Transportation in New Jersey utilizes road, rail, air, and water modes of travel. New Jersey is situated between Philadelphia and New York City, two major metropolitan centers of the Boston-Washington region, and two hubs for regional transportation. New Jersey has the highest population density of any U.S. state, a density of 1,181 persons per square mile (452 persons per square kilometer) as of 2007. The high population density of New Jersey, combined with the role New Jersey has in regional travel, presents unique challenges to stemming traffic congestion and rising transportation costs for travelers.
New Jersey's freeways are crucial to area travel, and for the economy of the Northeast. The main thoroughfare for long distance travel is the New Jersey Turnpike, which is the nation's 5th busiest toll road, and expands to 14 lanes of roadway through its urbanized northern section. New Jersey also has a variety of mass transportation alternatives. New Jersey Transit, being the chief operator of intrastate transit, operates 3 light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines along with a statewide bus system. New Jersey's public transportation system has connections to the massive public transit systems of New York and Philadelphia, and access to intercity rail operated by Amtrak. In addition, New Jersey is home to one of the busiest airports in the world, Newark Liberty International Airport, and one of the busiest seaports in the world, Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal.
Roadways
Highways
Interstate Highways
The Interstate Highway System includes 431 miles of New Jersey's freeways, and carries 20 percent of all vehicle travel. Several key tolled expressways are not part of the Interstate Highway System, since turnpikes are generally excluded from the Interstate Highway System, except to provide logical connections between other non-tolled expressways. Because of this, the southern part of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, and the Atlantic City Expressway are not part of the interstate network.
The major north-south Interstate Highway in New Jersey is Interstate 95. For most of its route in New Jersey, it is concurrent with the main line of the New Jersey Turnpike, and has brief continuations to the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the south and over the George Washington Bridge to New York City in the north. A gap exists between the main segment of Interstate 95 in New Jersey and a segment consisting of the western part of the Trenton beltway, which is also part of Interstate 95, but will no longer be part of Interstate 95 once the Pennsylvania Turnpike Interchange Project is completed. The auxiliary routes of Interstate 95 are I-195, an east-west connection between Trenton and Wall Township near the New Jersey coast, and I-295, a bypass route of I-95 passing through South Jersey, and a local alternative to the New Jersey Turnpike due to it running parallel to the Turnpike for most of its route. Even though Interstate 87 is located entirely in New York, Interstate 287 runs through New Jersey, forming a partial beltway around the northeastern region of New Jersey from a junction with the New York State Thruway.
The major east-west routes are Interstate 78 and Interstate 80, which both run through the northern section of New Jersey from Pennsylvania. Interstate 78 crosses into New Jersey at Phillipsburg, and terminates at the Holland Tunnel. Interstate 80 crosses into New Jersey at the Delaware Water Gap, and continues to its eastern terminus at Teaneck, located at an interchange with I-95 which continues east to the George Washington Bridge. The auxiliary route of Interstate 78 is Interstate 278, and the auxiliary route of Interstate 80 is Interstate 280. A small portion of Interstate 76 is also located in New Jersey, running 2.2 miles (3.5 km) from the Walt Whitman Bridge and ending at an interchange with I-295, continuing as New Jersey Route 42. Interstate 76 has an auxiliary route in New Jersey, Interstate 676, which connects the Walt Whitman Bridge and Ben Franklin Bridge through Camden.
Toll roads
New Jersey has a system of tolled expressways maintained by state-run agencies. New Jersey has 356 miles (573 km) of toll roads, which is the sixth highest amount of toll road mileage for any state in the nation. Aside from the portions of the New Jersey Turnpike designated as I-95 and I-78, none of the toll roads are Interstate Highways, due to restrictions on the inclusion of toll roads in the Interstate Highway System. New Jersey's toll roads are the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway. The New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway are maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and the Atlantic City Expressway is maintained by the South Jersey Transportation Authority. All of New Jersey's toll roads have service areas, at which food, gas, and other commercial services are provided, in contrast to Interstate Highways, which have restrictions generally prohibiting commercial establishments at rest areas.
The main toll road for long-distance travelers is the New Jersey Turnpike. The New Jersey Turnpike is one of the nation's most heavily traveled highways due to its role in travel between the major metropolises of the Northeastern United States. The New Jersey Turnpike carries an average of 560,000 vehicles per day, with trucks making up approximately 13 percent of the total traffic on the Turnpike. The main part of the Turnpike is 122.4 miles (197.0 km) long, with 25 exits (including the 3 exits on the Western Spur) and 12 service stations. The extensions of the Turnpike include the Western Spur, Newark Bay Extension, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension. The toll for the New Jersey Turnpike is collected by using a system of long-distance tickets, obtained upon entering the Turnpike and surrendered when exiting.
The Garden State Parkway carries more in-state traffic, ranked as the busiest toll road in the country by number of toll transactions. The Parkway is 172.4 miles (277.5 km) long, and runs from the New York State Thruway at New Jersey's northern border to its southernmost tip at Cape May. Unofficially, the Parkway has two distinct sections: north of the Raritan River, where the Parkway travels through the major metropolitan areas of North Jersey, and south of the Raritan River, where it travels by the coastal communities of the Jersey Shore. Unlike the New Jersey Turnpike, which only charges motorists for entering and exiting the Turnpike, the Parkway collects tolls at various toll plazas, located at semi-regular intervals. This results in it being possible to travel on certain stretches of the Parkway without having to pay any tolls.
The Atlantic City Expressway is a route connecting the Philadelphia metropolitan area with Atlantic City and other Jersey shore resorts, serving as an extension of NJ 42. It was constructed from 1962-1965, and originally consisted of two lanes in each direction. A third lane has been added to the eastbound segment between the Garden State Parkway and milepost 31, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority is planning to widen the corresponding westbound segment of the Atlantic City Expressway. In addition to being the main route to the shore from Philadelphia, the Expressway serves other South Jersey communities including Hammonton and Winslow, although several of the exits only allow entering and exiting in one direction due to economical considerations during its construction, with provisions to add fully directional interchanges in the future.
Other expressways operated by state agencies
The Palisades Interstate Parkway, managed by the bi-state Palisades Interstate Park Commission, is a major commuter route into New York City from Bergen County of New Jersey, and Rockland and Orange counties of New York. It is named for the New Jersey Palisades, a line of steep cliffs along the Hudson River. and is known for its scenic overlooks. It travels northward from the George Washington Bridge into upstate New York, with a major junction at Interstate 87 (part of the New York State Thruway), and terminates in Fort Montgomery, New York. The stretch in New Jersey parallels US 9W, all of its four exits in New Jersey being with US 9W or within mere feet of the route.
U.S. Highways
The U.S. Highway system is complementary to the Interstate Highway System. New Jersey's U.S. Highways have generally been replaced by Interstate Highways for long distance travel, although certain routes still carry many regional travelers. The U.S. Highways are composed of the principal arterial roads, several featuring jughandle ramps and interchanges at major junctions, and can utilize roads constructed to freeway standards at a few locations.
The north-south U.S. Highways are U.S. Route 1 and U.S.
I LOVE NEW YORK - The Official New York State Tourism Website
NYS DOT Road & Travel Info ... © New York State Department of Economic Development 2008 Sitemap | Terms & Conditions
U.S. and International Travel Destinations - Vacation Ideas - New York ...
Travel destinations, vacation ideas. ... New York Magazine ... The first state's overlooked beachfront has the same ...
New York Travel Guide to Hotels, Vacations, Tours
Empire State Building; Lincoln Center; Museums; Rockefeller Center; Statue of Liberty ... Welcome to WhyGo New York, your New York Travel Guide! New York has always been the city of unlimited ...
New York State Travel Ideas & Itineraries
Finger Lakes textures, Schoharie colors and Hudson Valley aromas… Another reason I love New York! 2 Escarpment near Schoharie.
New York City Travel Guide - Vacations - VirtualTourist.com
The best New York City, NY travel tips, reviews and photos, posted by real travelers. Research, plan and book your New York City vacation with VirtualTourist.com.
New York City Travel Guide | Fodor's Travel Guides
Fodor's New York State, 2nd Edition ... New York City is a quick-change artist, famous for ... Travel News. Tour New York City's Central Park with a Celebrity
New York State Thruway Authority: Traveler Information: Travel Plazas
Travel Plaza Directory. Travel Plaza Interactive Map - View the Travel Plazas and services available at each location on an interactive map. This map allows you zoom in/out and ...
Personal Travel Guide
Request a Custom Brochure If you live in the United States or Canada, we would be happy to send you your free personalized guide to visiting New York State.
New York Travel Guide | Travel New York | New York Travel Tips | New ...
Learn in New York Travel Guide about the New York city abounded with ... Plaza, Top of the Rock, Lincoln Center, Empire State Building, World Trade Center Site and the New York Public ...
Nibbling At The Big Apple: New York Travel - Air Travel Tips
When someone considers a trip to New York City, they usually think of the major tourist spots such as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.