state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the southern part of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
Mullica Hill
Mullica Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Harrison Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 3,982.Gloucester County. It is a mostly two-lane, undivided road traversing through farmland in Cumberland, Salem, and Gloucester Counties. Along the way, Route 77 intersects Route 56 in Upper Deerfield Township and U.S. Route 40 (US 40) in Upper Pittsgrove Township.
Prior to 1927, the route was a branch of pre-1927 Route 6 that ran from Bridgeton to Mullica Hill. In 1927, it was designated as Route 46, which replaced the Bridgeton-Mullica Hill branch of pre-1927 Route 6. In 1953, it was renumbered to Route 77 to avoid conflicting with US 46 in the northern part of the state.
Route description
Route 77 heads north from Route 49 and County Route 609 (CR 609) in Bridgeton, Cumberland County on Pearl Street. In a short distance, the route intersects CR 670 and then crosses CR 552, which ends a block to the west at Laurel Street. It continues north through residential areas of Bridgeton, meeting CR 665 and CR 659. Route 77 heads into a commercial area, passing under a
Winchester and Western Railroad
The Winchester and Western Railroad is a shortline railroad operating from Gore through Winchester, Virginia and West Virginia to Hagerstown, Maryland. It also operates several lines in southern New Jersey, connecting to Conrail Shared Assets O ...
line and crossing into Upper Deerfield Township at the junction with Laurel Plaza Drive. The route intersects the western terminus of Route 56 and CR 622, where the route is briefly a four-lane road. Past this junction, Route 77 heads into farmland, where it encounters several county roads including CR 704, CR 617, and CR 658. It heads north into Seabrook, where it meets CR 743 and CR 711. Route 77 intersects CR 612 and CR 630 before crossing CR 540 in Deerfield. Past CR 540, the route has junctions with CR 640 and CR 730. Route 77 then encounters CR 614, the last county route intersection in Cumberland County.
Route 77 crosses into Upper Pittsgrove Township,
Salem County
Salem County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western boundary is formed by the Delaware River and its eastern terminus is the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the county with New Castle, Delaware. Its cou ...
, where it becomes Pole Tavern-Bridgeton Road, and crosses CR 611 in Shirley. It continues north through farms to Pole Tavern, where Route 77 meets
US 40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
, CR 604, and CR 635 at Pole Tavern Circle. Past the Pole Tavern Circle, the route becomes Bridgeton Pike and crosses CR 660. Before leaving Salem County, Route 77 intersects two more county routes: CR 619 and CR 666.
Route 77 crosses
Oldmans Creek
Oldmans Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden ...
Mullica Hill
Mullica Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Harrison Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 3,982.CR 581 and heads north on South Main Street. Route 77 ends at Route 45, where Route 45 continues to the north on South Main Street.
History
Prior to 1927, the route was a branch of pre-1927 Route 6, which had run south from Camden and split into two branches in Mullica Hill that ran to Salem and Bridgeton. In the
1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering
In 1927, New Jersey state highways, New Jersey's state highways were renumbered. The History of state highways in New Jersey (pre-1927), old system, which had been defined in sequence by the legislature since 1916, was growing badly, as several ...
, Route 46 was designated along the former branch of pre-1927 Route 6 that ran from Bridgeton to Mullica Hill.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. In the
1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering
On January 1, 1953, the New Jersey Highway Department renumbered many of the State Routes. This renumbering was first proposed in 1951 in order to reduce confusion to motorists. A few rules were followed in deciding what to renumber:
*No state ro ...
, which stated that no state route and U.S. route could share the same number, Route 46 was changed to Route 77 to avoid a conflict with US 46 in
North Jersey
North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrat ...