State highway in northern New Jersey, US
Route 23
is a
state highway
in the northern part of
New Jersey
, United States. The route runs 52.63 mi (84.70 km) from
County Route 506
(Bloomfield Avenue) and
County Route 577
(Prospect Avenue) in
Verona
,
Essex County
northwest to the border with
New York
at
Montague Township
in
Sussex County
, where the road continues to
Port Jervis, New York
, as Orange County Route 15. Route 23 heads through Essex and
Passaic
Counties as a two- to four-lane surface road and becomes a six-lane
freeway
north of a complex interchange with
U.S. Route 46
and
Interstate 80
in
Wayne
. The freeway carries Route 23 north to a
concurrency
with
U.S. Route 202
. Past the freeway portion, the route heads northwest along the border of
Morris
and Passaic Counties as a four- to six-lane
arterial road
with a wide median at places, winding through mountainous areas and crossing
Interstate 287
in
Riverdale
. The route continues northwest through Sussex County as a mostly two-lane surface road that passes through farmland and woodland as well as the communities of
Franklin
,
Hamburg
, and
Sussex
before reaching the
New York
state line, just south of an interchange with
Interstate 84
and
US 6
in
Port Jervis
, in
Montague Township
near
High Point State Park
.
Route 23 was established in 1927 to run from Verona to the New York border near Port Jervis, replacing
pre-1927 Route 8
between Verona and Sussex. The route followed two turnpikes that were created in the early 19th century: the
Newark-Pompton Turnpike
and the
Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike
. In the mid-1950s, there were plans to build an
Interstate Highway
along Route 23 between Interstate 80 and Interstate 287, but it was never built. In the 1960s, the route was planned to be upgraded to a freeway all the way up to Port Jervis and south to
Piscataway
,
Middlesex County
; however, both freeway proposals were cancelled in the early 1970s. In the mid-1980s, the portion of Route 23 from north of U.S. Route 46 in Wayne to Interstate 287 in Riverdale was improved, with the road upgraded to a six-lane freeway south of the Alps Road intersection and to a six-lane arterial road north of Alps Road.
Route description
[
edit
]
Essex and Passaic counties
[
edit
]
Route 23 begins at an intersection with
County Route 506
(Bloomfield Avenue) and
County Route 577
(Prospect Avenue) in
Verona
, heading to the north through residences and some businesses along four-lane, undivided Pompton Avenue.
[1]
[2]
After a short distance, the road forms the border between
Cedar Grove
to the west and Verona to the east before fully enters Cedar Grove. In Cedar Grove, the route narrows to two lanes at the County Route 640 before widening to four lanes again at the County Route 639 intersection. Shortly before leaving Cedar Grove, Route 23 crosses County Route 604 (Lindsley Road), which also heads to the west as
County Route 527
.
[1]
The road crosses into
Little Falls
,
Passaic County
, where it narrows to two lanes and becomes the
Newark-Pompton Turnpike
. In Little Falls, Route 23 heads through the central part of the community before crossing the
Passaic River
into
Wayne
where the road leaves the Newark-Pompton Turnpike briefly and widens to a four lane
divided highway
. Route 23 passes two shopping malls,
Willowbrook Mall
and
Wayne Towne Center
, and enters the "Spaghetti Bowl" interchange with
U.S. Route 46
and
Interstate 80
. Within this interchange, the route passes under
NJ Transit
's
Montclair-Boonton Line
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
North of Interstate 80, the road rejoins the route of the Newark-Pompton Turnpike and becomes a six-lane
freeway
, featuring a
cloverleaf interchange
with West Belt Road that provides access to the
Wayne Route 23 Transit Center
along the Montclair-Boonton Line. Route 23 continues north with
frontage roads
serving businesses, coming to an interchange with
U.S. Route 202
and
County Route 511 Alternate
, forming a
concurrency
with U.S. Route 202.
[1]
[2]
The road passes over a
Norfolk Southern
railroad line before it has an interchange with County Route 670 (Alps Road) and becomes a six-lane
arterial road
. Following this, the roadway passes west of the Mother's Park & Ride, a
park and ride
facility serving NJ Transit buses, and reaches an interchange with County Route 683, where the Newark-Pompton Turnpike again leaves Route 23 and U.S. Route 202, which continue north from this point as a surface road through commercial areas. At a U-turn ramp, the eastbound direction of
County Route 504
follows both directions of the road, having to use the ramp in order to continue across the road.
[4]
Northbound U.S. Route 202 splits from Route 23, where the cut-off intersection with County Route 504 is located. At this point, the westbound direction of County Route 504 and the southbound direction of U.S. Route 202 follow southbound Route 23 until an intersection.
[1]
Morris and Passaic counties
[
edit
]
Route 23 crosses into
Pequannock Township
in
Morris County
and passes over the
Pompton River
. In Pequannock, the road is a six-lane
arterial road
with at-grade intersections, some controlled by
jughandles
, that heads through a mix of businesses and woodland.
[1]
[2]
At the north end of Pequannock, the route passes over a
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
(NYSW) branch line and intersects County Route 660, where the Newark-Pompton Turnpike rejoins Route 23. The route intersects County Route 511 Alternate (Boulevard) and crosses into
Riverdale
, with County Route 511 Alternate following Route 23 until it heads to the north on the Newark-Pompton Turnpike.
[1]
Route 23 interchanges with
Interstate 287
and climbs a hill past the interchange, heading to the west. The route runs through
Kinnelon
, passing over the NYSW New Jersey Subdivision line, before entering
Butler
. In Butler, Route 23 passes through commercial areas, crossing
County Route 511
(Boonton Avenue) before heading northwest. The road drops to four lanes, still divided by a
Jersey barrier
.
[1]
[2]
It heads under Maple Lake Road before passing through Kinnelon again. Upon leaving Kinnelon, the route enters
West Milford
in Passaic County at the crossing of the
Pequannock River
.
[1]
At this point, the route enters a more wooded, mountainous setting, following the Pequannock River and the NYSW line.
[2]
Route 23 joins the Hamburg Turnpike and the road splits, with the southbound lanes crossing over the Pequannock River into Kinnelon for a time. The route passes by the Charlotteburg Reservoir, a
reservoir
for the
Newark
public water supply, and has a
rest area
in the northbound direction.
[1]
[2]
Route 23 intersects
County Route 513
(Union Valley Road), running concurrent with that route. The southbound lanes cross the Pequannock River into
Jefferson Township
, Morris County and County Route 513 splits from Route 23 by heading south on Green Pond Road. The southbound lanes cross back into West Milford, where the two separate roads rejoin. The
Clinton Road
intersection has the longest stoplight signal cycle in the United States, with drivers waiting up to 5 minutes and 33 seconds to cross the intersection.
[5]
Route 23 continues northwest through forested areas, crossing over the railroad tracks and passing by the Oak Ridge Reservoir, another reservoir that provides water for Newark.
[2]
The route crosses the Pequannock River three times, running within Jefferson Township between the first two crossings and past the third crossing.
[1]
Sussex County
[
edit
]
Route 23 enters
Hardyston Township
,
Sussex County
and comes to an intersection with
County Route 515
(Stockholm-Vernon Road). Past this intersection, the divided Hamburg Turnpike highway ends and Route 23 becomes a two-lane, undivided road. The road heads to the northwest through wooded mountains and runs through the community of
Stockholm
, where it passes east of a park and ride lot located at a church. The route curves west onto a winding road, passing over the NYSW line. The roadway gains a wide painted median, crossing into
Franklin
and meeting
County Route 517
(Munsonhurst Road).
[1]
[2]
County Route 517 heads north along with Route 23, with the wide median ending, and the road continues through residential and commercial areas of Franklin with a brief wide painted median near the County Route 631 (Franklin Avenue) intersection.
[1]
The road crosses a stream, Mill Brook, into
Hamburg
, where County Route 517 splits from Route 23 by heading east on Quarry Road. Route 23 continues north through wooded residential areas of Hamburg, passing under the NYSW line and crossing
Route 94
. The route crosses back into Hardyston Township, heading north through a mix of farms and forests.
[1]
[2]
Route 23 crosses the
Wallkill River
into
Wantage Township
and continues north to an intersection with
County Route 565
(Glenwood Road), running concurrent with that route and gaining a wide painted median past that intersection which eventually turns into a center left-turn lane. The road passes some businesses and becomes a two-lane divided highway before County Route 565 departs from Route 23 by heading west on Lewisburg Road.
[1]
[2]
Route 23 crosses into
Sussex
, where the route becomes a
one-way pair
along Hamburg Avenue northbound and Walling Avenue southbound, passing by residences. The route intersects
Route 284
(E. Main Street) before the northbound directions turns left onto Loomis Avenue, where County Route 643 continues north on Main Street. Immediately after turning onto Loomis Avenue, County Route 639 continues west on Loomis Avenue and Route 23 becomes two-way again, heading north on two-lane undivided Mill Street. The route becomes Clove Avenue before crossing back into Wantage Township.
[1]
[2]
In Wantage Township, Route 23 continues north through farmland and woodland, eventually turning west. It comes to an intersection with
County Route 519
(Colesville-Lusscroft Road) and turns north, running concurrent with that route through forested areas until County Route 519 heads north on Greenville Road.
[1]
[2]
Route 23 continues northwest and heads across
Kittatinny Mountain
, crossing the
Appalachian Trail
and entering
Montague Township
, Here, the road heads into heavily forested
High Point State Park
, which is home to the highest elevation in New Jersey.
[2]
The route descends through Montague Township along a winding road, passing by some businesses immediately before heading to the
New York
state line.
[1]
[2]
Route 23 officially ends at the state line and the road continues into
Orange County, New York
as County Route 15 (Tappen Road) for less than one-half mile. A few feet after the state line, County Route 15 comes to an interchange with
Interstate 84
before it ends at an intersection with
U.S. Route 6
in
Port Jervis
.
[2]
Although Interstate 84 does not enter New Jersey, missing it by only a few feet, the signs on it for the interchange with County Route 15 refer to Route 23, even though some signs erroneously refer to it as New York State Route 23.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
Route 23 follows the course of the Pompton Trail, and old Lenape trail connecting what is now Glen Ridge, New Jersey to the Minisink Village in what is now Montague.
[7]
[
failed verification
]
In the 19th century, two turnpikes were incorporated that would later become parts of Route 23: the
Newark-Pompton Turnpike
, which was built between 1806 and 1811; and the
Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike
, which was incorporated in 1806, and was built from Paterson to a landing in Montague Township, where the
Owego and Milford Turnpike
continued its route west.
[8]
[9]
Parts of the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike are now
CR 650
in Sussex County, the Hamburg Turnpike from Butler to Wayne (signed CR 694, CR 689, and
CR 504
), Central Avenue through
Haledon
, and into Paterson as Broadway. Due to realignments, the current alignment of Route 23 bypasses the intersection of these two turnpikes.
[2]
North of Coleville, the road was maintained by the
Coleville and Carpenter's Point Turnpike
, chartered in 1850.
[10]
In the
original system
of New Jersey highways, the Newark-Pompton Turnpike and Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike were combined to form
pre-1927 Route 8
, which ran from
Montclair
to the New York border near
Unionville, New York
, running along the alignment of current Route 23 north to Sussex and following present-day Route 284 north of Sussex.
[11]
In the
1927 New Jersey State Highway renumbering
, Route 23 was designated to run from
Route 9
(now County Route 506) in Verona north to the New York border near Port Jervis, replacing pre-1927 Route 8 from Verona to Sussex.
[12]
[13]
In the 1930s, communities in Passaic and Morris counties were bypassed by four-lane roads, with Bloomingdale and Butler bypassed in 1933,
[14]
and Pequannock by 1936.
[15]
In the
1955 plan for the Interstate Highway System
, an
Interstate Highway
was planned along the Route 23 corridor between Interstate 80 in Wayne and Interstate 287 in
Pompton Plains
, also connecting to a proposed Interstate along the
Route 3
corridor. However, this proposed Interstate was never built.
[16]
Plans were made in the early 1960s for a Route 23 freeway running from Interstate 80 north to Interstate 84 in Port Jervis, New York, providing improved freeway access to northwestern New Jersey.
[17]
This proposed freeway, which was to cost $120 million, was cancelled in the early 1970s due to financial troubles and feared environmental issues.
[18]
A 1966 proposal called for Route 23 to be extended south as a freeway to Interstate 287 in
Piscataway
in
Middlesex County
, running parallel to the
Garden State Parkway
. This $300 million freeway was added to planning maps in 1969 as
Route 807
but was also cancelled in the early 1970s.
[19]
In the late 1970s, the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
made plans to rebuild the section of Route 23, at the time a four-lane undivided road, between Interstate 80 and Interstate 287 to a six-lane freeway between Interstate 80 and Alps Road and a six-lane surface road north of Alps Road.
[20]
Construction on these improvements began in 1983 and were completed in 1986. With these improvements to the route, many
traffic circles
were removed, including one at U.S. Route 46 that was replaced with a complex interchange. In 2008, the Spaghetti Bowl interchange with Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46 was improved, costing $70 million.
[3]
In 2010, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began plans to move Route 23 to a new alignment through Sussex. With this project, the bridge over the Papakating Creek was replaced and a new road for the southbound lanes was built as an extension of Walling Avenue, while the original Route 23 became northbound only.
[21]
[22]
The project lasted from July 2012 to November 2014.
[23]
Major intersections
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
"New Jersey Route 23 straight line diagram"
(PDF)
.
New Jersey Department of Transportation
. Retrieved
March 17,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
Google
(2009-01-05).
"overview of New Jersey Route 23"
(Map).
Google Maps
. Google
. Retrieved
2009-01-05
.
- ^
a
b
Boud, Tom (September 15, 2008). "Spaghetti Bowl project complete". Passaic Valley Today.
- ^
"Route 202 straight line diagram"
(PDF)
.
New Jersey Department of Transportation
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2006-03-18
. Retrieved
2009-01-05
.
- ^
Chesler, Caren (2001-06-24).
"ON THE ROAD; The Longest Light"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2018-01-12
.
- ^
Google
(September 10, 2013).
"Street View on Interstate 84 eastbound at Exit 1 in New York"
(Map).
Google Maps
. Google
. Retrieved
September 10,
2013
.
- ^
Snyder, John (1969).
"The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968"
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2012-06-05.
- ^
"History of Pequannock NJ"
. NJProperty Realty Services. Archived from
the original
on October 23, 2007
. Retrieved
2009-01-06
.
- ^
"New Jersey Department of Transportation-New Jersey Historic Bridge Data-Bureau of Environmental Services"
(PDF)
.
New Jersey Department of Transportation
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2011-06-16
. Retrieved
2009-01-06
.
- ^
"Early turnpikes helped all travelers"
.
New Jersey Herald
. Retrieved
2020-06-12
.
- ^
Annual Report
. New Jersey State Highway Department. 1917.
- ^
State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
- ^
1927 New Jersey Road Map
(Map). State of New Jersey. Archived from
the original
on 2007-10-31
. Retrieved
2008-10-08
.
- ^
Passaic County Planning Association;
Regional Plan Association
(1934).
Passaic County and the Regional Plan: Just What This Great Enterprise Means to the County and Particularly to the Community in Which You Live
. New York:
Regional Plan Association
. p. 14.
hdl
:
2027/uc1.b4592740
.
- ^
Hewitt, George (January 1936).
Map of Passaic County, N.J., showing Highway System
(Map).
- ^
General Location of National System of Interstate Highways in New York, New York
(Map).
Bureau of Public Roads
. 1955
. Retrieved
2009-12-22
.
- ^
Regional Highways: Status Report
. Tri-State Transportation Commission. 1962.
- ^
"Interstate 80-84 Links Opposed".
The New York Times
. November 27, 1972.
- ^
Burks, Edward C. (November 4, 1973). "Highway Programs Showing Progress".
The New York Times
.
- ^
Narvaez, Alfonso A. (September 9, 1979). "Transport Bond Issue At Stake; Bonds for Transit".
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Route 23 Sussex Borough Realignment - Overview"
.
New Jersey Department of Transportation
. Retrieved
2010-08-18
.
- ^
"Route 23 Sussex Borough Realignment Project Plan"
(PDF)
.
New Jersey Department of Transportation
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2011-09-29
. Retrieved
2010-08-18
.
- ^
"Route 23 Sussex Borough Realignment - Schedule"
.
New Jersey Department of Transportation
. Retrieved
2010-08-18
.
External links
[
edit
]
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