Newark Plank Road
Encyclopedia
The Newark Plank Road was a major 19th century artery between New Jersey
's Hudson Waterfront
and the burgeoning city of Newark
, further inland across the New Jersey Meadows
. As its name suggests, a plank road
was constructed of wooden planks laid side-to-side on a roadbed. A charter to construct the Newark Plank Road and Ferry was granted on February 24, 1849. Similar roads, the Bergen Point Plank Road
, the Hackensack Plank Road
and Paterson Plank Road
, travelled to the locales for which they are named. The name is no longer used, the route having been absorbed into other streets and freeways. By 1869 Central Railroad of New Jersey
's Newark and New York Railroad
was running trains that mirrored the route. (The right of way through Bergen Hill
is now used by Hudson-Bergen Light Rail West Side Branch
). Public Service Railway
Lines #1 ran along much of route until bustitution
was implemented, keeping the old number now used by New Jersey Transit
as part of the #1 bus route.
Newark Avenue in Jersey City begins at Grove Street, the stretch connecting it to the waterfront at Exchange Place/Paulus Hook called Railroad Avenue, after the Jersey City Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad
. This commercial thoroughfare in Historic Downtown
borders the neighborhoods of Van Vorst Park
, The Village
, and Harsimus Cove
. Once crossing under the Newark Bay Extension
of the New Jersey Turnpike
it ascends Bergen Hill
, between the landmarks Jersey City High School and the Harsimus and Jersey City Cemetery. The avenue enters the Five Corners
district, which is the county seat
of Hudson County, New Jersey
, and passes Hudson County Courthouse
and Administration Building. Though not called such, the area becomes a "Little Manila", due to the concentration of Filipino American
businesses located there. As crosses Kennedy Boulevard
, Newark Avenue descends and becomes the heart the of India Square
neighborhood. It passes through the Marion Section running parallel to the PATH rail lines and under the Marion Junction lines. Here Newark Avenue diverges from the colonial route and crosses the Wittpenn Bridge
and soon thereafter splits into the Belleville Turnpike and the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike
. The Newark Plank Road followed the route of U.S. Route 1/9 Truck (that now passes Holy Name Cemetery
and Lincoln Park) turning onto Communipaw Avenue
. After 1913 it became part of the Lincoln Highway
, the first transcontinental automobile route across the United States.
Public Service Railway
Lines #3 and #9 ran along the avenue until bustitution
was implemented.
After crossing the Hackensack River
the road traverses Kearny Point, the southern tip of New Barbadoes Neck
where the Hackensack and Passaic River
meet. It ran parallel to the Morris Canal
. This section was part the transcontinental Lincoln Highway
and retains that name.
section of Newark
was part of the plank road, named after the ferry that would travel between Newark and points east. In 1849, "The Newark Plank Road Company" was hired to fix the road with planks for smoother travel. Ferry Street was then changed to "Plank Road." It was not completed within the fifty year charter that it was given to accomplish the work. A legal dispute arose and the Hudson County
section changed "Plank Road" to the Lincoln Highway
while the Essex County
section was changed back to "Ferry Street."
A related road is Newark Street in Hoboken
which begins close to the Hoboken Terminal
. For most of distance it is a narrow one way street after which it becomes a busy thoroughfare in the southwestern corner of town. It originally travelled to Five Corners
near Journal Square
. Subsequent rail and vehicular infrastructure have divided the route into several sections. A detour is created at the intersection of Observer Highway, close to which begins Paterson Plank Road
. It crosses under New Jersey Transit rail operations
at the city line, where again the route is diverted to accommodate the Hudson Bergen Light Rail junction. Becoming Hoboken Ave it ascends Bergen Hill
where the route is interrupted by the Divided Highway
, the Long Dock Tunnel
and Bergen Arches
. It resumes on the other side of the "cuts
" for a short stretch before becoming one the streets that creates the Five Corners
.
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...
's Hudson Waterfront
Hudson Waterfront
The Hudson Waterfront is in northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington...
and the burgeoning city of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, further inland across the New Jersey Meadows
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
. As its name suggests, a plank road
Plank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
was constructed of wooden planks laid side-to-side on a roadbed. A charter to construct the Newark Plank Road and Ferry was granted on February 24, 1849. Similar roads, the Bergen Point Plank Road
Bergen Point Plank Road
The Jersey City and Bergen Point Plank Road was a road in the 19th century in Hudson County, New Jersey which ran between Paulus Hook and Bergen Point. The company which built the road received its charter on March 6, 1850. It has subsequently become Grand Street and Garfield Avenue in Jersey City...
, the Hackensack Plank Road
Hackensack Plank Road
The Hackensack Plank Road was a major artery which connected the cities of Hoboken and Hackensack, New Jersey Like its cousin routes, the Newark Plank Road and Paterson Plank Road, it travelled over Bergen Hill and across the Hackensack Meadows from the Hudson River waterfront to the city for...
and Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey originally lain in the colonial era. The route, connecting the city Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront, still exists...
, travelled to the locales for which they are named. The name is no longer used, the route having been absorbed into other streets and freeways. By 1869 Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
's Newark and New York Railroad
Newark and New York Railroad
The Newark and New York Railroad was a passenger rail line that ran between Downtown Newark and the Communipaw Terminal at the mouth of the North River in Jersey City, bridging the Hackensack River and Passaic River just north of their mouths at the Newark Bay in northeastern New...
was running trains that mirrored the route. (The right of way through Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
is now used by Hudson-Bergen Light Rail West Side Branch
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City , and North Bergen.The system began...
). Public Service Railway
Public Service Railway
The Public Service Railway, owned by the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, operated most of the streetcar lines in New Jersey by the early 20th century. Public Service lines stretched from northeast New Jersey to Trenton, and then south to Camden and its suburbs...
Lines #1 ran along much of route until bustitution
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
was implemented, keeping the old number now used by New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of New Jersey Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia.-History:...
as part of the #1 bus route.
Jersey City
Newark Avenue in Jersey City begins at Grove Street, the stretch connecting it to the waterfront at Exchange Place/Paulus Hook called Railroad Avenue, after the Jersey City Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. This commercial thoroughfare in Historic Downtown
Downtown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey that includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza...
borders the neighborhoods of Van Vorst Park
Van Vorst Park
Van Vorst Park is neighborhood in Historic Downtown in Jersey City, centered around a park sharing the same name. The neighborhood is located west of Paulus Hook and Marin Boulevard, north of Grand Street, east of the Turnpike Extension, and south of The Village and Christopher Columbus Drive...
, The Village
The Village, Jersey City
The Village is a neighborhood in the western section of Historic Downtown in Jersey City. It is bordered by Hamilton Park and Harsimus Cove to the east and the Turnpike Extension to the west, on the other side of which Jones Park and Mary Benson Park are located. Newark Avenue is the major street...
, and Harsimus Cove
Harsimus
Harsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
. Once crossing under the Newark Bay Extension
Interstate 78 in New Jersey
Interstate 78 is an east–west route stretching from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania to New York City. In New Jersey, I-78 is called the Phillipsburg–Newark Expressway and the Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike...
of 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...
it ascends Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
, between the landmarks Jersey City High School and the Harsimus and Jersey City Cemetery. The avenue enters the Five Corners
Five Corners, Jersey City
Five Corners is at the intersection of Summit Avenue, Newark Avenue and Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey and is a northeastern part of the larger Journal Square district...
district, which is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
, and passes Hudson County Courthouse
Hudson County Courthouse
The Hudson County Courthouse or Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Courthouse is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. The six-story structure was originally built between 1906 and 1910 at a cost of $3,328,016.56...
and Administration Building. Though not called such, the area becomes a "Little Manila", due to the concentration of Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
businesses located there. As crosses Kennedy Boulevard
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
, Newark Avenue descends and becomes the heart the of India Square
India Square
India Square also called Little India or Little Bombay is a neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey. The neighborhood is centered around Newark Avenue between Tonnelle Avenue and JFK Boulevard, and is considered to be part of the larger Journal Square district...
neighborhood. It passes through the Marion Section running parallel to the PATH rail lines and under the Marion Junction lines. Here Newark Avenue diverges from the colonial route and crosses the Wittpenn Bridge
Wittpenn Bridge
The Wittpenn Bridge is a vertical lift bridge that carries New Jersey Route 7 over the Hackensack River connecting Kearny and Jersey City, New Jersey. It is named after H. Otto Wittpenn, a former mayor of Jersey City. The bridge comprises four -wide lanes, extending and standing above mean high...
and soon thereafter splits into the Belleville Turnpike and the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike
County Route 508 (New Jersey)
County Route 508 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 16.14 miles from Mount Pleasant Avenue in Livingston to Belleville Turnpike in Kearny.-Essex County:...
. The Newark Plank Road followed the route of U.S. Route 1/9 Truck (that now passes Holy Name Cemetery
Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City
Holy Name Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery in Jersey City, New Jersey administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. It was established in 1866 and at the end of calendar year 2002 has accepted 264,984 burials. The cemetery parcel is and all but has been developed and sold for...
and Lincoln Park) turning onto Communipaw Avenue
Communipaw
Communipaw is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey west of Liberty State Park and east of Bergen Hill, and site of one the earliest European settlements in North America. It gives its name to the historic avenue which runs from its eastern end near LSP Station through the neighborhoods of...
. After 1913 it became part of the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, the first transcontinental automobile route across the United States.
Public Service Railway
Public Service Railway
The Public Service Railway, owned by the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, operated most of the streetcar lines in New Jersey by the early 20th century. Public Service lines stretched from northeast New Jersey to Trenton, and then south to Camden and its suburbs...
Lines #3 and #9 ran along the avenue until bustitution
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
was implemented.
Kearny Point
After crossing the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
the road traverses Kearny Point, the southern tip of New Barbadoes Neck
New Barbadoes Neck
New Barbadoes Neck is the name given in the colonial era for the peninsula in northeastern New Jersey, USA between the lower Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, in what is now western Hudson County and southern Bergen County...
where the Hackensack and Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
meet. It ran parallel to the Morris Canal
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
. This section was part the transcontinental Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
and retains that name.
Newark
Ferry Street in the IronboundIronbound
The Ironbound is a large working-class neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. This close-knit, multi-ethnic community covers approximately four square miles . Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simply "the Neck," because of the way the Passaic River curved to form what...
section of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
was part of the plank road, named after the ferry that would travel between Newark and points east. In 1849, "The Newark Plank Road Company" was hired to fix the road with planks for smoother travel. Ferry Street was then changed to "Plank Road." It was not completed within the fifty year charter that it was given to accomplish the work. A legal dispute arose and the Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
section changed "Plank Road" to the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
while the Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
section was changed back to "Ferry Street."
Hoboken
A related road is Newark Street in Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
which begins close to the Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is one of the New York Metropolitan area's major transportation hubs. The commuter-oriented intermodal facility, is located on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey...
. For most of distance it is a narrow one way street after which it becomes a busy thoroughfare in the southwestern corner of town. It originally travelled to Five Corners
Five Corners, Jersey City
Five Corners is at the intersection of Summit Avenue, Newark Avenue and Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey and is a northeastern part of the larger Journal Square district...
near Journal Square
Journal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
. Subsequent rail and vehicular infrastructure have divided the route into several sections. A detour is created at the intersection of Observer Highway, close to which begins Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey originally lain in the colonial era. The route, connecting the city Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront, still exists...
. It crosses under New Jersey Transit rail operations
New Jersey Transit rail operations
New Jersey Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of New Jersey Transit. It provides regional rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered around transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark...
at the city line, where again the route is diverted to accommodate the Hudson Bergen Light Rail junction. Becoming Hoboken Ave it ascends Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
where the route is interrupted by the Divided Highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
, the Long Dock Tunnel
Long Dock Tunnel
The Long Dock Tunnel is a tunnel in New Jersey that runs diagonally through Bergen Hill, a section of the New Jersey Palisades in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States...
and Bergen Arches
Bergen Arches
Bergen Arches is an abandoned railroad right of way through Bergen Hill in Jersey City, New Jersey.-History:...
. It resumes on the other side of the "cuts
Cut (earthmoving)
In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal, road or railway line....
" for a short stretch before becoming one the streets that creates the Five Corners
Five Corners, Jersey City
Five Corners is at the intersection of Summit Avenue, Newark Avenue and Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey and is a northeastern part of the larger Journal Square district...
.
See also
- List of turnpikes in New Jersey
- List of county routes in Hudson County, New Jersey
- Bergen Point Plank RoadBergen Point Plank RoadThe Jersey City and Bergen Point Plank Road was a road in the 19th century in Hudson County, New Jersey which ran between Paulus Hook and Bergen Point. The company which built the road received its charter on March 6, 1850. It has subsequently become Grand Street and Garfield Avenue in Jersey City...