Driscoll Expressway
Encyclopedia
The Driscoll Expressway was a proposed 36 miles (57.9 km) long tolled limited-access highway in Central Jersey
that would have connected the New Jersey Turnpike
with the Garden State Parkway
in the U.S. state
of New Jersey
.
The proposed highway was to have 12 feet (3.7 m) wide lanes and shoulders as well as a wide median with preserved vegetation and a 450 feet (137.2 m) wide right-of-way area of preserved open space. Engineers decided that the speed limit would have been posted at 60 mi/h, as opposed to 70 mi/h for extra safety. The southern half of the highway would have run through the Pinelands Preserve
, an area of sandy soil that prevents most plant species other than pines to grow, hence the name.
Alfred E. Driscoll
by the New Jersey Highway Authority. However, in the mid 1970s, the plans were scratched. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority then stepped in, drawing up plans for a proposed 36 miles (57.9 km) long highway. The route would have provided a route to Southern New Jersey for trucks coming from the Trenton area. The highway was now scheduled for completion in 1976.
However, the project was doomed. Citizens opposed the unwanted traffic that the highway would bring, the pollution that it would release, as well as the harm it would do to the Pine Barrens.
Also, voters turned down a $650 million issue for transportation issues. The governor of the time, Brendan Byrne
, tried to kill the proposal because of the negative environmental impact it would have. The Authority did not listen, but when Byrne saw that Turnpike tolls would rise by more than 80%, he became more determined. In March 1975, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority dropped plans for the highway. Hopes to revive the highway failed and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority began to sell off the rights-of-way in the late 1980s.
Central Jersey
Central Jersey is a common designation for a region of the state of New Jersey in the United States of America. Trenton is considered the boundary between designated "North Jersey" and "South Jersey"...
that would have connected the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
with the Garden State Parkway
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Proposed route description
The Driscoll Expressway, if it had been built, would have passed through the following communities from South to North:- Toms River Township (formerly Dover Township)
- Lakewood
- Jackson TownshipJackson Township, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,816 people, 14,176 households, and 11,269 families residing in the township. The population density was 427.9 people per square mile . There were 14,640 housing units at an average density of 146.3 per square mile...
- Manalapan TownshipManalapan Township, New JerseyManalapan Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,872. The name "Manalapan" comes from the Lenape word for "land of good bread or good land to settle upon."...
- Old Bridge Township (formerly Madison Twp)Old Bridge Township, New JerseyOld Bridge Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township had a total population of 60,456...
- Monroe TownshipMonroe Township, Middlesex County, New JerseyMonroe Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 27,999. Monroe was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, from portions of South Amboy Township, based on the...
- Boro of HelmettaHelmetta, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,825 people, 746 households, and 495 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,153.6 people per square mile . There were 769 housing units at an average density of 907.5 per square mile...
- East Brunswick TownshipEast Brunswick Township, New JerseyThe town is located southwest of New York City and 48 miles northeast of Philadelphia.Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River, runs along the western border of the township...
- South BrunswickSouth Brunswick Township, New JerseySouth Brunswick Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 43,417....
The proposed highway was to have 12 feet (3.7 m) wide lanes and shoulders as well as a wide median with preserved vegetation and a 450 feet (137.2 m) wide right-of-way area of preserved open space. Engineers decided that the speed limit would have been posted at 60 mi/h, as opposed to 70 mi/h for extra safety. The southern half of the highway would have run through the Pinelands Preserve
Pine Barrens (New Jersey)
The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across southern New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn't take well...
, an area of sandy soil that prevents most plant species other than pines to grow, hence the name.
History
Originally envisioned as the 45 miles (72.4 km) long Garden State Thruway, the proposed highway was designated in 1971 for former Governor of New JerseyGovernor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Alfred E. Driscoll
Alfred E. Driscoll
Alfred Eastlack Driscoll was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate representing Camden County, who served as the 43rd Governor of New Jersey, and as president of Warner-Lambert .-Biography:He was born on October 25, 1902 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
by the New Jersey Highway Authority. However, in the mid 1970s, the plans were scratched. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority then stepped in, drawing up plans for a proposed 36 miles (57.9 km) long highway. The route would have provided a route to Southern New Jersey for trucks coming from the Trenton area. The highway was now scheduled for completion in 1976.
However, the project was doomed. Citizens opposed the unwanted traffic that the highway would bring, the pollution that it would release, as well as the harm it would do to the Pine Barrens.
Also, voters turned down a $650 million issue for transportation issues. The governor of the time, Brendan Byrne
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey, from 1974 to 1982.-Early life and education:...
, tried to kill the proposal because of the negative environmental impact it would have. The Authority did not listen, but when Byrne saw that Turnpike tolls would rise by more than 80%, he became more determined. In March 1975, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority dropped plans for the highway. Hopes to revive the highway failed and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority began to sell off the rights-of-way in the late 1980s.
Proposed interchanges
| County | Location | Mile | # Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore.... |
Destinations (Unknown as the highway was never constructed) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Ocean County, New Jersey -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²... |
Toms River Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Toms River Township and is the county seat of Ocean County, New Jersey. It is part of a larger Toms River Township... |
0.00 | D1 | Begin/end Driscoll Expressway | |
| ?.?? | D2 | ||||
| Lakehurst Lakehurst, New Jersey Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a... |
?.?? | D3 | Toll Plaza would have been placed at this interchange | ||
| Jackson Township Jackson Township, New Jersey -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,816 people, 14,176 households, and 11,269 families residing in the township. The population density was 427.9 people per square mile . There were 14,640 housing units at an average density of 146.3 per square mile... |
?.?? | D4 | Toll Plaza would have been placed at this interchange | ||
| Monmouth Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with... |
Manalapan Township Manalapan Township, New Jersey Manalapan Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,872. The name "Manalapan" comes from the Lenape word for "land of good bread or good land to settle upon."... |
?.?? | D5 | Toll Plaza would have been placed at this interchange | |
| Middlesex Middlesex County, New Jersey -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile... |
Old Bridge Township Old Bridge Township, New Jersey Old Bridge Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township had a total population of 60,456... |
?.?? | D6 |  CR 520County Route 520 (New Jersey) County Route 520 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. County Route 520 is a major road across Monmouth County connecting the county's central towns to the Jersey Shore at Sea Bright.-Route description:... |
Toll Plaza would have been placed at this interchange |
| South Brunswick Township South Brunswick Township, New Jersey South Brunswick Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 43,417.... |
?.?? | D7 | Begin/end Driscoll Expressway | ||