route 8) to end at the Columbia, New Jersey side of the Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge.[30][31] The former approaches to the Darlington's Bridge, which itself was dismantled by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission in 1954, became Route 163 in New Jersey and State Route 1039 in Pennsylvania.[2][32] The US 611 freeway was designated I-80 by 1960, and US 611 was moved back to its old all-Pennsylvania alignment in 1965, leaving US 46 to end at I-80 and Route 94.[30][33]

Highway stamp from 1950 in Totowa

In 1964, the approach to the George Washington Bridge, shared with US 1-9, was rebuilt into a freeway that became a part of I-95.[34] Since then, many changes have occurred to US 46. A traffic circle served the intersection with Route 23 until the construction of I-80, and a spaghetti interchange was constructed to replace it.[35] The Little Ferry Circle, initially constructed in 1933, was modified in 1985 to allow US 46 to run straight through the circle.[36] In 1998, the Ledgewood Circle at the western terminus of Route 10 was replaced with a signalized T-intersection.[37] In 2007, the NJDOT announced that they would eliminate the Little Ferry Circle by turning it into a straight intersection; work ran through 2014.[36] The Netcong Circle at Route 183 was replaced with a signalized intersection a cost of $13.3 million in 2013. A temporary junction opened in January of that year with the permanent configuration completed the following August.[38][39] In addition, the interchange between US 46 and the western terminus of Route 3 is planned to be reconstructed. This project will reconfigure ramps, bring bridges up to standard, and will provide for three-lane connections between Route 3 and US 46. It was announced in 2003 and is projected to cost over $250 million. Construction on the first contract began in December 2015 with completion by October 2019. Construction on the second contract began in February 2020.[40][41]

In 1988 the Legislature resolved that "The Commissioner of Transportation shall designate that portion of United States Highway Route 46 located between Hope Road and Barkers Mill Road in the township of Independence, Warren County as 'Clifford Jones Avenue'," honoring United States Army Specialist Clifford Jones, Jr., a resident of Independence Township who had been killed in action in 1968 during the Vietnam War.[42]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1][5][6]kmExitDestinationsNotes
WarrenKnowlton Township0.00–
0.57
0.00–
0.92

I-80 / Route 94 (Portland–Columbia Toll Bridge) to PA 611 – Columbia, Blairstown, New York City, Delaware Water Gap, Portland, PA
Exit 4B on I-80; access to Columbia via Decatur Street
2.864.60Route 163 northSouthern terminus of Route 163; Route 163 is unsigned
Hope, Alpha
10.0316.14
Route 31 south – Trenton, Washington
Northern terminus of Route 31
overlap
21.7034.92


Route 182 south / CR 517 south (Mountain Avenue) to Route 57 – Phillipsburg
East end of CR 517 overlap
Denville, New York City
Entrance ramp from I-80 west only; exit 26 on I-80
30.21–
30.29
48.62–
48.75

Former Netcong Circle
Roxbury Township
31.4850.66
To I-80 – Lake Hopatcong, Landing
Exit 28 on I-80
33.3353.64
Route 10 east – Whippany
Western terminus of Route 10
CR 659 east) – Dover
Business Area
Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
38.1761.43
Route 15 north (West Clinton Street) – Sparta
Southern terminus of Route 15
Chester
Delaware Water Gap
Exit 38 on I-80
43.0369.25 Route 53 (Main Street) – Mount Tabor, MorristownInterchange
Parsippany-Troy Hills
46.3374.56 US 202 / CR 511 (Parsippany Boulevard) – Butler, Whippany
49.21–
49.39
79.20–
79.49

Delaware Water Gap, Paterson, New York City
Exit 47 on I-80
Montville51.54–
51.57
82.95–
82.99

Route 159 east (Bloomfield Avenue) – The Caldwells, Newark
Interchange, no westbound exit; western terminus of Route 159
EssexFairfield Township52.5484.55
Route 159 west (Clinton Road)
Eastern terminus of Route 159
53.1085.46Fairfield Road (
CR 615
)
Westbound exit and entrance
53.9286.78
CR 625
(Hollywood Avenue)
Interchange
54.48–
54.69
87.68–
88.02
Fairfield Road (
The Caldwells
Interchange
PassaicWayne55.6189.50Willowbrook BoulevardInterchange
55.98–
56.37
90.09–
90.72
Delaware Water Gap, Butler
Interchange; no westbound access to I-80 east
CR 640 (Riverview Drive) – Little Falls, Wayne
Interchange
57.5892.67
CR 646 (Union Boulevard) – Totowa, Little Falls
Interchange; southern terminus of Route 62
CR 639 (Paterson Avenue / McBride Avenue) – Little Falls, Woodland Park
Interchange
58.7394.52Browertown Road (Interchange
59.0695.05Lower Notch RoadInterchange
59.3495.50
CR 633
)
Interchange
59.6395.97Clove Road (Eastbound exit and entrance
CR 621) – Montclair, Paterson
No westbound exit to CR 621 north or eastbound exit to CR 621 south
60.2496.95






Lincoln Tunnel
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; western terminus of Route 3
60.9198.03Van Houten Avenue (
CR 623) – Clifton, Passaic
Interchange
61.3098.65
Route 19 north / CR 509 (Broad Street) – Clifton, Paterson
Interchange
61.3998.80

G.S. Parkway north
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 154 on G.S. Parkway


G.S. Parkway south
Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit 154 on G.S. Parkway
61.7599.38Paulison Avenue (
CR 702
)
Interchange
62.36100.36Piaget Avenue (
CR 601) – Botany Village
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
63.27101.82
Route 21 south (Randolph Avenue) – Newark
Interchange; northern terminus of Route 21
63.58102.32

G.S. Parkway south
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 156 on G.S. Parkway
63.85102.76

Route 20 north to I-80 – Paterson
Interchange; southern terminus of Route 20
BergenElmwood Park64.07103.11 CR 507 (River Drive) – Garfield, RidgewoodInterchange
64.41103.66

G.S. Parkway north
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 157 on G.S. Parkway


G.S. Parkway south
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 157 on G.S. Parkway
CR 42) – Garfield, Passaic
Interchange
CR 61) – Lodi, Rochelle Park
Interchange
CR 57) to Route 17
Eastbound exit and entrance
68.01–
68.11
109.45–
109.61
Route 17 – Newark, ParamusInterchange
Teterboro68.27109.87Green Street – HackensackInterchange
Little Ferry69.52111.88 CR 503 (Liberty Street) – Hackensack, Moonachie
Ridgefield Park70.68113.75Western end of freeway section
Teaneck Road (
CR 39
)
70.93–
70.97
114.15–
114.22





I-95 Toll south / N.J. Turnpike south / I-80 west
Exit 68 on I-95 / Turnpike; eastern terminus of I-80
Palisades Park71.65115.31 Route 93 (Grand Avenue)
71.94–
72.09
115.78–
116.02

US 1-9 south (Broad Avenue)
West end of US 1-9 overlap
72.61116.85 CR 501 (East Central Boulevard) – Palisades ParkAccess via 5th/6th Streets
Eastern end of freeway section
Fort Lee73.17117.76
Route 63 south (Bergen Boulevard)
Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
73.71118.62Main Street (
CR 56) – Fort Lee, Leonia
Interchange
74.18–
74.33
119.38–
119.62
Western end of freeway section
72


US 9W north to Palisades Parkway north – Fort Lee
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit number not signed
72B






I-95 south to N.J. Turnpike south / I-80 west / Route 4 west
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; southern end of I-95 overlap
74.49119.8873


US 9W / Palisades Parkway north – Fort Lee
Signed for US 9W southbound, Palisades Pkwy. northbound; last eastbound exit before toll
74.84120.4474
Palisades Parkway north
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance from express lanes
Hudson River75.34121.25George Washington Bridge (eastbound toll; Pay-by-Plate or E-ZPass)


New York City
Continuation into New York at the river’s center
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

  • New Jersey Route 6M

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "US 46 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Google (November 24, 2009). "overview of U.S. Route 46" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  3. ^ Boud, Tom (September 15, 2008). "Spaghetti Bowl project complete". Passaic Valley Today.
  4. – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b "US 1 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Interstate 95 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  7. ^ Snyder, John (1969). "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968"
  8. ^ Rand Mcnally And Company. . [New York?: Rand McNally & Co.; Newark, N.J.: Berwick Hotel distributor, ?, 1920] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/88695915/>.
  9. ^ U.S. 22 - The William Penn Highway
  10. ^ a b Annual Report. New Jersey State Highway Department. 1916.
  11. ^ a b Map of New Jersey (Map). Tydol Trails. 1927. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  12. ^ a b Annual Report. New Jersey State Highway Department. 1917.
  13. ^ "Over the New Span" (PDF). The New York Times. October 18, 1931. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  14. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
  15. ^ 1927 New Jersey Road Map (Map). State of New Jersey. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  16. ^ a b State of New Jersey, Laws of 1929, Chapter 126.
  17. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1939, compiled.
  18. ^ a b c Wikisource:1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering
  19. ^ a b c "New Road Signs Ready in New Jersey". The New York Times. December 16, 1952. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  20. ^ Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Map). Mid-West Map Co. 1937. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  21. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 47
  22. ^ a b c Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Map). Cartography by H.M. Gousha. Mid-West Map Co. 1941. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  23. ^ a b Newark, New Jersey 1:250,000 quadrangle (Map). United States Geological Survey. 1947. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  24. ^ State of New Jersey; Laws of 1941, Joint Resolution No. 1
  25. OCLC 733875457, 55123355, 71026428. Retrieved November 14, 2017 – via Wikisource
    .
  26. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons
    .
  27. ^ "Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge". Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  28. ^ "Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge". Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  29. ^ "New Span Crosses Delaware River; Fine, Driscoll at Ceremonies for Water Gap Bridge—Road to Link Poconos and New York". The New York Times. December 17, 1953. p. 51.
  30. ^ a b Pennsylvania State Transportation (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 1960. § 1. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  31. ^ U.S. Route Numbering Committee (1952). [Report of the U.S. Route Numbering Committee to the Executive Committee] (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway Officials. p. 111. Retrieved October 28, 2020 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  32. . Retrieved June 23, 2009.
  33. Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
    . 1965.
  34. ^ Havemann, Paul (August 14, 2018). "THE ROUTE 23/46 INTERCHANGE, WAYNE NJ (1964)".
  35. ^
    The Record
    .
  36. ^ Balston, Mottel. "A Short History of Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey". Roxbury, New Jersey. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  37. ^ "FY 2007-10 Capital Improvement Projects" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. 2006. p. 15. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  38. ^ "Netcong Circle construction project advances with opening of new intersection". Daily Record. Morristown, NJ. August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  39. ^ "Route 46/Route 3/Valley Road and Notch Road Interchanges". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  40. ^ "Route 46/Route 3/Valley Road and Notch Road Interchanges - Frequently Asked Questions". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  41. ^ State of New Jersey; Laws of 1988, Joint Resolution No. 1

External links

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