Route 75 (New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
Route 75 was a proposed freeway in the U.S. State
of New Jersey
in the Newark
area in 1960s and 1970s. It was designed to connect the existing Route 21 freeway north of Newark with Interstate 78
, U.S. Route 1/9
, and Newark Airport
. The state of New Jersey applied for interstate
status for the route in 1970, but construction of the road remained stalled in courts throughout the 1970s. In 1973, the state of New Jersey and the Federal Highway Administration
shelved plans for the route, and in 1997, the state of New Jersey officially removed the route from its route logs. Despite its removal, vestiges of Route 75 still remain. The first example is Exit 13 on Interstate 280
eastbound in Newark. The exit is an enormous three lane ramp, while through traffic on I-280 has only two lanes. The ramp comes to a stop at a traffic light on First Street just south of Orange Street. Also, at Exit 56 off Interstate 78, large flyover ramps meant for a freeway diverge from the roadway, but terminate at city streets.
, before entering the massive trumpet interchange with Interstate 78. From Interstate 78, Route 75 would head northward directly, interchanging with several local streets in Newark including Runyon, Avon, Kinney and Market on the southbound side and Alpine, Waverly, Court Streets along with Central Avenue (County Route 508
) on the northbound side. From Central Avenue, the new freeway would enter the large interchange with Interstate 280 and New Jersey Route 58 and follow current-day Irvine Turner Boulevard into University Heights. From Interstate 280, Route 75 was to interchange with Park Avenue heading northbound before making a bend to the northeast, where it would merge in with Route 21 (the McCarter Highway) just south of Chester Avenue (Exit 4).
, U.S. Route 9, Interstate 280
(co-signed New Jersey Route 58
), Interstate 78
and Newark Liberty International Airport
for Newark through traffic. The nearby New Jersey Route 21 (McCarter Highway) arterial was designated to handle local traffic in this situation. The new freeway was designed to handle 45,000 people in annual daily traffic by 1975. The new freeway, designated as Route 75, was to begin at an interchange with U.S. Routes 1 and 9 in the southern end of Newark (near the Airport) and continue through Midtown Newark to an interchange with Route 21 south of current-day Exit 4 (Chester Avenue), where the right-of-ways would merge in.
In 1962, the State Highway Department brought up the theory of expanding the Route 75 Freeway into a larger, 60 miles (96.6 km) Interstate 95
alignment extension of the Somerset Freeway. The route was to serve as the local area with an express-local format. Under this, the express lanes would serve Interstate 95 while the local lanes would serve Route 75. However, the plan did not gain traction and the Federal Bureau of Public Roads denied Interstate 95's alignment north of Interstate 287
in Middlesex County. (The Somerset Freeway portion Interstate 95 was canceled in 1982.) To add insult to injury, the State Highway Department had to scale back plans for the Route 75 Freeway in 1967. They recommended constructing the portion between Interstate 78 and Interstate 280 first, later to become a vital artery for Essex and Passaic Counties. In 1967, the freeway was scaled back to two miles and would cost $69.7 million (1967 USD), and just two years later, this had ballooned to $115 million. Of this $115 million, a significant portion would go to condemning buildings and acquiring right-of-way. As a result, the Tri-State Transportation Commission suggested to construct only the Interstate 78-280 portion and not the extensions to Interstate 80
and the Goethals Bridge
.
After high costs began to inhibit further progress, the Department of Transportation suspended construction of the Route 75 Freeway in 1969. Although construction was stopped, the state forwarded the proposal of getting Route 75 to become an Interstate in 1970. The expressway remained on maps through the early 1970s until the state and federal government both shelved the freeway. In 1997, the New Jersey State Legislature appealed Route 75 from state law. Beginning in 2005, the state started construction on the University Heights Connector along the Route 75 right-of-way. As a result, the new connector used the old ramps built for Route 75 into Irvine Turner Boulevard in Newark. The project completed in 2008.
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...
in the 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...
area in 1960s and 1970s. It was designed to connect the existing Route 21 freeway north of Newark with Interstate 78
Interstate 78
Interstate 78 is an Interstate Highway in the Northeast United States, running 144 miles from Interstate 81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown, Pennsylvania, and western and northern New Jersey to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.I-78 is a major road...
, U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 9 is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to the Canadian border near Champlain, New York...
, and Newark Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
. The state of New Jersey applied for interstate
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
status for the route in 1970, but construction of the road remained stalled in courts throughout the 1970s. In 1973, the state of New Jersey and the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
shelved plans for the route, and in 1997, the state of New Jersey officially removed the route from its route logs. Despite its removal, vestiges of Route 75 still remain. The first example is Exit 13 on Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (New Jersey)
Interstate 280 is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It provides a spur from I-80 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, Morris County to Newark, and I-95 Interstate 280 (abbreviated I-280) is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It provides a spur from I-80 in...
eastbound in Newark. The exit is an enormous three lane ramp, while through traffic on I-280 has only two lanes. The ramp comes to a stop at a traffic light on First Street just south of Orange Street. Also, at Exit 56 off Interstate 78, large flyover ramps meant for a freeway diverge from the roadway, but terminate at city streets.
Proposed route
The Route 75 Freeway was intended to begin at an interchange with U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9 south of Newark Liberty International Airport. The route was to head to the northwest, crossing an interchange with New Jersey Route 27 (Frelinghuysen Avenue) on the southbound side. The highway would continue, crossing a southbound trumpet interchange with U.S. Route 22U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 22 is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 near the Newark Liberty International Airport.US 22 also carries the names of the William...
, before entering the massive trumpet interchange with Interstate 78. From Interstate 78, Route 75 would head northward directly, interchanging with several local streets in Newark including Runyon, Avon, Kinney and Market on the southbound side and Alpine, Waverly, Court Streets along with Central Avenue (County Route 508
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:...
) on the northbound side. From Central Avenue, the new freeway would enter the large interchange with Interstate 280 and New Jersey Route 58 and follow current-day Irvine Turner Boulevard into University Heights. From Interstate 280, Route 75 was to interchange with Park Avenue heading northbound before making a bend to the northeast, where it would merge in with Route 21 (the McCarter Highway) just south of Chester Avenue (Exit 4).
History
In 1961, the New Jersey State Highway Department announced plans to lower the existing traffic congestion through Newark with a new freeway through the center of the city. A study was almost immediately funded, named the "Newark Transportation Study", which suggested the construction of a new north–south arterial through midtown Newark. This new freeway was to connect U.S. Route 1U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 1 is a United States highway which parallels the East Coast of the United States, running from Key West, Florida in the south to Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border in the north. Of the entire length of the route, of it runs through New Jersey...
, U.S. Route 9, Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (New Jersey)
Interstate 280 is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It provides a spur from I-80 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, Morris County to Newark, and I-95 Interstate 280 (abbreviated I-280) is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It provides a spur from I-80 in...
(co-signed New Jersey Route 58
New Jersey Route 58
Route 58 is a former state highway in the city of Newark, New Jersey and nearby borough of Harrison, New Jersey. The highway ran from Orange and Hecker Streets in Newark, eastbound as a four-lane freeway across the William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge to Harrison, where it terminated at an...
), Interstate 78
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...
and Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
for Newark through traffic. The nearby New Jersey Route 21 (McCarter Highway) arterial was designated to handle local traffic in this situation. The new freeway was designed to handle 45,000 people in annual daily traffic by 1975. The new freeway, designated as Route 75, was to begin at an interchange with U.S. Routes 1 and 9 in the southern end of Newark (near the Airport) and continue through Midtown Newark to an interchange with Route 21 south of current-day Exit 4 (Chester Avenue), where the right-of-ways would merge in.
In 1962, the State Highway Department brought up the theory of expanding the Route 75 Freeway into a larger, 60 miles (96.6 km) Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
alignment extension of the Somerset Freeway. The route was to serve as the local area with an express-local format. Under this, the express lanes would serve Interstate 95 while the local lanes would serve Route 75. However, the plan did not gain traction and the Federal Bureau of Public Roads denied Interstate 95's alignment north of Interstate 287
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York...
in Middlesex County. (The Somerset Freeway portion Interstate 95 was canceled in 1982.) To add insult to injury, the State Highway Department had to scale back plans for the Route 75 Freeway in 1967. They recommended constructing the portion between Interstate 78 and Interstate 280 first, later to become a vital artery for Essex and Passaic Counties. In 1967, the freeway was scaled back to two miles and would cost $69.7 million (1967 USD), and just two years later, this had ballooned to $115 million. Of this $115 million, a significant portion would go to condemning buildings and acquiring right-of-way. As a result, the Tri-State Transportation Commission suggested to construct only the Interstate 78-280 portion and not the extensions to Interstate 80
Interstate 80 in New Jersey
Interstate 80 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from the New York City Metropolitan Area westward to San Francisco, California...
and the Goethals Bridge
Goethals Bridge
The Goethals Bridge connects Elizabeth, New Jersey to Staten Island , near the Howland Hook Marine Terminal, Staten Island, New York over the Arthur Kill. Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the span was one of the first structures built by the authority...
.
After high costs began to inhibit further progress, the Department of Transportation suspended construction of the Route 75 Freeway in 1969. Although construction was stopped, the state forwarded the proposal of getting Route 75 to become an Interstate in 1970. The expressway remained on maps through the early 1970s until the state and federal government both shelved the freeway. In 1997, the New Jersey State Legislature appealed Route 75 from state law. Beginning in 2005, the state started construction on the University Heights Connector along the Route 75 right-of-way. As a result, the new connector used the old ramps built for Route 75 into Irvine Turner Boulevard in Newark. The project completed in 2008.