nycroads.com expands into NJ and CT
Steve Anderson
site has expanded its coverage into New Jersey and Connecticut. Here's
the list of what I've done so far:
New Jersey: I-78, I-80, I-278, I-280, NJ 18, NJ 19, NJ 21, NJ 24, NJ 75,
NJ 85, NJ 178, Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike.
Connecticut: US 7, CT 8, CT 25, CT 34, CT 40, Connecticut Turnpike,
Merritt Parkway, Milford Parkway, Sherwood Island Parkway.
Consult "What's New" for the latest updates:
http://www.nycroads.com/history/new_jan-1999/
-- Steve Anderson
http://www.nycroads.com
Kevin Walsh
<and...@erols.com> wrote:
I'll be there.
--
Kevin Walsh
cbl...@my-deja.com
Steve Anderson <and...@erols.com> wrote:
> It's been a busy couple of months or so here at nycroads.com, as the
> site has expanded its coverage into New Jersey and Connecticut. Here's
> the list of what I've done so far:
Great job on all the NJ and CT highway pages!
As you have been adding quite a lot of NJ and CT material, I would
suggest that you separate your "Roads of Metro New York" pages first by
area: NJ, CT, NYC, Upstate NY, and Long Island; *then* by "The
Expressways", "The Parkways", "State/Local Highways" and "The Unbuilt".
Users could then decide which area they want to look at.
Your NJ 24 page is great; you have combined your MTR sources as well as
your excellent researches together very well. I'd like to add a history
of this route as I understand it, and also, a "CB Recommends" for all
of the old "Route 24" between Phillipsburg and Newark via Hackettstown
and Morristown.
What's now a mishmash of state- and county-maintained roads between
Easton, PA (Phillipsburg, NJ) and Newark, NJ was, 200 years ago, a
fairly major stage-coach route for the Colonists. It would take a
leisurely three days to go the 60 miles. P-burg to Schooley's Mountain
(just east of Hackettstown) would take one day; down the mountain to
Long Valley, over to Chester and Mendham, then to Morristown, would
take a second day; then on the third day you'd arrive in Newark.
To follow this road would now take about 90 minutes in clement traffic
conditions, if you could count on consistent signing, route numbering,
and mileposting. The Phillipsburg to Hackettstown stretch is NJ 57;
Hackettstown to Long Valley, it's CR 517; Long Valley to Chester, it's
CR 513; Chester to Morristown, it's CR 510. NJ 124 goes to Springfield,
then NJ 124 and NJ 82 make two forks; 124 to Newark and 82 through
Union to Elizabeth. Mileposts go from 0 to 21 on NJ 57; from 14 to 10
on CR 517 (where mileposts are given); from 26 to 31 on CR 513
(mileposts are spotty on county routes); and then from 0 to 9 on CR 510
to the Morristown Green, where NJ 124 begins again at MP 0 up to its
end at Newark.
NJ 24 is very poorly signed between Hackettstown and Morristown. The
State of New Jersey does not want this road called NJ 24 anymore. (As
has been pointed out, the State never maintained this section of
highway, but it was signed NJ 24 to connect state-maintained portions.)
With the 24 freeway completed and 124 having its official start at the
Morristown Green, NJDOT was hoping that Morris County would take down
the rusted, sporadic NJ 24 signs between Morristown and Hackettstown
and just forget about the whole thing. The County, on the other hand,
wants to follow the public will and still call the road 24, even though
they can't replace the few 24 signs which remain.
Here's an example of NJDOT's intransigence on the 24 question. A few
years ago, the ancient bridge over the Musconetcong River between
Washington Township and Hackettstown was rebuilt and widened to
accomodate a left-turn lane for CR 517-NJ 57 traffic. For the first 6
months or so after this project was completed, *NO MENTION* was made of
NJ 24. All of the guide signs were replaced for both NJ 182 (the one-
mile long business spur off US 46 through downtown Hackettstown), and
for NJ 57. Route 24 was ignored and new signs went up for CR 517 only.
Apparently, people had gotten confused, so for the first time in over
20 years, NJDOT sprung for two new NJ 24 sign. *Both* signs, one going
east on NJ 57, and the other on the new bridge, refer to NJ 24 as going
*SOUTH*. NJ 24 has always been an east-west highway. (CR 517 is a north-
south road).
Even if we were to pressure NJDOT into signing the county-maintained
portions of NJ 24 correctly (even if the county would reimburse the
state for the extra signing costs), that still wouldn't give any real
continuity to the route. NJ 24 would end at the Morristown Green,
become NJ 124, while the NJ 24 freeway has its MP 0 at I-287, and no
mention of it continuing west is made there.
I have several suggestions for renumbering the entire Phillipsburg-
Hackettstown-Morristown-Newark arterial and NJ 24 freeway to make it
more logical.
1. The NJ 24 Freeway should be designated I-178. Built to full
Interstate standards, it could be called the Springfield Spur off I-78.
(Also, it would recycle the number of the abandoned NJ 178 freeway
proposal.)
2. The arterial road should be called US 122, following NJ 57, CR 517,
CR 513, CR 510, NJ 124, and NJ 82. NJ 57 begins at US 22 in
Phillipsburg, while NJ 82 crosses under US 22 in Union, and ends at NJ
439 in Elizabeth. As it's a northern alternative routing for US 22, it
could also get a US 22N designation. Freeway would remain NJ 24.
3. The arterial should remain NJ 57 from P-burg to Hackettstown, but
the current NJ 182 business spur, and rest of the arterial to Newark
should be numbered US 146, it being a spur off US 46. Freeway would
remain NJ 24.
4. If US 146 is disallowed, the NJ 82 numbering could be extended in
this same manner. (NJ 182 and NJ 82 are connected indirectly by the old
Route 24.) Freeway would remain NJ 24.
5. If NJDOT is adamant about not putting any state highway signs on the
county-maintained portion, Morris County should bend to the public will
and call the road CR 24 between Hackettstown and Morristown. The County
can place large numbers of CR 24 signs, and begin mileposts at 21.2 and
increase them going eastward, continuing NJ 57's numbering from
Phillipsburg. Freeway should be changed to I-178.
Chris Blaney
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Al Tossoonian
510. At one time, according to some old maps, it was called 510, running
from US 46 in Hackettstown, along 517 and 513, then over the current 510.
The route runs east-west, and a 500-series number makes sense for a
long-distance county-maintained route.
Speaking of 510, the eastern portion could continue through the Ironbound
section of Newark, run along Truck US 1&9, then continue onto local streets
in Jersey City connecting to Liberty State Park.
cbl...@my-deja.com wrote in article <7j76lp$ug2$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
(snip)