The Main Roadways in New Jersey

New Jersey is an interesting state in the sense that the geography of the state is somewhat different than most. That is, in between many of the small cities and beach towns of New Jersey is a great deal of rural areas. Connecting these cities, beach towns, and rural areas are a significant number of roadways. To list all the roadways would require an encyclopedia sized index. A brief overview of the major roadways, however, is provided herein…

One of the more (in)famous aspects about New Jersey is the presence of three major toll roads that charge commuters to use. The three toll roads are the following:

The Garden State Parkway (Route 444) – This is probably the most famous of all the roadways in New Jersey. The route literally covers the totality of the state as it runs from Cape May, NJ at the southern tip of the state and travels all the way north to New York. The sheer volume of commuters per day on this parkway exceeds any other roadway in the United States.

The Atlantic City Expressway (Route 446) – As the name would imply, this is a highway designed to streamline the free flow of traffic into Atlantic City. Since Atlantic City attracts huge numbers of tourists, it is no surprise this is a popular route.

Palisades Interstate Parkway (Route 445) – Of the three toll roads, the "PIP" is probably the least well known. However, it is an important roadway that connects North Jersey with New York City.

Of course, not all roads in NJ are toll roads. Here are a few of the most important roads that do not charge any fees:

I-280 – This is a small, but helpful roadway that aids in hooking I-95 with I-80 in the North Jersey area. This allows for greater access into New York City which is critical for commuters.

I-195 – Often dubbed the Central Jersey Expressway, this road aids in facilitating traffic into the city of Trenton.

US Route 1 and its variants – Route 1 is a major roadway that runs through Trenton and into suburban Philadelphia. What makes this roadway unique is that it is accompanied by Business Route 1 which is designed to house commercial traffic on a parallel road. Then, there is also US 1/9 which is a short route that connects Newark and Jersey City. This route is designed to handle truck traffic that is banned on other roadways.

Route 33 – This route hold the distinction of being the only state highway in New Jersey that is designated a business route.

Route 66 – No, this is not the famous road of popular lore, but it does serve the purpose of connecting the Garden State Parkway to other roadways in the northern section of the state.