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New Jersey Route 444

New Jersey Route 444

right The Garden State Parkway is a 172 mile (277 km) limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York Thruway at Montvale, NJ to Cape May at the southern tip of the state. Its name refers to the state nickname, the "Garden State". Along with the New Jersey Turnpike, it is one of two limited access highways closely associated with the suburban highway-centered culture of New Jersey. Within New Jersey, the official (unsigned) designation is New Jersey State Highway 444. All but two miles of the road are within the state of New Jersey. The short segment that is in New York, and connects to the New York State Thruway, is officially designated as New York State Reference Route 982L. Two short spurs are given numbers by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. New Jersey State Highway 444R is the connector at exit 117 to Route 35 at the north end of Route 36 near Keyport. New Jersey State Highway 444S is the connector at exit 105 to the south end of New Jersey State Highway 36 at Hope Road (CR 51) near Eatontown.

History

The Parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957, its initial impetus being to connect suburban northern New Jersey with resort areas along the Atlantic coast, and to alleviate traffic on traditional north-south routes running through each town center, such as US 1, US 9, and NJ 35. Unofficially, it has two sections: the "metropolitan section", north of the Raritan River; and the "shore section", between the Raritan and Cape May. Only 18 miles had been built by 1950, but taking a cue from the successful Thruway, on April 14, 1952, the State Legislature created the New Jersey Highway Authority, empowered to construct, operate and maintain a self-sufficient toll parkway from Paramus to Cape May. The landscape architect and engineer in charge of the newly-named "Garden State Parkway" was Gilmore Clarke, who had worked with Robert Moses on the parkway systems around New York City. Clarke's design prototypes for the parkway combined the example of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a model of efficiency with parallels in the German Autobahn routes of the 1930s, with the Merritt Parkway model that stressed a planted "green belt" for beauty. Both design models featured wide planted medians to prevent head-on collisions and mask the glare of on-coming headlights. Most of the metropolitan section is like any expressway built in the 1950s through heavily populated areas. The shore section parallels United States Highway 9 and runs through unspoiled wilderness in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. In Cape May County, the Parkway has three traffic lights (at exits 8, 10, and 11 respectively), but these may be eliminated in the future. On July 9, 2003, New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey's plan to merge the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike into one agency was completed.

Usage

New Jersey Turnpike The speed limit on the Parkway is 65 mph (100 km/h) from mileposts 27 to 123 and 163 to the New York border, and it is 55 mph (90 km/h) on the rest of the roadway. Only a short segment, the Great Egg Harbor Bridge south of Atlantic City and near the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, has a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit, due to the design of the bridge.[http://www.nycroads.com/roads/garden-state/] The same 45 mph speed limit is imposed on the Driscoll Bridge in Woodbridge due to deteriating conditions on the bridge's road surface. Commercial trucks with a registered weight of over 7,000 pounds (3.18 tonnes) are not allowed to use the northern parts of the Parkway. From the Asbury Park exit to the southen end of the Parkway at Cape May, trucks are allowed and pay additional tolls. Whereas the New Jersey Turnpike uses a system of long-distance tickets, obtained once by a motorist upon entering and surrendered upon exiting at toll gates, the Garden State Parkway uses no tickets but collects tolls at toll barriers at semi-regular intervals along its length, as well as at certain exits. The standard car toll is 35 cents on the main road at two-way toll plazas, and 70 cents at one-way toll plazas. At exits, tolls are either 70 cents, 35 cents, 25 cents, or free. Both the Turnpike and the Parkway now allow for payment with the E-ZPass system, which replaced the old token system. Tokens cost $10 for a roll of 30 tokens, and are still valid at any toll plaza, but can no longer be purchased. They are quickly falling into disuse as an effect of the popularity of E-ZPass, and are becoming a rarity similar to two-dollar bills. To reduce congestion, some toll plazas on the roadway were converted into one-way plazas in 2004 and 2005. A 70 cent toll is collected in one direction and the other direction is toll-free. As of July 17, 2005, the Asbury Park, Raritan, Union, and Essex plazas have been converted to one-way tolling. As of December 3rd, 2005 Bergen Toll Plaza will have one-way toll. The Raritan, Asbury Park, Pascack Valley, and Toms River plazas feature express EZ-Pass lanes that allow motorists to pass through the tolls while going 65 mph (100 km/h). Officials are also considering converting the Bergen, Great Egg, New Gretna, Cape May, and Barnegat plazas to one-way tolling, but as of 2005, those projects have not started.[http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/oneway.htm][http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1110003301304980.xml][http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1121230259107960.xml]

External links

- [http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/ New Jersey Turnpike Authority & Garden State Parkway Official Website]
- [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/garden-state/ History of the Garden State Parkway]
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000444__-.pdf NJ Route 444] Straight Line Diagram
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000444r_-.pdf NJ Route 444R] Straight Line Diagram
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000444s_-.pdf NJ Route 444S] Straight Line Diagram 444 Category:Toll roads in New Jersey Category:New York State Thruway Authority 982L

Parkway

:For other uses, see Parkway (disambiguation). A parkway is a general designation of a type of limited-access highway in some parts of the US and Canada. (In other parts of the US, the term parkway may merely be another title for a normal surface street) Like all limited-access highways, parkways are designed particularly for through traffic, and many can be classified generally as freeways or toll highways. Many parkways are restricted to non-commercial traffic and cars; trucks, buses, and the like are banned. Historically, the term "parkway" has often implied that the road was designed specifically with a naturalistic or manicured landscaping of the median and adjacent land areas meant to suggest a pastoral driving experience, isolated from the manifestations of commerce and advertising, even when the road passes through populated areas; for this reason commercial traffic is excluded. Many parkways have signature road signs with special emblems that suggest a thematic driving experience and increase the sense of isolation from civilization in the vicinity of the road.

History of parkways

The system of parkways predate such later limited-access highways as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the German autobahn system, and the United States Interstate highway system. The first of these parkways were in and around the greater New York City area. Construction on the Bronx River Parkway began in 1907, and on the Long Island Parkway (also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway) in 1908. In the 1920s, the parkway system around New York City grew extensively under the direction of master builder Robert Moses, who saw parkways as a active means to promote automobile use and to transfer population from crowded urban areas onto undeveloped areas on Long Island. In the 1930s, the concept of the parkway was extended to the federal government, which constructed several national parkways designed for recreational driving and to commemorate historic routes. Such two-lane parkways typically have a relatively low speed limit and are maintained by the National Park Service. Examples include the CCC-built Blue Ridge Parkway / Skyline Drive in North Carolina and Virginia, and the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. In Kentucky, "parkway" is used to designate a controlled-access highway built as a toll road. Under Kentucky law, once the bonds that finance their construction of a toll road are paid off, the road must be turned into a freeway. However, all such roads in Kentucky have retained their "Parkway" designation. In the Greater New York City region, parkways are generally (but not always) controlled-access highways restricted to non-commercial traffic. Many opponents of increased road construction in the United States claim that the use of the term "parkway" in any sense other than as a scenic route through parkland, is deceptive. It is claimed by such advocates that many existing and proposed parkways (such as the proposed West Eugene Parkway in Oregon) are functionally indistinguishable from freeways and/or expressways, and the "parkway" label is used to make construction of such routes seem more palatable to the public (who might otherwise stage a freeway revolt, especially if their neighborhood is affected). Others claim that this is splitting hairs; and that the use of the term "parkway" in conjunction with urban and suburban highways is a well-established practice. Furthermore, most routes designated with the "parkway" label do have scenic enhancements (making the route more attractive for both motorists and neighbors), and many such routes do exclude trucks. A recurring bit of humor about the name parkway has had some fun poked at it, as it is ironic that one would park on a driveway, and instead drive on a parkway.

List of parkways

American Parkways (Managed by the National Park Service)

- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Natchez Trace Parkway
- George Washington Memorial Parkway
- Clara Barton Parkway
- John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway

Freeways and toll roads

Surface streets with parkway in the names

- Allen Parkway (Houston) (Texas)
- Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Brockwood Parkway (Hillsboro, Oregon)
- Eastman Parkway (Gresham, Oregon)
- Evergreen Parkway (Hillsboro, Oregon)
- Grosse Isle Parkway (Detroit area) (Michigan)
- Metropolitan Parkway (Detroit area) (Michigan)
- Mystic Valley Parkway (Massachusetts)
- Paseo Padre Parkway (Fremont, California)
- Parallel Parkway (Kansas City, Kansas)
- Salem Parkway (Salem, Oregon)

Canadian Parkways

- Don Valley Parkway (Toronto, Ontario)
- Ottawa River Parkway (Ottawa, Ontario)

External links

- [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_080.html Why do we drive on the parkway and park on the driveway?] (from The Straight Dope)
- [http://www.nycroads.com/history/motor/ Long Island Vanderbilt Parkway]
- [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/bronx-river/ Bronx River Parkway]
- [http://www.trumbullhistory.org/merrittpkwy/ Merritt Parkway]
- [http://www.nps.gov/blri Blue Ridge Parkway]
- [http://www.nps.gov/natr Natchez Trace Parkway]

New Jersey

New Jersey is the fourth smallest and most densely populated state of the United States of America; the U.S. postal abbreviation is NJ. The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel.

History

Once inhabited by the tribes of the Lenape Native Americans, New Jersey was settled by the Dutch in the early 1630s, who formed a settlement at present-day Jersey City. At the time, much of what is now New Jersey was claimed as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which also included parts of present-day New York State and had its capital at New Amsterdam, now known as New York City. Some of southwestern New Jersey also was settled by the Swedes in the mid-1600s as part of the Swedish colony of New Sweden, which included parts of Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. These territories were taken by the Dutch in 1654 and incorporated into New Netherland. The entire region became a territory of Britain in 1664 when a British fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor and took over the colony. They met minimal resistance, perhaps because of the unpopularity of the Dutch colonial governor, Peter Stuyvesant. The newly taken lands were divided by King Charles II of England, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II) the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony (as opposed to a royal colony). James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had been loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton. During the English Civil War the Channel Isle of Jersey remained loyal to The English Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. It was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was first proclaimed King of England in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I of England. In 1663 in recognition of his loyalty to the English Crown Sir George Carteret, Jersey's Royalist Governor, was gifted a large tract of land in North America henceforth known as New Jersey. Settlement for the first 10 years of English rule was in the Hudson River region and came primarily from New England. The first permanent English settlement was Elizabethtown, now Elizabeth. On March 18, 1673 Berkeley sold his half of New Jersey to Quakers in England (with William Penn acting as trustee for a time) who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces, West Jersey and East Jersey, for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702. In 1702, the two provinces were united under a royal, rather than a proprietary, governor.

Revolutionary War era

New Jersey was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. During the American Revolutionary War, British and American armies crossed New Jersey numerous times and several pivotal battles took place in the state. Today, New Jersey is often referred to as "The Crossroads of the Revolution" because of that. On Christmas, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River and engaged the unprepared Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. The river crossing has become an iconic moment in the early history of the United States of America, having been immortalized in Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze's painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, on January 3, 1777, the American forces scored an important victory by making a surprise attack on Princeton, evading the British under Charles Cornwallis. Later on, the American forces underneath George Washington engaged the forces underneath General Henry Clinton at the Battle of Monmouth. The result of the battle was indecisive. In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the nation's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the war. On November 20, 1789, the state became the first in the newly-formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights. Ironically, on February 15, 1804 New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish slavery by enacting legislation that slowly phased out slavery. However, by the close of the Civil War, about a dozen African-Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen. New Jersey initially refused to ratify the Constitutional Amendments banning slavery and granting rights to America's Black population.

Women's suffrage

The [http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/njdoc10a.htm New Jersey Constitution of 1776] gives the vote to "all inhabitants of this Colony, of full age, who are worth fifty pounds proclamation money." This included blacks, spinsters, and widows. (Married women could not own property under the common law.) It used to be held that this was an accident of hasty drafting: the British were at Staten Island when the constitution was proclaimed, and it declares itself temporary, void if there was reconciliation with Great Britain. Klinghoffer and Elkis ("The Petticoat Electors: Women’s Suffrage in New Jersey, 1776–1807." Journal of the Early Republic 12, no. 2 (1992): 159–193.) show that it was a considered decision, and enforced by later law. Both sides in elections mocked the other for relying on "petticoat electors"; both accused each other of letting unqualified women (including married women) vote. A Federalist legislature passed a voting rights act which applied only to those counties where the Federalists were strong; a Democratic legislature extended it to the entire state. In 1807, as a side-effect of a reconciliation within the Democratic Party, the legislature reinterpreted the constitution (which had been an ordinary act of the Provincial Congress) to mean universal white male suffrage, with no property requirement; but they disenfranchised paupers, to keep down the Irish.

Law and government

The state capital of New Jersey is Trenton. Jon Corzine was elected Governor of New Jersey on November 8, 2005, and will take office on January 17, 2006. Currently, Richard Codey (Democrat) is the Acting governor, because he is (and concurrently serves as) President of the State Senate. Former Governor James E. McGreevey resigned on November 15, 2004, and New Jersey (along with Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming) had no position of Lieutenant Governor at the time. However, on Election Day, November 8, 2005, the voters passed an amendment to the state constitution that creates the position of Lieutenant Governor, effective with the 2009 elections. The amendment also provides that in the event of a permanent vacancy in the office of Governor after January 17, 2006 (when the next Governor is sworn in) and before the first Lieutenant Governor takes office in 2010, the President of the Senate, followed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, would become Governor (rather than Acting Governor) but will now be required to vacate his or her Senate (or Assembly) seat. The New Jersey governor is considered one of the most powerful governorships in the nation, as it is the only state-wide elected office in the state and appoints many government officials. Additionally, an acting governor is even more powerful as he simultaneously serves as president of the senate, thus directing the entire legislative and executive process. Current Acting Governor Codey will likely be the last Acting Governor to serve simultaneously as Senate President, as a result of the Constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 2005 (as the current dual role would remain in effect if Codey were to step down before the new Governor takes office). The state's two U.S. Senators are Frank R. Lautenberg (Democrat) and Jon Corzine (Democrat). As governor-elect, Corzine will appoint his own replacement after he steps down from the Senate and is sworn in as Governor in January. New Jersey has 13 Congressional Districts. New Jersey is a politically competitive state; the Governorship has alternated between the parties since the election of Richard J. Hughes in 1961; the legislature has also switched hands, and one house was evenly divided from 1999–2001. Three of the last four gubernatorial elections have been close. The Congressional seats have also been as evenly divided as thirteen seats can be. In national elections, the state now tends to lean towards the national Democratic Party. It was, however, a Republican stronghold for years in the past, having given comfortable margins of victory to the Republican candidate in the close elections of 1948, 1968, and 1976. New Jersey was a crucial swing state in the elections of 1960, 1968, and 1992. In national elections, the state gave large victories to Democrats in the 1990's, while in the 2004 presidential election, John F. Kerry defeated George W. Bush by about 6%. The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was Clifford P. Case in 1979. (Nicholas Brady was appointed a U.S. Senator by Governor Thomas Kean in 1982 after Harrison A. Williams resigned the Senate seat following the Abscam investigations. Brady served eight months. The state's Democratic strongholds include Mercer County around the cities of Trenton and Princeton; Essex County and Hudson County, the state's two most urban counties, around the state's two largest cities, Newark and Jersey City; as well as in Camden County and most of the other urban communities just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City. More suburban northern counties in the orbit of New York, such as Union and Middlesex, also trend Democratic. The more suburban northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliably Republican: Republicans have strong backing along the coast in Ocean County and in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially Sussex County, Morris County and Warren County. Somerset and Hunterdon counties, more suburban counties in the region, are also Republican in local elections, but can be competitive in national races. In the 2004 General Election, Bush received about 51% in Somerset and 56% in Hunterdon, while up in rural Republican Sussex County, Bush won with 64% of the vote. About half of the counties in New Jersey, however, are considered swing counties, but some go more one way than others. For an example, Bergen County, which leans Republican in the northern half of the county, is mostly Democratic in the more populated southern parts, causing it to usually vote slightly Democratic (same with Passaic County, with a highly populated Hispanic Democratic south and a rural, Republican north), other "swing" counties like Cape May tend to go Republican, as they also have population in conservative areas. The governor's mansion is Drumthwacket.

New Jersey State Constitution

The [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/lawsconstitution/constitution.asp constitution] was adopted in 1947. It provides for a bicameral Legislature consisting of a Senate of 40 members and an Assembly of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one Senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected by the people for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; Senators are elected in the years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four or two year terms.

The New Jersey Supreme Court

The New Jersey Supreme Court [http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/supreme/index.htm] consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. All are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70.

Geography

New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. North Jersey is within New York City's general sphere of influence, with many of its residents commuting into the city for work. Central Jersey is a largely suburban area. South Jersey is within Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's general sphere of influence. Such geographic definitions are broad, however, and there is often dispute over where one region begins and another ends. High Point Mountain, in Montague Township, Sussex County has the highest elevation in New Jersey. Sussex County, in North Jersey, and its Gold Coast featuring Goldman Sachs Tower.]] New Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by New York, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania (the latter two across the Delaware River.) Prominent geographic features include:
- Delaware Water Gap
- Musconetcong River
- New Jersey Meadowlands
- The Palisades
- Passaic River
- Pine Barrens
- Rancocas River
- Raritan River
- Sandy Hook
- South Mountain

Economy

[http://www.bea.gov/ The Bureau of Economic Analysis] estimates that New Jersey's total state product in 2003 was $397 billion. New Jersey's per capita income is the highest in the nation. Its per capita personal income in 2003 was $40,427, 4^th in the United States of America. Its median household income is also the highest in the nation with $55,146. It is also ranked 2nd in the nation by the number of places with per capita incomes above national average with 76.4%. Nine of New Jersey's counties are also in the wealthiest 100 of the country. Women in New Jersey earn the highest per capita income as stated in a 2002 article in the Newark Star-Ledger. Its agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products. In particular, cranberries and eggplant are two of the state's largest crops. Hammonton in the southern part of the state is known as the blueberry capital of the world. Its industrial outputs are pharmaceutical and chemical products, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing, and tourism. New Jersey's economy has a large base of industry and chemical manufacturing. Additionally, New Jersey is home to the largest petroleum containment system in the world, outside of the Middle East. Although the state is certainly not defined by these activities, their existence and visibility to those passing through the state along some of its major highways does contribute to many jokes about pollution and ironic plays on the state's nickname, the "Garden State." In terms of quantity and quality, New Jersey ranks ninth in the union, in the number of manufactured goods that come from this state's factories. New Jersey is also a leader in the number of businesses that have their headquarters or do business here. 50 Fortune 500 companies alone have headquarters or do business in Morris County alone. Nearly 100 Fortune 500 companies have headquarters or conduct business in New Jersey. This allows New Jersey to have the largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world. Paramus is long noted for having one of the highest business per person ratio in the nation, because of the huge number of shops in that town and the surrounding area. Several New Jersey counties such as Essex, Morris, Middlesex, Union, and Bergen counties have been ranked in the World Almanac 2002, as being among the top 15 highest per person per capita income areas in the country. New Jersey has the nation's most diverse economy, with its major industries being agriculture, tourism, nursery products, electronics, manufacturing equipment, pharmacuticals, etc. It is for this reason, New Jersey is able to weather severe economic declines in the national economy and it is why New Jersey's unemployment rate is well below the national average. New Jersey's location between Philadephia and New York City, has allowed New Jersey to grow and thrive since the time of its creation as a state in 1702. Another of New Jersey's great strengths is its large and well-educated labor pool that allow the myriad of industries to exist today. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is the world's largest container ports. Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked as number 7 in the top ten list of the nation's busiest airports and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world. Six Flags Great Adventure is one of the largest theme parks in the world. It is home to the largest wild safari out of Africa and is now home to the world's tallest and fastest coaster, Kingda Ka. As of 2001, New Jersey makes $30 billion each year from tourism as stated in the Star-Ledger's article The Best Of New Jersey. New Jersey is one of the top ten most visited states in the nation.

Demographics

As of 2004, the population of New Jersey was estimated to be 8,698,879. There are 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the state population). New Jersey is the tenth most populous state, but the most densely populated, at 1,134.4 residents per square mile. [http://www.njfaq.com/njfaq4.shtml].

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

The racial makeup of New Jersey is:
- 66.0% White Non-Hispanic
- 13.6% Black
- 13.3% Hispanic
- 5.7% Asian
- 0.2% Native American (U.S. Census)
- 2.5% Mixed race New Jersey has the 15th largest percentage of minority residents of any state and the 2nd highest percentage in the North. Race/ethnicity citation with state percentages: [http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t6/tab02.pdf](Adobe PDF) Diversity index citation with state percentages: [http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/atlas/divers.xls](Microsoft Excel) It also has the second largest percentage of Jews (after New York), the second largest percentage of Muslims (after Michigan). New Jersey is the third most Italian-American state in the nation, according to the 2000 Census, and has large percentages of Blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, and Asians. Ancestry citation with state percentages: [http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf](Adobe PDF) The five largest ancestry groups in New Jersey are: Italian (17.9%), Irish (15.9%), African American (13.6%), German (12.6%), Polish (6.9%). Newark and Camden are two of the poorest cities in America, but New Jersey as a whole has the highest median household income in the nation, as well as the second highest per capita income, after Connecticut. This is largely due to the fact that so much of New Jersey is comprised of suburbs, most of them affluent, of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is also the most densely populated state in the nation, and the first and only state that has had every one of its 21 counties deemed "urban," as opposed to rural. The dominant race, ethnicity, or ancestry by county, according to the 2000 Census, are the following:
- New Jersey
- Italian - Bergen, Morris, Somerset, Ocean, Monmouth
- Irish - Sussex
- Black - Essex, Union, Mercer
- German - Warren, Hunterdon
- Polish/Slavic - Middlesex
- Puerto Rican/Hispanic - Hudson, Passaic Ancestry citation with county maps: [http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf] (Adobe PDF) Specific ancestry maps by county, place, and census tract available at: [http://factfinder.census.gov] 6.7% of its population were reported as under 5, 24.8% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.5% of the population.

Religion

The religious affiliations of adults of New Jersey are:
- Christian – 77%
- Roman Catholic – 39%
- Protestant – 36%
- Baptist – 9%
- Methodist – 6%
- Presbyterian – 4%
- Other Protestant or general Protestant – 17%
- Other Christian – 2%
- Jewish – 5%
- Muslim – 1%
- Other Religions (e.g. Hindu, Sikh) – 1%
- Non-Religious – 16%

Culture

Music

New Jersey has long been an important area for both rock and rap music. Some prominent musicians with connections to New Jersey are:
- Musician Bruce Springsteen, who has sung of New Jersey life on his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and in many of his most popular songs, including "Atlantic City," "Born to Run," "Darlington County," "Freehold," "Jersey Girl" (written by Tom Waits), "Jungleland," "Spirit in the Night," and others. Fellow musician Jon Bon Jovi has also written many songs about New Jersey and even named one of his albums after it (see New Jersey). Both reside in New Jersey today.
- Frank Sinatra, born December 12, 1915, the only child of working-class Italian-American immigrants, in a tenement at 415 Monroe St. in Hoboken. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an entertainment legend and Academy Award winning actor.
- Whitney Houston was born in the city of Newark, New Jersey but grew up in neighboring East Orange, and is best known for her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" which set new records for sales and weeks at number one. Houston has sold well over 180 million records internationally.
- Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane" is about the accusation and trial of Rubin Carter which took place in Paterson. Dylan's view is that Carter was innocent. (In 1985, United States district court Judge H. Lee Sarokin ruled that Carter had not received a fair trial, saying that the prosecution had been "based on racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure.")
- Legendary jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie, born in Red Bank in 1904. In the 1960s, he collaborated on several albums with fellow New Jersey native Frank Sinatra.
- Asbury Park, home of The Stone Pony, where Springsteen and Bon Jovi frequented early in their careers, which is still considered by many to be a "Mecca" for up-and-coming musicians.
- The Velvet Underground, who had their first performance as a band at Summit High School in Summit, New Jersey. Songs included "There She Goes Again" and "Heroin."
- Jerseyan Zakk Wylde of Jersey City, who is currently the guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne and is with another popular rock band, Black Label Society. Wylde is famous for his signature "Bulls-eye" Gibson Les Paul guitar.
- Former Fugee Lauryn Hill, a South Orange resident and hip-hop's best-selling solo female artist. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, sold 10 million copies internationally.
- Hip-hop's longest running radio show, founded by two Jerseyans, Special K (Kevin Bonners) and Teddy Ted (Ted Whiting) of Hackensack, who began on New York's WHBI in 1982 and now appear on WPAT-AM.
- Other rap artists, including Irvington's Queen Latifah, the first female rapper to succeed in music, film, and TV, and the Grammy-winning Naughty By Nature of East Orange, who cut 1992's smash hit "O.P.P." Redman, an influential underground figure and Newark native, has recently found commercial success through collaborations with Eminem and the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man.
- Singer/Actor Constantine Maroulis, a popular finalist on the television show, American Idol, Season 4 (2005), spent a good portion of his formative years in Wyckoff, where he graduated from Ramapo High School. Maroulis is developing a television sitcom which is based on his growing up years in New Jersey and the surrounding metropolitan New York City area.
- Musical artists Fountains of Wayne [http://www.fountainsofwayne.com/home/], a group of New Jerseyians who took the name of a semi-famous lawn and garden store [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NJWAYfountains.html] on Route 46 in Wayne, New Jersey (also featured on an episode of The Sopranos).
- The band Snowball 37 [http://www.snowball37.com/], a group of brothers who were inspired by a Kevin Smith reference, is based out of Jersey City.
- The genre Emo until recently thrived in New Jersey, particularly near New Brunswick. Such bands that fit into this category include Thursday, My Chemical Romance, Midtown, Senses Fail, Saves The Day, Hidden In Plain View, The Early November, Armor For Sleep, The Escape Engine, for some more popular bands, recently, the growth of Jersey emo bands has seen somewhat of a decrease as the genre has moved elsewhere.
- Punk music is also an important alternative style in New Jersey, perhaps starting with the band that essentially invented horror punk, The Misfits from Lodi, in the 90s, The Bouncing Souls and Catch 22 were also prominent figures in New Jersey punk, strongly influenced by New Brunswick's Sticks and Stones.
- The DeLeo brothers of Stone Temple Pilots are both from New Jersey. The brothers, Dean and Robert, are the guitarist and bassist for the band.
- Pete Yorn is another New Jersey artist. He has two albums out: musicforthemorningafter (2001) and Day I Forgot (2003).
- Deborah Harry from Blondie was raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
- Blues Traveler was formed at Princeton High School in 1987. John Popper, along with high school buddies drummer Brendan Hill, guitarist Chan Kinchla and the late bassist Bobby Sheehan are all natives of New Jersey.
- Spin Doctors began as Trucking Company in 1989 with Chris Barron (lead singer) and Eric Schenkman and were high school friends of the aformentioned Blues Traveler frontman John Popper at Princeton High School.
- American Idol season 4 contestant Anwar Robinson, considered to be one of AI's most talented male singers, was born in Newark and grew up in East Orange and Montclair, in addition, he teaches music at Edison Middle School in West Orange
- Legendary rock band Queen (touring with Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers) chose a New Jersey venue - the Continental Airlines Arena - to perform their first USA concert in 23 years on October 16, 2005. The crowd surprised them with a strong reaction and plentiful participation, even in what were thought to be the lesser-known songs.
- The three members of the Fugees were from South Orange, New Jersey.
- Coheed and Cambria mentions the Jersey Devil in one of their songs
- Indie Rock band Yo La Tengo makes its home in Hoboken, New Jersey.

TV and film

Motion pictures and televisions shows also have been set in New Jersey. The popular television drama The Sopranos depicts the life of a New Jersey organized crime family and is filmed on location at various places throughout the state. Although not credited, at least one scene from The Godfather (1972) was filmed in New Jersey. The scene with Clemenza's famous line, "Leave the gun. Take the cannolis," was filmed in the marsh along the Hudson River in Jersey City, just west of the Statue of Liberty, in what is now Liberty State Park. The 2004 Sundance Film Festival favorite Garden State (starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman) was shot on location in Morris Township. Also, the popular animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Megas XLR take place primarily in New Jersey. Director Kevin Smith sets many of his films in New Jersey, particularly his "New Jersey Trilogy" of Clerks., Mallrats and Chasing Amy. The 2004 movie Jersey Girl is also based in New Jersey. Clerks. also had a short-lived animated series spin-off with the same name. It took place in the same locations as the movie. 2001's A Beautiful Mind had several scenes shot at Princeton University. The movie is a biopic of the mathematician John Nash, who currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Actor Jack Nicholson grew up on the Jersey shore, and went to Manasquan High School in Monmouth County. The 2004 stoner film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle took place in New Jersey. Several locations seen in the movie include Princeton University, Newark, New Brunswick, and a fictional White Castle in Cherry Hill. Although supposedly set in New York, the 2003 movie School of Rock was filmed primarily in Edison and Mahwah, perhaps due to the significance these towns have on rock music. The 1988 comedy film Big starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, Jon Lovitz, and Mercedes Ruehl was also filmed in Bergen County, New Jersey. The 1983 cult classic Eddie and the Cruisers was filmed mostly in Somers Point and Ocean City. Bruce Willis grew up in Penns Grove, New Jersey. The movie War of the Worlds was filmed in many locations in New Jersey, including Bayonne and Newark. The infamous radio show broadcast starring Orson Welles, The War of the Worlds was set in Grover's Mill (a section of West Windsor Township) and other locations around New Jersey. The Ron Howard film Cinderella Man and The Elia Kazan film On the Waterfront both take place in the old Hudson County docks.

Legends and Ghosts

A long circulated legend says a creature, the Jersey Devil or the Leeds Devil, terrorizes the population of the Pine Barrens (New Jersey). New Jersey is also home to several other urban legends, such as the ghost of Annie's Road in Totowa, Midgetville in Edgewater, Albino Village in Clifton, the haunted and demon-possessed Clinton Road in West Milford, and the Witch of Igoe Road in Marlboro. There is also the popular attraction of the Atco Ghost where the ghost of a little boy runs across the street late at night chasing a basketball located on Burnt Mill Road in Atco. It is also rumored that Jimmy Hoffa, the late leader of the Teamsters union, is buried beneath Giants Stadium or the New Jersey Turnpike. Camp NoBeBoSco in Blairstown was the location of the original Friday the 13th movie (some believe the series of films to be set in New Jersey, although this is never confirmed onscreen), which was partially based on real murders that have occurred near the campground, in the state's rural northwest. Such horror stories were the inspiration behind the now nationally-famous Weird NJ magazine and website.

Miscellaneous

Weird NJ The properties in the United States version of the board game Monopoly are named after the streets of Atlantic City. Diners are considered very common in New Jersey, and it's thought that nearly all medium-sized and larger towns have one. New Jersey is home to many diner manufacturers. New Jersey is often known by outsiders with little respect for the state as "America's Armpit", both for its shape and location on the Eastern seaboard and for the smell in certain parts of the state due to the landfills.

Transportation

Diners DinersThe New Jersey Turnpike is one of the best-known and most-trafficked roadways in the USA. This toll road carries interstate traffic between Delaware and New York. Commonly referred to as simply "the Turnpike," it is also known for its numerous rest-areas named after prominent New Jerseyans as varied as inventor Thomas Edison; United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton; U.S. Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, ; writers James Fenimore Cooper, Joyce Kilmer, and Walt Whitman; patriot Molly Pitcher; Red Cross advocate Clara Barton, and football coach Vince Lombardi. The Garden State Parkway, or just "the Parkway," (or "The Garden State Parking Lot" on Fridays during the summer), carries more in-state traffic, and runs from the town of Montvale along New Jersey's northern border with New York to the southernmost tip of the state at Cape May. It also acts as the trunk that connects the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. Many New Jersey residents who live near the Parkway or the Turnpike (a majority of the state population) locate their hometowns according to their respective highway exits, though very few New Jerseyans living elsewhere in the state will do so. Other expressways in New Jersey include the Atlantic City Expressway, Palisades Interstate Parkway, Interstate 76, Interstate 78, Interstate 80, Interstate 280, Interstate 287 and Interstate 295. The New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. NJ Transit is a state-run corporation that began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey. In the early 1980s, it acquired the commuter train operations of CONRAIL that connect towns in northern and central New Jersey to New York City. In 1989, NJ Transit began service between Atlantic City and Lindenwold, extending it to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1990s. New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three neighboring states. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Delaware River Port Authority (with Pennsylvania), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate most of the major transportation routes into and out of New Jersey. Tolls for the bridges are charged in one direction—it is free to get into New Jersey, but people have to pay to get out. The Washington Crossing and Scudders Falls (on I-95) bridges near Trenton, as well as Trenton's Calhoun Street and Bridge Street ("Trenton Makes") bridges are still free as of this writing. Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who runs the other two major airports in the New York City region: John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, it is one of the main airports serving the New York City area. Continental Airlines is Newark's largest tenant, operating an entire terminal at Newark which they use as a hub. United Airlines and FedEx operate cargo hubs. The airport has its own railroad station on New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line which is also served by Amtrak.

Cities, towns, boroughs, villages, and townships

New Jersey has 566 municipalities; until recently, 567. Unlike other states, all of its municipalities are incorporated entities, with fixed boundaries, and no local government can simply absorb land from another.

Types of government

When the types of government were devised in the nineteenth century, the intention was that cities would be large built-up areas, with progressively smaller boroughs, towns, and villages; the rural areas in between would be relatively large townships. This is still often true, although Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey has been divided until it is less than a square mile, and consists of a single housing development. Some townships -- notably Middletown, Brick, Hamilton, and Dover (which includes Toms River) -- have, without changing their boundaries, become large stretches of suburbia, as populous as (if often more spread out than) cities, often focused around shopping centers and highways rather than traditional downtowns and main streets. As with Toms River, many locations in New Jersey are simply neighborhoods, with no exact boundaries; often the cluster of houses, the traditional neighborhood, the postal district, and the Census designated place will differ. The Federal Government has often failed to understand that a New Jersey township is just another municipality; and some municipalities have changed forms to become the Township of the Borough of Verona or the Township of South Orange Village to receive more Federal aid. The Census Bureau also has a hard time every ten years.

Forms of government

The five types of municipality differ mostly in name. Originally each type had its own form of government, but more modern forms are available to any municipality, even though the original type is retained in its formal name. This is the only difference between boroughs and cities or townships: only boroughs can have the "borough form" of government. Starting in the 1900s, largely driven by reform-minded goals, a series of six modern forms of government were implemented. This began with the Walsh Act, enacted in 1911, which provided for a 3 or 5 member commission elected on a non-partisan basis. This was followed by the 1923 Municipal Manager Law which offered a non-partisan council, a weak mayor elected by and from among the members of the council, and introduced Council-Manager government, with an (ideally apolitical) appointed mana

Montvale, New Jersey

Montvale is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 7,034.

Geography

Montvale is located at 41°2'56" North, 74°2'26" West (41.048997, -74.040523). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 10.3 km² (4.0 mi²). 10.3 km² (4.0 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 7,034 people, 2,509 households, and 1,999 families residing in the borough. The population density is 684.1/km² (1,769.8/mi²). There are 2,590 housing units at an average density of 251.9/km² (651.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 92.79% White, 0.44% African American, 0.09% Native American, 5.36% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 3.09% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 2,509 households out of which 37.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% are married couples living together, 6.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% are non-families. 17.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.80 and the average family size is 3.18. In the borough the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.4 males. The median income for a household in the borough is $93,031, and the median income for a family is $104,047. Males have a median income of $80,355 versus $37,440 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $45,448. 0.9% of the population and 0.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 0.4% of those under the age of 18 and 1.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Education

Students from Montvale attend Memorial Elementary School (grades pre-K through 4) and then move on to Fieldstone Middle School (grades 5 to 8) within the Montvale Public School district. High school students from Montvale attend Pascack Hills High School along with students from neighboring Woodcliff Lake and a portion of Hillsdale, as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District.

Government

Federal, state and county representation

Montvale is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th Legislative District.

Noted Residents

Television's Bill Maher, who attended Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, is one of the borough's more notable alums.

External links

- [http://www.montvale.org/ Montvale official website]
- [http://www.montvale.k12.nj.us/ Montvale Public Schools]
- [http://www.pascack.k12.nj.us/ Pascack Valley Regional High School District] Category:Bergen County, New Jersey Category:Boroughs in New Jersey Category:New Jersey District Factor Group I

New Jersey Turnpike

:This article is about the modern freeway. For the 19th century turnpike, see Jersey Turnpike. right The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey and is one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United States. A segment of it is part of the interstate highway system. Construction of the Turnpike from conceptualization to opening took an astonishingly brief 23 months from 1950 to 1952. The Turnpike boasts 12-foot-wide lanes, 10-foot-wide shoulders, 13 rest areas named after notable New Jerseyans, and unusual exit signage that was considered the pinnacle of highway building in the 1950s. The Interstate Highway system took some of its design guidelines by copying the Turnpike's design guidelines.

General information

Interstate Highway The main trunk of the New Jersey Turnpike runs from Deepwater, New Jersey in the south to Ridgefield, New Jersey in the north. It is designated as unsigned New Jersey State Highway 700 from exits 1 through 6 and Interstate 95 from exits 6 through 18. The number of lanes ranges from 4 lanes south of exit 4, the interchange with Route 73, to 6 lanes between exits 4 and 8A, the interchange with Route 32. Before the advent of the interstate highways, the whole Turnpike was designated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation as Route 700, with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension being New Jersey State Highway 700P and the Newark Bay Extension being New Jersey State Highway 700N at one time. The western spur is officially known as New Jersey State Highway 95W but signed as Interstate 95 (see below). None of these state highway designations have ever been signed. North of exit 8A, the Turnpike splits into a "dual-dual" configuration, with the outer lanes open to all vehicles and the inner lanes limited to cars only, unless signed otherwise because of unusual conditions. From here to exit 14, the interchange with Interstate 78, the road ranges from 10 to 14 lanes wide. Between exits 14 and 18, the Turnpike splits into two spurs, an eastern spur and a western spur. Both spurs are posted as I-95, although technically the eastern spur is I-95 as that was built first. The western spur is posted as I-95 for through traffic on I-95, while traffic entering at the ends of the split is routed via the eastern spur. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (which calls every class of highway Route) calls the western spur Route 95W. The Turnpike also has two extensions: The first, the Newark Bay Extension, is part of Interstate 78; it opened in 1956. It connects Newark with Jersey City and intersects the main trunk near Newark Liberty International Airport. This extension contains exits 14A, 14B, and 14C. The second extension connects the main trunk of the New Jersey Turnpike with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at exit 6. It is a 6-mile extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike into New Jersey, and it is part of I-95. A four-mile stretch of I-95 north of U.S. Highway 46 came under Turnpike Authority jurisdiction in 1992, as the New Jersey Department of Transportation "sold" the road in order to balance the state budget. This section of the road is also "dual-dual", split into local and express lanes. The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road, using a system of long-distance tickets, obtained once by a motorist upon entering and surrendered upon exiting at toll gates. The toll gates exist at all exits and entrances and also at the highway extension toward the Hudson River. The toll fee depends on the distance traveled between entrance and exit, and longer distances result in higher tolls. As of 2004, the automobile toll from exit 1 to exit 18 is $6.45. Discounts are available to users of the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. Express E-ZPass implementation is underway, allowing E-ZPass customers at some toll plazas to travel through toll areas at highway speeds, via the addition of E-ZPass sensors on an overhead gantry. At each location, traditional E-ZPass and cash lanes are also available. On July 9, 2003, New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey's plan to merge the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Garden State Parkway into one agency was completed. In November 2004, acting New Jersey Governor Richard Codey advocated a plan to widen the Turnpike, extending the dual-dual configuration 20.1 miles south from exit 8A to exit 6, by 2011, when the Pennsylvania Turnpike is supposed to complete an interchange that will connect its road to the existing I-95 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The Turnpike in popular culture

In the Chuck Berry song "You Can't Catch Me" (1956), the singer outruns the cops in his Cadillac on the New Jersey Turnpike. Simon and Garfunkel's song "America" (1968), after describing a long trip across much of the country, concludes with the lines: :"Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike :They've all come to look for America." The song was subsequently covered by British artists Yes and David Bowie, showing that the mystique of the Turnpike may even extend across the Atlantic. The 1970 song "Holland Tunnel" by John Phillips included the line: "Pick up a ticket for the New Jersey Turnpike and drive, baby drive." Bruce Springsteen's album Nebraska (1982) contains the chilling "State Trooper", in which a traveller on the Turnpike, a desperate man who has committed unspecified crimes, prays that he won't be pulled over by the police: :"New Jersey Turnpike :Ridin' on a wet night :'Neath the refinery's glow :Out where the great black rivers flow :License, registration, I ain't got none :But I got a clear conscience :'Bout the things that I done :Mister state trooper :Please don't stop me."
The same song is referenced — as an homage rather than a cover — by the repetition of its first line in the song "Theme From Turnpike" (1996) by the Belgian band dEUS. Bif Naked's song "Sophia" (1999) begins with the lyric "I picked you up on a grey day, the New Jersey Turnpike." In the 1991 movie Nothing But Trouble, Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and company, en route to Atlantic City from New York, exit the Turnpike in order to view supposed countryside and subsequently wind up lost in a backwoods section of New Jersey, ultimately fulfilling the film's title. Passenger Bertila Damas suggests the unplanned exit because "this road is such a dull place." This route in itself is a mistake in the film's logic, as New York travelers wishing to go to Atlantic City would naturally choose the Garden State Parkway, which hugs the coastline. In the film Being John Malkovich (1999), after one becomes John Malkovich and then eventually leaves him, one falls out next to the New Jersey Turnpike. The opening to the television series The Sopranos (began 1999) features the main character Tony Soprano driving on the Turnpike. The 1989 book Looking For America On The New Jersey Turnpike (itself taking its title from the Simon and Garfunkel song) chronicles the history of "America's Main Road" and analyzes its place in American culture.

Rest areas

The New Jersey Turnpike is noted for naming its rest areas after people who lived or worked in New Jersey. From south to north, the rest areas are:
- Clara Barton (southbound, milepost 5.4)
- John Fenwick (northbound, 5.4)
- Walt Whitman (southbound, 30.2)
- James Fenimore Cooper (northbound, 39.4)
- Richard Stockton (southbound, 58.7)
- Woodrow Wilson (northbound, 58.7)
- Molly Pitcher (southbound, 71.7)
- Joyce Kilmer (northbound, 78.7)
- Thomas Edison (southbound, 92.9)
- Grover Cleveland (northbound, 92.9)
- William Halsey (northbound, 102)
- Alexander Hamilton (southbound, eastern spur, 111.6)
- Vince Lombardi (northbound/southbound, 116.0 (eastern spur), 115.5 (western spur)) Even long-time local motorists frequently do not know who some of these people were, or in the case of Kilmer, even what gender they were. (Hint: Kilmer's full name is Alfred Joyce Kilmer.) Contemporary New Jersey writers such as Calvin Trillin and Philip Roth have ruefully commented that they hope they don't get a rest stop named after them once they die. Perhaps surprisingly, the Looking for America book describes the Edison, Lombardi, and Kilmer rest stops as possible hot spots for heterosexual, homosexual, and prostitution activities respectively. Turnpike rest areas comprise most of the Roy Rogers fast-food restaurant locations in New Jersey.

Interchanges

References

- Gillespie, Angus Kress and Rockland, Michael Aaron. Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike. Rutgers University Press, 1989. ISBN 0813514665.

External links

- [http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/ New Jersey Turnpike Authority & Garden State Parkway Official Website]
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000078__-.pdf NJ Route 78] Straight Line Diagram
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000095__-.pdf NJ Route 95] Straight Line Diagram
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000095w_-.pdf NJ Route 95W] Straight Line Diagram
- [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000700__-.pdf NJ Route 700] Straight Line Diagram 700 Category:Toll roads in New Jersey

New York State Thruway

] The New York State Thruway (officially the Thomas E. Dewey Thruway) is a limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of New York. Built in the 1950s by the State of New York in order to connect the major cities of New York, it is the longest toll road in the United States, with the 426-mile (681 km) mainline extending from the Pennsylvania/New York State border in the west to the Bronx in the east. In 1958 it was incorporated into the Interstate Highway System as portions of Interstate 87, Interstate 287, Interstate 90, and Interstate 190. It is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority.

Description

From west to east, the Thruway begins as Interstate 90 along Lake Erie on the Pennsylvania border in Chautauqua County. It follows the lake shore northeast and passes along the eastern side of Buffalo. Across northern New York, it roughly parallels the route of the Erie Canal, passing north of Batavia, south of Rochester, north of Syracuse, and north of Utica before following the valley of the Mohawk River to Albany. South of Albany, it continues as the southern portion of Interstate 87, roughly paralleling the Hudson River to the river's west, passing near Kingston, New Paltz, and Newburgh. South of Harriman, it follows the valley of the Ramapo River until its junction near the New Jersey border with Interstate 287, which it joins, then cuts east across Rockland County. It connects with the New York segment of the Garden State Parkway then crosses the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge. On the east side of the Hudson it continues south through Westchester County to the Bronx. Exit numbers start at Exit 1 at the Bronx/Westchester County line and end at Exit 61 at the Pennsylvania/New York border. The highway uses a coin-drop system for tolls between the Bronx/Westchester County line to the New York State Highway 17 exit. From there northward, drivers must obtain tickets which show their point of entry and the cost of traveling from there to their desired point of exit. Upon exiting the Thruway, the ticket and the appropriate toll must be paid. Two separate "ticket systems" are used — one between NY 17 and Buffalo and another from Buffalo to Exit 61.

History

A toll superhighway connecting the major cities of New York State which would become part of a larger nationwide highway network was first proposed in 1949. The following year, the New York State Legislature passed the Thruway Authority Act creating the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), an independent public corporation, which would build and manage the turnpike. The project was to be financed through toll revenue bonds and self-liquidating by receipt of tolls, rents, concessions, and other income. The act also stipulated NYSTA adopt a hybrid system of tolls, with barrier tolls collected in urban areas, and long-distance tickets issued in rural areas. The thruway opened in sections in the mid 1950s. The first section, between Lowell and Rochester, opened on June 24, 1954. The last section of 426 mi (681 km) mainline between Buffalo and the Bronx was completed on August 31, 1956. The total cost was 600 million dollars, financed by the sale of 972 million dollars of bonds. At the time, it was the longest toll road in the world. In 1957, the mainline was extended 70 mi (112 km) west from Buffalo along Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania border. From 1957 to 1960, several spurs of the road were built to connect the road to turnpikes in the neighboring states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 1958, sections of the Thruway were given the current designations as part of the Interstate Highway System. In 1964, the New York State Legislature officially renamed the Thruway in honor of former governor Thomas E. Dewey. The official designation is, however, rarely used in reference to the road. In August 1993, the NYSTA became the first agency to implement the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. By December 1996 it was implemented at all toll barriers on the Thruway. In 1997, the construction bond used to build the Thruway had been paid off, and all tolls along the Thruway were supposed to be abolished. However, the New York State Legislature voted to maintain the tolls. This action has engendered regional hostility within the state, particularly from the upstate counties which see the maintenance of the toll as a regional-based tax and that the tolls help maintain the economic disparity between the poor, rural upstate and the rich, urban downstate.

Interchanges and toll barriers

Mainline

Major interchanges from beginning (southeast) to end (northwest)
- 000.00 Begins at the New York City line from the Major Deegan Expressway; designated as Interstate 87
- 005.47 toll barrier (Yonkers)
- 011.31 Exit 8 Interstate 287 - the Cross-Westchester Expressway; begin I-287 concurrency; to New England Thruway (I-95)
- 013.07 Tappan Zee Bridge; toll barrier (eastbound only)
- 023.53 Exit 14A Garden State Parkway (2.40 mile connector to New Jersey maintained by NYSTA)
- 024.31 toll barrier (westbound commercial vehicles only)
- 030.17 Exit 15 Interstate 287 (New Jersey; interchange is adjacent to state line); end I-287 concurrency
- 045.12 Exit 16, NY-17, US-6, future I-86 (E); beginning of major ticket system toll barrier (for those entering&exiting the Thruway: if traveling within the ticket system, one gets a cheaper toll than those going through the barrier; if not, then one gets a fixed toll)
- 060.10 Exit 17 Interstate 84 (east) (also under NYSTA) via NY-300 (until direct interchange is completed)
- 133.60 Exit 21A Berkshire Extension (part of the major ticket system) to Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 90 east
- 148.15 Exit 24 I-90; Interstate 87 diverts; Interstate 90 merges; the Northway (I-87) is 0.4 miles down I-90 (Most signage and maps simply refer to the interchanges of I-90 with the Thruway and the Northway as a single interchange. This simplifies it to a simple 2-way interchange between I-87 and I-90.)
- 158.82 Exit 25A Interstate 88
- 282.93 Exit 36 Interstate 81
- 419.69 end of major ticket system toll barrier (also known as the Williamsville Toll Barrier)
- 419.60 Exit 50 Youngmann Expressway, bypass for the northern suburbs of Buffalo, terminating at I-190 (NY)
- 426.17 Exit 53 Niagara Thruway (under NYSTA) I-190 (NY)
- 430.51 beginning of minor ticket system toll barrier (also known as the Lackawanna Toll Barrier)
- 494.51 end of minor ticket system toll barrier (also known as the Ripley Toll Barrier)
- 496.00 Pennsylvania state line; Interstate 90 continues

Cross-Westchester Expressway

Entirely designated as Interstate 287. This is a toll-free portion of the Thruway.
- 00.00 Begins at the mainline interchange 8
- 06.45 Exit 9A Interstate 684
- 10.65 Interchange 12 New England Thruway (Interchange 21) Interstate 95 (exit 12 is for southbound; main flow is northbound)

New England Thruway

Entirely designated as Interstate 95. It uses the same exit numbering scheme as the rest of I-95 in New York Major interchanges:
- 00.00 Starts from the Bruckner Expressway; exit numbering begins with 8
- 06.94 toll barrier (northbound only)
- 13.71 Exit 21 Interstate 287 Cross Westchester Expressway (under NYSTA) to the Thruway Mainline
- 15.01 Connecticut state line; Connecticut Turnpike; exit numbering ends with 22

Garden State Parkway Connector

It is a 2.40 mile-long road that simply connects Thruway interchange 14A with the Garden State Parkway at the New Jersey state line. It is the only part of the Thruway system that prohibits commercial vehicles, and also the ony part that lacks an Interstate highway designation. The connector is toll free, but motorists continuing into New Jersey will probably hit quite a few tolls.

Interstate 84

See the interstate article. Note that the one toll in New York state, which is for the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, is run by the New York State Bridge Authority (it's NOT a Thruway toll), which is also responsible for the bridge. The rest of I-84 in New York is a toll-free component of the Thruway. There is no direct connection between the mainline (Interchange 17) and I-84 (Interchange 7). Both interchanges are with NY-300. Motorists travelling between the two will encounter one intersection on NY-300 controlled by a traffic light. Improvements have brought both interchanges individually up to freeway standards, though at a loss to local traffic. The Thruway Authority has a [http://www.thruway.state.ny.us/projectsandstudies/projects/i84-i87/index.html project] in the works to build a direct interchange between I-84 and I-87, without compromising local access to either.

Berkshire Connector

- 00.00 Begins at mainline interchange 21A; part of major ticket system
- 06.58 Exit B1 I-90; begin Interstate 90 concurrency
- 15.09 Exit B2 Taconic State Parkway
-

New Jersey Route 444

History

Usage

See also

External links

Parkway

History of parkways

List of parkways

American Parkways (Managed by the National Park Service)

Freeways and toll roads

Surface streets with parkway in the names

Canadian Parkways

External links

See also

New Jersey

History

Revolutionary War era

Women's suffrage

Law and government

New Jersey State Constitution

The New Jersey Supreme Court

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Religion

Culture

Music

TV and film

Legends and Ghosts

Miscellaneous

Transportation

Cities, towns, boroughs, villages, and townships

Types of government

Forms of government

Montvale, New Jersey

Geography

Demographics

Education

Government

Federal, state and county representation

Noted Residents

External links

New Jersey Turnpike

General information

The Turnpike in popular culture

Rest areas

Interchanges

See also

References

External links

New York State Thruway

Description

History

Interchanges and toll barriers

Mainline

Cross-Westchester Expressway

New England Thruway

Garden State Parkway Connector

Interstate 84

Berkshire Connector