auxiliary route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the In ...
of the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
located in 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 sove ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
. Its western end is at
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
* Interstate ...
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Hamilton Township, Mercer County, while its eastern end is at the
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
Central Jersey
Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym.
Geographic area and descriptions
While the State of New Jersey is often divided into North an ...
. It has an interchange with the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...
(
I-95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
state capital
Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities.
National capitals
*List of national capitals
* List of national capitals by latitude
*List of national capitals by population
* List of national capitals by area
* List of capital c ...
Horse Park of New Jersey
The Horse Park of New Jersey is a park that holds equestrian events, located in Upper Freehold, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, with an Allentown address.
History
The Horse Park of New Jersey was conceived by equestrian enthusi ...
,
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is an amusement park located in Jackson, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park complex is situated between New York City and Philadelphia and includes a water park named Hurricane Harbor. It first o ...
amusement park, and the
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...
. I-195 is occasionally referred to as the Central Jersey Expressway. On April 6, 1988, President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
signed H.R. 4263 naming Interstate 195 in New Jersey the James J. Howard Interstate Highway, in honor of the late
James J. Howard
James John Howard (July 24, 1927 – March 25, 1988) was an American educator and Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 until his death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C. in ...
.
The current I-195 was initially planned as a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implement ...
called the Trenton-Asbury Park Expressway in the 1950s. In the 1960s, it became two proposed freeways Route 37 and Route 38 that were to cross the central part of the state. A compromise was reached for a single freeway between Trenton and Belmar which would get Interstate Highway funding as I-195. It was built in several stages during the 1970s and 1980s. There once existed a plan to extend the I-195 designation west to the interchange between the
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...
(I-276) and
I-95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
in
Bristol Township, Pennsylvania
Bristol Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 54,582 at the 2010 census, making it the 13th largest municipality in the state. Bristol Township, along with Bristol Borough, is a cultural hub f ...
, but it was decided to extend the I-295 designation west and south, along existing I-95 instead.
Route description
I-195's western terminus is at a modified
cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...
with
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
* Interstate ...
in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, located southeast of the city of Trenton. From this end, the freeway continues north into Trenton as Route 29. I-195 serves as the southern continuation of Route 29, continuing east from I-295 as a six-lane expressway, passing between suburban neighborhoods to the north and the
Crosswicks Creek
Crosswicks 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 Burlington County, New Jersey.
Description
Crosswicks Creek water ...
to the south. After the exit for US 206, the highway narrows to four lanes and turns northeast as it interchanges with CR 524 and CR 620. Following this, I-195 passes near more neighborhoods and runs to the northwest of Gropp Lake before turning more to the east. The route has a cloverleaf interchange with Yardville-Hamilton Square Road before passing near business parks and reaching a cloverleaf junction with US 130. After US 130, the road enters Robbinsville Township as the settings start to become more rural, with a few areas of suburban development. In Robbinsville Township, there is a ramp that provides access to the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...
(
I-95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
). Shortly after passing over the New Jersey Turnpike, I-195 reaches the exit for CR 526. The highway runs to the north of
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
*Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
*Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...
before briefly forming the border between Robbinsville Township to the north and Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County to the south as it reaches the interchange with CR 524/ CR 539.
Upon passing under CR 524/CR 539, I-195 fully enters Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County and continues east through a mix of woodland and farmland. The next interchange the highway reaches is with CR 43. Past this exit, the highway passes through more rural areas and crosses into Millstone Township. In this area, I-195 turns to the southeast and enters more forested areas as it comes to a cloverleaf interchange with CR 537. This exit off I-195 provides access to the
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is an amusement park located in Jackson, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park complex is situated between New York City and Philadelphia and includes a water park named Hurricane Harbor. It first o ...
amusement park and the
Jackson Premium Outlets
Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township population was 58,544. A portion of the township is located within the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Roughly equidistant b ...
. Due to the presence of Six Flags, this exit off I-195 can become busy during the summer months since it provides access to the park from both the New Jersey Turnpike and the
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
, which lies just east of I-195's eastern terminus. Upon crossing CR 537, the highway enters Jackson Township in
Ocean County
Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.CR 527, where there is a
park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...
lot for motorists. The median of I-195 widens past the CR 527 junction before narrowing as it comes to the CR 638 interchange. The road runs through more woodland, with nearby residential development increasing.
After crossing the
North Branch Metedeconk River
The Metedeconk River is a tributary of Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States.
The Metedeconk River flows from its U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, acces ...
, I-195 continues into Howell Township, Monmouth County and turns northeast, reaching a cloverleaf interchange with
US 9
U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, betwe ...
. At this point, the road turns east again and soon heads back into dense woods, passing over
Conrail Shared Assets Operations
Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail ( reporting mark CRCX), an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Area ...
'
Southern Secondary
The Southern Secondary is a rail line in New Jersey, operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) from South Amboy to Red Bank, and the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (DRR), a subsidiary of Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC, between Red Ban ...
railroad line. After crossing the
Manasquan River
The Manasquan River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 waterway in central New Jersey.
It flows from western Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold T ...
, the expressway interchanges with CR 547, which provides access to CR 524 and CR 549. Shortly after CR 547, I-195 enters Wall Township and passes through
Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park is a park located in Howell and in Wall Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the borough of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New ...
. The eastern end of I-195 is located at Exit 35, its junction with Route 34 that has access to the southbound Garden State Parkway from the eastbound direction. At the exit for Route 34, I-195 ends and Route 138 begins, but the highway and exit numbering continue onto Route 138, marking the interchange with the
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
as Exit 36. Past this interchange, Route 138 continues east to Belmar on the
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...
as an arterial boulevard, making connections with Route 18 and Route 35.
History
What would become I-195 was first proposed in the late 1950s as a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implement ...
called the Trenton-Asbury Park Expressway that was to be operated by the
New Jersey Highway Authority
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Towns ...
, the owner of the Garden State Parkway at the time. In 1965, this road would be incorporated into a planned Central Jersey Expressway System. The western portion would become a part of the Route 37 freeway that was to run from Trenton to Seaside Heights while the eastern portion would become a part of the Route 38 freeway that was to run from Camden to Belmar. The two freeways were to meet near
Fort Dix
Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force ...
. By 1967, plans for the Route 38 freeway were canceled, leaving Route 37 as the only planned east-west freeway through central New Jersey. The routing of this freeway, which was to be called the Central Jersey Expressway, was changed to run from the Trenton area east to Wall Township In addition, officials pushed for
Interstate Highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
funding for the freeway, with funds to be diverted from the canceled
I-278
Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York ...
in Union County. The proposed freeway would cost $60 million.
By 1970, construction took place on the route between CR 539 near Allentown and CR 527 in Jackson Township. The portion of I-195 between the New Jersey Turnpike and CR 527 was opened by 1973 and construction on the section between
White Horse
A white horse is born predominantly white and stays white throughout its life. A white horse has mostly pink skin under its hair coat, and may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. "True white" horses, especially those that carry one of the dominant ...
and the New Jersey Turnpike began. In 1979, I-195 was completed east to Squankum. By 1983, the length of I-195 was completed.
When it was planned, I-195 did not intersect I-95 at all; it instead connected to I-295 at its west end. When I-95 was re-routed to the New Jersey Turnpike after the cancellation of the
Somerset Freeway
Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major Interstate Highway that traverses nearly the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine. In the state of New Jersey, it runs along much of the mainline of the New Jersey Turnpike ( ...
, I-195 was connected to I-95. Previously, I-95 abruptly ended at I-295 and US 1 in Lawrence Township and motorists had to take I-295 southbound to I-195 east in order to access I-95/New Jersey Turnpike. This is no longer necessary as a result of the
Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project
The Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project is an ongoing road construction project to build an interchange where Interstate 95 (I-95) crosses the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the U ...
which opened to traffic on September 22, 2018 completing the full length of I-95 from
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, to
Houlton, Maine
Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the Canada–United States border. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 6,055. It is perhaps best known for being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and as the birthplace of S ...
.
On April 6, 1988, President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
signed H.R. 4263 naming I-195 in New Jersey the James J. Howard Interstate Highway, in honor of the late
James J. Howard
James John Howard (July 24, 1927 – March 25, 1988) was an American educator and Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 until his death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C. in ...
, a U.S. Representative from New Jersey who advocated improving the highways of the United States. In the late 1990s, the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
(NJDOT) considered the possibility of widening I-195 to six lanes between the New Jersey Turnpike and CR 537 in order to accommodate traffic going to Six Flags Great Adventure. In 1997, separate ramps were added from I-195 to westbound and eastbound CR 537, and the westbound ramp was expanded to two lanes for Six Flags traffic.
I-195, like many other highways in New Jersey, once had solar powered emergency
call box
A call box or callbox is a (usually metal) box containing a special-purpose direct line telephone or other telecommunications device which has been used by various industries and institutions as a way for employees or clients at a remote locat ...
es every . With the advent of cell phones, the call boxes saw limited use. To save on maintenance costs, the NJDOT removed the call boxes in 2005.
On April 30, 2010, NJDOT started a project to repave the expressway both eastbound and westbound from just east of the Turnpike overpasses near Exit 7 in Robbinsville Township to Exit 11 in Upper Freehold Township. This was completed in late autumn of 2010.
From July 2009 until November 2014, the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) was widened with the construction of new outer roadways ("truck lanes") that extended the "dual-dual" roadways south to Interchange 6 in Mansfield Township from its former end at Interchange 8A in Monroe Township. As part of this project, the overpasses carrying I-195 over the Turnpike were reconstructed, the Interchange 7A toll gate was widened, and all the ramps connecting directly to the mainline of the Turnpike were rebuilt which included building a new high-speed ramp over I-195 to enter the northbound lanes of the Turnpike.
For about a decade, there was a plan to extend the designation of I-195 to the west in concurrence with the rerouting of I-95 planned as part of the
Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project
The Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project is an ongoing road construction project to build an interchange where Interstate 95 (I-95) crosses the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the U ...
. Beginning in 2005, plans were made to extend I-195 west from its present-day western terminus along I-295 and I-95, continuing counterclockwise to the north, west and south around Trenton to the new interchange. I-295 would have been truncated to the current interchange with I-195. Officials from New Jersey and Pennsylvania had agreed to submit the I-195 request to
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United ...
(AASHTO), as no route designation is official until approved by them. Had it been approved, approximately would have been added to I-195. Interchange renumbering would have also taken place in concert with the future I-195 designation in Pennsylvania and both the planned and current I-195 designation in New Jersey. This proposal had received conditional approval from AASHTO. However, on May 20, 2015, the original plan of extending I-295 west and south into Pennsylvania to the new interchange was approved instead, leaving the western terminus of I-195 at its current location.
In 2018, the exit numbers at the interchanges for I-295 (Exits 60A-B) and U.S. Route 206 (Exits 1A-B) were renumbered to Exits 1 A-B and Exits 1 C-D, respectively. This change was done as part of the I-95/I-295 redesignation project to match the mile markers along I-195.
Future
The
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
(NJDOT) has studied proposals to widen I-195 between CR 537 and the New Jersey Turnpike from 4 to 6 total lanes, eliminating the grass median in the process.