186-586: Lacey Township is a township in Ocean County , in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is considered part of the Jersey Shore and South Jersey regions, as well as of the New York metropolitan area . As of the 2020 United States census , the township's population was 28,655, an increase of 1,011 (+3.7%) from the 2010 census count of 27,644, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,298 (+9.1%) from
372-656: A K–8 school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton , is in the area. From 1997, until 2019 it operated as All Saints Regional Catholic School and was collectively managed by five churches, with one being St. Pius X Church, in the township and adjacent to the Forked River CDP. In 2019 St. Mary Church in Barnegat took entire control of the school, which remained on the same Manahawkin campus, and changed its name. The other churches no longer operate
558-554: A flume of the Atlantic City Reservoir, which has a basin on each side of the highway. Continuing north, the highway enters Galloway Township and passes over NJ Transit 's Atlantic City Line before it comes to a partial interchange with White Horse Pike ( US 30 ), serving Absecon . North of this exit, the median is home to the Frank Sinatra Service Area, which also has a barrack of
744-575: A 40-mile (64 km) section between Sayreville and Paramus . The NJTA may temporarily reduce the speed limit when special hazards exist. Commercial trucks with a registered weight of over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) are not allowed to use the parkway north of exit 105, just past the Asbury Park Toll Plaza. The entire length of the Garden State Parkway carries the unsigned designation of Route 444, and
930-401: A border between residential neighborhoods to the west and forest to the east before passing to the east of a golf course and entering Barnegat , where the concentration of houses shifts to the east. After an interchange with West Bay Avenue ( CR 554 ), the parkway passes by residential neighborhoods on both sides of the highway before the median shortly narrows and the southbound roadway has
1116-508: A business district and crossing Norfolk Southern's Passaic Spur line. After passing many more residences near the route, the parkway reaches a partial interchange with the southern terminus of Route 20 . Immediately afterwards, the parkway crosses the Passaic River and enters Elmwood Park , Bergen County , where it comes to a second interchange with US 46, serving Garfield . Passing more homes, followed by several businesses,
1302-823: A component of the New York State Thruway system that connects to the Thruway mainline in Ramapo, New York . The Garden State Parkway is the longest highway in the state at approximately 172 miles (277 km), and, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, was the busiest toll road in the United States in 2006. Most of the highway north of the Raritan River runs through heavily populated areas. Between
1488-557: A countywide basis are: Clerk Scott M. Colabella (R, 2025, Barnegat Light), Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy (R, 2025; Toms River) and Surrogate Jeffrey Moran (R, 2028, Beachwood ). As of March 2011, there were a total of 18,255 registered voters in Lacey Township, of which 3,172 (17.4%) were registered as Democrats , 5,043 (27.6%) were registered as Republicans and 10,035 (55.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated . There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens . Among
1674-458: A golf course, the parkway has the John B. Townsend Shoemaker Holly Picnic Area in the median before it crosses over the abandoned Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Ocean City Branch. Continuing north, the highway comes to a diamond interchange with US 9 and Roosevelt Boulevard ( CR 623 ), which serves Ocean City and Marmora . North of this exit, US 9 begins to run concurrently with
1860-643: A law was also passed that required tolls to be kept as long as there are construction projects occurring, effectively shooting down any proposals to de-toll the tolled segments. On July 9, 2003, Governor Jim McGreevey 's plan to disband the New Jersey Highway Authority and give control of the parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) was completed. Additionally, in November of that year, construction
2046-522: A meeting was held between NJHA officials, Senator Charles W. Sandman Jr. , and the Cape May County Board of Freeholders . They discussed safety issues found at exit 12;'s exit ramp. A northbound-only ramp that traveled at-grade across the southbound lanes; it had been described as a "serious hazard" by the NJHA's safety committee. After an agreement was settled on and approval came from
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#17327797756882232-421: A natural feel. Many trees were planted, and the only signs were those for exits—there were no distracting billboards. Most of the signs were constructed from wood, or a dark-brown metal, instead of the chrome bars used on most other highways. The guardrails were also made from wood and dark metal. Most early overpasses were stone, but were later changed to concrete, with green rails and retro etchings, popular around
2418-566: A northbound entrance and southbound exit at Main Street ( CR 670 ), the lanes, now as a 4-3-3-4 configuration, merge as they cross the abandoned Raritan River Railroad and reach the Raritan Toll Plaza southbound. North of the toll barrier is an exit for Chevalier Avenue; all southbound vehicles exiting here must have an E-ZPass transponder. Paralleling US 9 and Route 35, the parkway becomes 15 lanes as it crosses
2604-614: A partial interchange. Continuing northeast past the community of New Gretna , the parkway passes over US 9 with no access before crossing the Bass River and the median widens and contains a maintenance yard. Past this point, the median temporarily narrows again as the northbound lanes have the New Gretna Toll Plaza. Crossing northward through Bass River State Forest , the six-lane highway becomes desolate as it enters Little Egg Harbor Township , Ocean County . Here,
2790-619: A political entity, a township in New Jersey is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town , city , borough , or village . They collect property taxes and provide services such as maintaining roads, garbage collection, water, sewer, schools, police and fire protection. The Township form of local government is used by 27% of New Jersey municipalities; however, slightly over 50% of the state's population resides within them. Townships in New Jersey differ from townships elsewhere in
2976-499: A priority. In March of that year, Hardroads Inc., a firm located in East Brunswick , was hired to construct this new interchange. They quickly acquired land for the interchage, and construction began shortly after. On October 25, 1982, this exit was partially opened to traffic. Later, on November 19, the final part of the ramp was completed. In 1980, plans was proposed to construct exit 84, which would have consisted of
3162-579: A proposal to build a road on an old railroad right of way behind the ShopRite has been a major issue in the community. Other issues involve the lack of water resources to sustain the Home Depot (which opened in October 2007) and the 142,000-square-foot (13,200 m) Walmart that opened in October 2009. The Old Schoolhouse Museum is a small old school building that was built in the mid-19th century as
3348-546: A southbound exit and northbound entrance onto Indian Head Road. They also would have widened the New Gretna Toll Plaza. However, it was declared unbeneficial after a study deemed it to likely discourage use of public transit, and despite a replanning of the interchange, it was later shelved indefinitely. Additionally, in 1983, plans were made to reopen exit 116 as a tolled interchange. However, they ended up unsuccessful after protest from Homdel officials. In 1980, plans were made to construct exit 171, which would serve
3534-755: A staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. As of 2024, members of the Lacey Township Committee are Mayor Peggy Sue Juliano ( R , term on committee ends December 31, 2026; term as mayor ends 2024), Deputy Mayor Peter A. Curatolo (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Mark Dykoff (R, 2024) and Steven C. Kennis (R, 2025) and Timothy McDonald (R, 2024). Lacey Township
3720-612: Is also home to a number of marinas, including the Forked River State Marina , which offers 125 berths. Tices shoal , an area located on the bay side of Island Beach State Park , is located within the township. It is a popular summer destination for boaters because of its shallow waters and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Island Beach State Park, as well as the Barnegat Inlet , are accessible from
3906-825: Is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of five members who are elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization held in the beginning of January, the board chooses a director and a deputy director from among its members. As of 2024, Ocean County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year and residence) are: John P. Kelly (R, 2025, Eagleswood Township ), Virginia E. Haines ( R , 2025, Toms River ), Director Barbara Jo Crea (R, 2024, Little Egg Harbor Township ) Deputy Director Gary Quinn (R, 2024, Lacey Township ) and Frank Sadeghi (R, 2026, Toms River). Constitutional officers elected on
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#17327797756884092-496: Is interspersed with a scattered few farms, houses and ranches, the tiny community of Bamber Lakes and open pit gravel quarries—all of which predate passage of the Pinelands Act or were developed under its tight zoning rules. The conditions of grandfathering vary—the mines' exceptions are to expire upon the deaths of their owners whereas the farms' exceptions are indefinite. Development west of the parkway, covering two-thirds of
4278-416: Is located in the 2nd and 4th Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 9th state legislative district. For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 2nd congressional district is represented by Jeff Van Drew ( R , Dennis Township ). For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 4th congressional district is represented by Chris Smith ( R , Manchester Township ). New Jersey
4464-542: Is now sponsored by local business and organizations and known as the Lacey Lights Boat Parade. Popcorn Park Zoo is a small 7-acre (28,000 m) zoo that hosts a wide range of animals and features big cats, monkeys and black bears among the 200 animals on the site. The zoo was established in 1977 at a facility covering 7 acres (2.8 ha). The Relay for Life had been held annually at Gille Park to raise money towards cancer research. However, in 2010,
4650-403: Is often abbreviated TWP or Twp . Some official documents abbreviate it as "Twsp." Historically, a variety of legislation has been passed by the state legislature that has defined and refined the township form of municipal government: The Township Act of 1798 was the first state legislation to incorporate municipalities. The government defined was a form of direct democracy , similar to
4836-613: Is part of the National Highway System , a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. The parkway begins at an at-grade intersection with Route 109 in Lower Township , Cape May County , where Route 109 continues south toward Cape May and west toward US 9 and the Cape May–Lewes Ferry . The Garden State Parkway runs north as a four-lane freeway on
5022-547: Is present in the southeastern cloverleaf with Route 138. Passing to the west of Shark River Park , the median contains the Judy Blume Service Area, which provides a park and ride for commuters and access to Belmar Boulevard ( CR 18 ). The parkway enters Tinton Falls and has exits for Route 33 , which runs east toward Bradley Beach and west towards Freehold Township , and Route 66 , which heads east towards Asbury Park . Soon afterwards,
5208-796: Is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker ( Newark , term ends 2027) and George Helmy ( Mountain Lakes , term ends 2024). For the 2024-2025 session , the 9th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Carmen Amato ( R , Lacey Township ) and in the General Assembly by Greg Myhre (R, Stafford Township ) and Brian E. Rumpf (R, Little Egg Harbor Township ). Ocean County
5394-567: Is subject to frequent congestion. The number of lanes on the parkway ranges from four in Cape May, Atlantic , and Bergen counties, to 15 on the Driscoll Bridge . Much of the highway runs closely parallel to, or concurrently with US 9 . The speed limit on the parkway is 65 mph (105 km/h) for most of its length. However, it is posted at 55 mph (90 km/h) on a five-mile (8.0 km) section near Toms River and on
5580-796: Is the northernmost exit of the Garden State Parkway, which crosses into the state of New York soon afterwards. From there, the route becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector, a component of the New York State Thruway system, which heads north toward the thruway mainline ( I-87 / I-287 ) in Nanuet . Plans for the Garden State Parkway date back to 1942, where it would have connected to the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Fort Lee. Following World War II, traffic increased substantially on highways along
5766-538: The 2000 United States census there were 25,346 people, 9,336 households, and 7,244 families residing in the township. The population density was 301.7 inhabitants per square mile (116.5/km). There were 10,580 housing units at an average density of 126.0 per square mile (48.6/km). The racial makeup of the township was 97.85% White , 0.36% African American , 0.15% Native American , 0.55% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.41% from other races , and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.15% of
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5952-593: The Cape May County Park & Zoo and a building complex containing the Cape May County Technical School District . After a southbound entrance ramp from US 9, the parkway leaves Cape May Court House and returns to a desolate wooded setting with a wide tree-filled median. Continuing north, the parkway has an interchange with Avalon Boulevard ( CR 601 ), serving Avalon and Swainton . North of this point,
6138-646: The Cape May Peninsula through the Cape Island Wildlife Management Area, running west of swampland, separating the highway from the Jersey Shore communities. Trees occupy the median and the sides of the road for the next several miles. After passing to the east of Cape May National Golf Club, crossing over Jones Creek, and passing a pond in the median, the highway enters Middle Township and has an interchange with Route 47 , which serves The Wildwoods resort area and
6324-539: The Garden State Parkway serves as an informal use divider under the 1979 Pinelands Act and the subsequent Comprehensive Management Plan. To the east of the Parkway are more than 95% of Lacey's residential dwellings, located in the unincorporated areas of Lanoka Harbor and Forked River. To the Parkway's west is a mostly undisturbed pine and cedar forest, part of New Jersey's vast Pine Barrens . The forest
6510-651: The National Center for Education Statistics ) are Mill Pond Elementary School with 635 students in grades 5-6 (now PreK-K), Cedar Creek Elementary School with 437 students in grades K-4 (now 1-5), Forked River Elementary School with 465 students in grades K-4 (now 1-5), Lanoka Harbor Elementary School with 449 students in grades K-4 (now 1-5), Lacey Township Middle School with 608 students in grades 7-8 (now 6-8) and Lacey Township High School with 1,256 students in grades 9-12. St. Mary Academy in Manahawkin ,
6696-537: The New Jersey State Police . Immediately north of the service plaza, the parkway has an interchange with Jimmie Leeds Road ( CR 561 ), serving the community of Pomona . The parkway then enters the sparsely populated Pine Barrens , passing to the east of Stockton University and reaching an interchange with Pomona Road ( CR 575 / CR 561 Alt. ) Past this point, the road turns northeast and crosses into Port Republic as it winds north into
6882-418: The New Jersey Turnpike Authority . The Garden State Parkway passes through the township, connecting Ocean Township in the south to Berkeley Township in the north. The Forked River Service Area is located at milepost 76 on the Parkway and Interchange 74 is signed for access to Forked River and Waretown . U.S. Route 9 also traverses the township in the eastern part. County Route 539 passes through in
7068-515: The Oyster Creek and is owned and operated by Exelon Corporation . It produced 9% of the state's electricity and is the nation's oldest operating nuclear power plant, having first been brought online on December 1, 1969, and is licensed to operate until April 9, 2029. In 2010, Exelon announced that it would close the facility in 2019 as part of an agreement with the State of New Jersey under which
7254-682: The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station . The facility, which closed in 2018, generated $ 70 million in wages in 2010 for its 700 employees, making it one of the largest employers in the county. In the early to late 2000s, Lacey experienced rapid growth in recent years with the addition of many new developments and new "big-box" stores being built around the township. Previously, township residents had to travel to Stafford Township ( Manahawkin ) or Toms River to shop at these stores. Recent local controversies have surrounded development and land use. In particular,
7440-518: The Passaic River opened on May 26, 1955. This extended the parkway's northern terminus to US 46 in present-day Elmwood Park . On July 1 of that year, the portion of the highway from US 46 to Route 17 in Paramus opened. In spring 1955, a widening project began between US 22 and the Raritan River bridge; this would expand the roadway from four to six lanes. It
7626-471: The Rahway River into Cranford , where there is an interchange with Raritan Road ( CR 607 ) and Centennial Avenue ( CR 615 ). After passing west of a business park and over Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Lehigh Line and the inactive Rahway Valley Railroad , the parkway crosses NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line and reaches an interchange with Route 28 , which serves Roselle Park to
Lacey Township, New Jersey - Misplaced Pages Continue
7812-554: The Raritan River on the Driscoll Bridge , the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world. On the bridge, the northbound lanes are divided into two roadways; only the eastern roadway has access to exit 127, an interchange for US 9 and Route 440 , providing access to the Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island . Just north of exit 127 in Woodbridge Township , the parkway runs in between
7998-479: The Route 4 Parkway . However, a lack of funding caused the remainder of the parkway to be built as a toll road. The highway has seen many improvements over the years, including the addition and reconstruction of interchanges , bridge replacements, widening of the roadway, and removal of at-grade intersections. Previously, the road had been maintained by an agency known as the New Jersey Highway Authority, however in 2003,
8184-597: The Southern Secondary railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad and bisects residential neighborhoods before crossing the Swimming River into Middletown Township , where the road has an interchange with CR 520 , which contains a park and ride and serves Red Bank and Lincroft . The parkway then passes over Normandy Road, which serves as a road and railroad link between
8370-597: The Toms River and entering Toms River , the highway passes west of the Toms River Bus Terminal serving NJ Transit buses. Past this point, the road crosses the abandoned Conrail Barnegat Branch and reaches an exit for Lakehurst Road ( CR 527 ) before passing trees and reaching a cloverleaf interchange with Route 37 , which provides access to Lakehurst , Seaside Heights , and Island Beach State Park . After heading northwest between trees on
8556-563: The White Horse Pike the road initially operated as a temporary super two on the southbound lanes until August 21. This was extended south to Somers Point on August 27 (again as a super-two before the northbound lanes opened on September 22 ), then connected across the Mullica River to the existing section on August 28 over a temporary super-two, with the other lanes opened a few weeks later. The Cape May section of highway
8742-406: The 1950s and 1960s. The parkway was designed to curve gently throughout its length so that drivers would remain alert and not fall asleep at the wheel. The highway was extended south to New Brunswick Avenue in Woodbridge Township , Middlesex County, on November 1 that year, In Cape May County, a four-mile (6.4 km) bypass of Cape May Court House opened on July 29, 1951, from exit 12 to
8928-406: The 25,346 counted in the 2000 census . The 2010 population was the highest recorded in any decennial census. It was named for Continental Army General John Lacey . Lacey Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 23, 1871, from portions of Dover Township (now known as Toms River Township ) and Union Township (now Barnegat Township ). Portions of
9114-413: The 8,698 ballots cast by the township's 19,068 registered voters (193 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 69.3% of the vote (6,314 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 23.6% (2,154 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.0% (459 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (89 votes), among the 9,109 ballots cast by
9300-692: The Barnegat Toll Plaza. Now in Ocean Township , the parkway meets the interchange with Wells Mills Road ( CR 532 ) and crosses over Oyster Creek before entering Lacey Township , where it crosses the south, middle, and north branches of the Forked River before reaching an interchange with CR 614 , serving the community of Forked River , and the Celia Cruz Service Area in the median. Father north,
9486-563: The Colonia South and Colonia North service areas. Crossing into Clark , Union County , the highway continues to pass through dense neighborhoods as a ten-lane roadway with a Jersey barrier. After crossing the Robinson's Branch Reservoir and passing an interchange with Central Avenue ( CR 613 ), the southbound lanes have access to a maintenance yard. The highway then passes west of a park and Winfield Township before crossing
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#17327797756889672-711: The Garden State Parkway briefly runs in between the carriageways of US 22 and the Union Watersphere appears on the east side of the parkway. Here, the parkway narrows to eight lanes, and the northbound lanes have access to the Whitney Houston Service Area. After the service area, the road crosses the Elizabeth River and briefly enters Hillside, where it reaches the northbound Union Toll Plaza before an interchange with I-78 . Running northeast into Irvington , Essex County ,
9858-472: The Garden State Parkway interchanges with North Green Street ( CR 539 ), which serves Tuckerton , before entering Eagleswood , where it crosses over Westecunk Creek and passes to the west of Eagles Nest Airport . Afterwards, the parkway enters Stafford Township where development along the road begins to increase. Here, the highway has an interchange with Route 72 , which provides access to Manahawkin and Long Beach Island . The parkway then forms
10044-633: The Garden State Parkway, and the two routes run east of the community of Beesleys Point before the median narrows, and they cross the Great Egg Harbor Bay on the Great Egg Harbor Bridge . The highway surfaces into Somers Point , Atlantic County , where the southbound roadway has the Great Egg Toll Plaza before US 9 leaves the parkway at a partial junction. Past this point, the median widens and
10230-493: The Great Egg Toll Plaza was replaced by a new, wider plaza north of the old one, and the Cape May toll plazas had two extra collection lanes constructed While initially planned for competition by July 1, competition was delayed to July 15. In the mid-1960s, a project to reconstruct interchanges in Essex County was undertaken. On January 1, 1966, a project was completed that constructed longer deceleration lanes and widened
10416-491: The Highway Authority announced that the interchange would be built at Red Hill Road. In November, it was announced the exit would replace the free exit 116, though rather than being demolished, it would simply be restricted to emergency traffic. Exit 114 would help relieve local congestion that traveled to the new Bell Labs Holmdel Complex and other industrial parks operating in the area. On December 14,
10602-413: The Highway Authority made an appropriation of $ 50,000 for the engineering work on the interchange. Construction began on the exit 114 ramps on July 30, 1962, when construction equipment was taken to the site. The exit was opened to traffic on December 20, 1962. with two toll facilities also being constructed. Exit 116 was closed as planned; this was received negatively by locals. On June 18, 1963,
10788-827: The Lacey Township Committee did not allow the walk to be held at Gille, and it was moved to Veteran's Park in Bayville. Much of the nearly 8,500-acre (3,400 ha) Double Trouble State Park is located within the township, but its main access point is in neighboring Berkeley Township. Robert J. Miller Air Park , also known as the Ocean County Airport, is a county-owned public-use airport partially located within Lacey Township, but also with its main entry point in Berkeley. Township parks located within Lacey, include Clune, Gille, Hebrew and Huffy Wallis parks. The township
10974-477: The New England town meeting , in which the vote was available to all white males, at least 21 years old, who were citizens of New Jersey, and residents of the township for at least six months; and who paid taxes in the township, or who owned land, or rented a home in the township for a rent of at least five dollars a year. A group of five freeholders was elected to one-year terms on the Township Committee, which
11160-526: The New Jersey coast. Due to the high traffic volume and presence of numerous traffic lights, it took motorists over three hours to travel between Paterson and Atlantic City . In 1946, plans were changed to construct a high-speed parkway to provide a bypass of Route 4 , which, prior to 1953, ran from Cape May north to the George Washington Bridge by way of Paterson, largely following present-day US 1 , US 9 , and Route 35 . This highway would be constructed using state funds and be known as
11346-485: The OC5 Lacey route. There is no rail service in the township. In the late nineteenth and early-to-mid twentieth centuries, the township was served by the Tuckerton Railroad , Toms River Railroad , and the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ). The CNJ's former roadbed, running parallel to Route 9, has been partially converted to the Barnegat Branch Trail , a rail trail . The Tuckerton Railroad's former roadbed runs parallel to Lacey Road, ending in nearby Whiting . Today,
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#173277977568811532-414: The Pascack Valley Toll Plaza—the northernmost toll plaza on the highway. North of the toll plaza, the median becomes substantially wider and trees begin to appear within it. The Garden State Parkway finally narrows from six to four lanes at the exit for Washington Avenue ( CR 502 ), serving Westwood and Emerson . Winding through the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County past many homes and woodland,
11718-519: The Raritan River and Toms River , the highway passes through lighter suburban development, while south of Toms River, the road mostly runs through unspoiled wilderness in the Pine Barrens and swampland, interspersed with small towns and Jersey Shore beach communities. The highway has a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) for most of its length and is primarily for passenger vehicle use; trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) are prohibited north of exit 105. The parkway
11904-405: The Raritan River was redirected onto a new roadway that lied in the median of the old one, the old were not demolished however, but rather became an exit onto US 9, effectively creating a collector-distributor road. This bypass effectively eliminated the two former exits, while these still exist, they are now Route 9 exits. On August 17, 1971, the same switch occurred to the northbound roadway,
12090-435: The Route 4 Parkway. Construction began in 1947, and the first section to open ran from Route 27 north to Cranford and opened on June 29, 1950. The landscape architect and engineer in charge of the newly named Garden State Parkway was Gilmore David Clarke of the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff , who had worked with Robert Moses on the parkway systems around New York City . Clarke's design prototypes for
12276-425: The State Highway department, it was announced to the public on June 26 that the northbound ramp would close permanently. When this occurred on July 2, all northbound traffic that previously utilized the ramp was advised to use exit 13, only 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the north, instead. The entrance onto the northbound lanes from US 9 was left unaltered. On July 31, 1964, a project to construct exit 38
12462-499: The Toms River segment was completed, at this point the project transitioned to widening the segment between the Asbury Park toll plaza and exit 100 from two to four lanes, as well reconstructing exits 102, and widening the segment in Lakewood from two lanes to three lanes. On November 17, 1980, the road was widened from three to four lanes between exits 129 and exits 141. These new lanes were HOV lanes that were restricted to vehicles with three or more occupants, though this
12648-522: The United States. In many states, townships can be an intermediate form of government, between county government and municipalities that are subordinate parts of the township, with different government responsibilities allocated at each level. In New Jersey, there are no subordinate municipalities located within a township, as townships are equivalent to all other forms of local municipalities. Municipalities in New Jersey may be classified into one of five types , of which townships are one. Townships may retain
12834-415: The abandoned Orange Branch of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway . Winding into Bloomfield as a six-lane roadway, the Garden State Parkway crosses NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line and has an interchange with Bloomfield Avenue ( CR 506 Spur ), where the frontage roads end. After passing under Norfolk Southern Railway 's Boonton Line and reaching an exit for Belleville Avenue ( CR 506 ),
13020-449: The abandoned Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Newfield Branch before an partial interchange with Washington Avenue ( CR 608 ) and a cloverleaf interchange with the controlled-access Atlantic City Expressway (which heads west towards Philadelphia ), where the northbound and southbound roadways split apart again. Upon leaving the commercial area, the highway passes to the east of Atlantic City International Airport and crosses over
13206-478: The agency merged into the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), which now maintains the parkway along with the New Jersey Turnpike . The parkway uses an open system of toll collection with flat-fee tolls collected at 11 toll plazas along the roadway, as well as at several entrances and exits. Tolls can be paid using cash or via the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. Along the route are 11 service areas , providing food and fuel to travelers. Historically,
13392-410: The average family size was 3.08. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the township
13578-467: The boom of office complexes replacing farmland across Chestnut Ridge road. In March 1985, the entrance leading onto the southbound parkway was opened, with the exit ramp opening on July 25 of that year. In 1973, plans were made to widen a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) segment in Toms River. While this widening was planned to be completed by 1975, however, its competition was delayed to 1978. By 1979, work on
13764-697: The closest train stations are in Bay Head , with service on the North Jersey Coast Line toward New York City , and Absecon , with service on the Atlantic City Line toward Atlantic City and Philadelphia . People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lacey Township include: Township (New Jersey) A township , in the context of New Jersey local government , refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government . As
13950-408: The committee selects one of its elected members to serve as mayor and preside at meetings. The other members of the township committee serve as commissioners of various township departments, overseeing the work of those areas along with overall legislative issues. Some mayors in this form of government also oversee specific departments. The mayor in this form of government is primarily ceremonial and has
14136-524: The community of Iselin , passing to the east of several corporate offices. Immediately after passing under Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor east of the Metropark station serving Amtrak and NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line , the GSP has an interchange with Route 27 , which serves Rahway to the northeast. North of this point, the parkway curves northeast through densely populated neighborhoods, passing
14322-545: The community of Rio Grande . North of this point, the parkway crosses over the abandoned Wildwood Branch of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines , and afterwards, the trees in the median disappear and the highway has a partial interchange with Route 147 , which provides access to North Wildwood , Whitesboro , and Burleigh . Crossing into the county seat of Cape May Court House , the median narrows and US 9 appears within yards of
14508-669: The conclusion that the highway ran through too many wetland areas. The idea has since been revisited after frequent traffic jams on Route 47 . The parkway was also planned to be the southern terminus of the unbuilt Driscoll Expressway , a 38-mile (61 km) toll road that was planned in the early 1970s to run from Toms River to the New Jersey Turnpike in South Brunswick ; this plan was abandoned in 1977. In 1979, proposals for an exit at milepost 124 were proposed; in 1980 construction of this interchange became
14694-541: The construction of two new toll facilities. In March of that year, construction also began on a new access road to the Garden State Arts Center at exit 116. It was completed in June of that year, and on August 8, exit 116 was reopened with a new exit number. In May 1966, the borough of Paramus and the New Jersey Highway Authority announced plans to replace exit 165, as well as widening of
14880-492: The dualization of the Great Egg Harbor Bridge eliminated the final two-lane segment of the parkway. On September 18, 1969, a new exit 129 were opened, the remaining ramps were opened to traffic by early 1970. This replaced the existing interchange, and made it so that the turnpike had direct connections to both directions and vice versa. On November 24, 1970, southbound parkway traffic from there south to
15066-508: The east of a solar farm before reaching an interchange with Route 18 and Route 36 , which head north towards New Brunswick and east towards Long Branch , respectively. The connector road from the parkway to the western terminus of Route 36 and Hope Road ( CR 51 ) is designated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation as Route 444S. North of the interchange, the Garden State Parkway passes over
15252-420: The east. Upon entering Kenilworth , the highway passes many businesses before the road meets the interchange with Galloping Hill Road ( CR 509 ), passes to the east of Galloping Hill Golf Course , and enters Union , where the parkway has an interchange with Chestnut Street ( CR 619 ). Immediately afterwards, the road comes to an interchange with US 22 and Route 82 serving Hillside , where
15438-758: The entire segment between Woodbridge and East Orange was at least four lanes wide. On November 19, 1986, exit 131B was opened to traffic. The interchange, which was constructed as part of a related upgrade to Metropark station, cost $ 4.4 million to construct. In 1987, the NJHA purchased the 19 miles (31 km) of road that had been constructed by what is now the New Jersey Department of Transportation. These state-maintained segments were located in Cape May County between exits 6 and exits 12, in Ocean County between exit 80 and exit 83, and between exit 129 and exit 140. NJDOT sold
15624-403: The erection of temporary fences along the road's length. An extension north also proved tumultuous: though scheduled to open on January 4, the extension to North Arlington Avenue opened a day earlier than scheduled. Mayor William McConnell ordered a blockade on this section of the highway on January 4, stating that North Arlington Avenue would be unable to handle traffic coming from the parkway. It
15810-417: The existing ones, replacing lighting and signage, reconstructing the unaltered exits to meet with the new overpasses, and widening the parkway in the area from four lanes to six lanes. Work on the project was fully complete by December 1987. In 1988, the northbound exit 105 ramp was reconstructed, a new new loop ramp was built to feed onto NJ route 18 northbound was built, and the existing deceleration lane
15996-470: The exit and entrance ramps of exits 148 and 144. On January 10, tolling began on exit 148. In December 1965, a related project began to reconstruct exit 143. It would contain a collector-distributor roadway . The project was completed on April 12, 1966, exit 142 was then renumbered as exit 143 . Additionally, in December 1965, plans were announced to replace exits 145. Unlike
16182-640: The express roadway in each direction gains a third lane. Immediately north of here is a southbound exit and entrance at Lloyd Road ( CR 3 ), where the parkway briefly enters Aberdeen Township and passes over the Matawan Creek before crossing the North Jersey Coast Line for a second time while the southbound lanes of the parkway briefly enters Matawan . Upon entering Old Bridge Township , Middlesex County , and reaching an interchange for Matawan Road ( CR 626 ) serving Matawan ,
16368-622: The first school in Forked River, and was used as a school until 1954. The township had an annual Night of Lights on the Forked River , which was a boat parade at night in August. Owners dressed up their boats with lights and sailed down the river at night to the Captain's Inn. This had been changed to Rock the River after the original family that supported the event withdrew from involvement. It
16554-507: The frontage road for the southbound lanes is called Western Parkway. After an interchange with South Orange Avenue ( CR 510 ), the frontage roads end, and the parkway briefly enters Newark where it bisects Holy Sepulchre Cemetery , the northern end of which is in East Orange . After leaving the cemetery, the highway regains frontage roads which are known as Oraton Parkway. After passing East Orange General Hospital's Eastern Pavilion,
16740-412: The grounded ramp at exit 154. This part of the project began on August 1 and was completed by October 31. Construction had also began on a new exit 159. This interchange would serve I-80 with direct connections, as well as Midland Avenue with indirect connections. In preparation of this, exit 158 was had its northbound exit and southbound entrance closed permanently on March 16, 1963, with
16926-595: The highway enters Cheesequake State Park . After crossing the Cheesequake Creek near a marina and leaving the park, the road enters Sayreville and has the Jon Bon Jovi Service Area in the median, with access to both the express and local lanes of the highway. Passing to the southwest of South Amboy , the parkway has an partial interchange with US 9 and passes over Conrail Shared Assets Operations ' Amboy Secondary line. After
17112-610: The highway enters Dennis Township and has an partial interchange with Sea Isle Boulevard ( CR 625 ), serving Sea Isle City before reaching the Bruce Willis Service Area in the median. Past the service area, the parkway enters Upper Township and reaches the Cape May Toll Plaza northbound immediately before meeting the southern terminus of Route 50 , which serves Seaville , at a partial interchange. After passing east of several homes and
17298-415: The highway passes west of a park and east of many houses before reaching a pair of interchanges for local roads and passing through a short tunnel underneath a parking lot for Irvington Bus Terminal , serving NJ Transit buses. North of this point, the parkway gains frontage roads in each direction, which are mostly lined by residences. The frontage road for the northbound lanes is called Eastern Parkway, and
17484-643: The highway south to US 9 in Sayreville. The southbound lanes were opened on the bridge south to Eatontown on August 4, and an extension to New Gretna opened the day after. Closing the northbound gap from Eatontown to Sayreville on August 7 provided for 90 miles of unbroken highway. Within Atlantic County, a large section from Tilton Road in Egg Harbor Township to the south bank of the Mullica River opened on August 11, though north of
17670-523: The highway then passes over the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway 's New Jersey Subdivision line and under NJ Transit's Bergen County Line before reaching an interchange with I-80 and the northbound Bergen Toll Plaza in Saddle Brook . Continuing northeast, the road passes through Saddle River County Park and crosses the Saddle River tributary into Rochelle Park . After leaving
17856-548: The highway was still under construction. On October 13, 1967, the I-280 segment and its ramps were partially opened, completing the project. These projects were carried out to reduce congestion, which had previously run rampant due to its interchanges being largely free of tolls. The Highway Authority rebuilt exit 4 into a full interchange, with new ramps being built and old ones being reconstructed to provide full connections. The project, completed on May 24, 1968, also involved
18042-455: The left-hand ramp at exits 97, which had its southbound ramp closed on July 1, 1973. The speed limit was raised from 50 to 55 miles per hour (80 to 89 km/h) on January 3, 1974. Additionally, on February 21 of that year, a project to rebuild exit 91 to increase safety was completed, as part of this project, the at-grae intersection as toll plazas were constructed. On February 27, 1974, exit 117A (now exit 118) opened to
18228-578: The median thorough Monmouth County; it was two lanes wide in each direction, and had much fewer exits than the local roadway. The segment from Sayerville to Keyport was opened on July 3. Alongside this project came new ramps onto exit 105. The segment of roadway from Keyport to the Tinton Falls toll plaza was opened on August 2 of that year. Alongside this segment came new ramps at exit 117. On November 1, 1975, motorcycles were relegalized after over 14 years of protest from motorcyclists; all of
18414-532: The missing movements both exit 139 and exit 140 lacked, had cost $ 108,487 in state funds to construct. On February 1, 1961, the state banned motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles from the entire road. This ban was approved by the highway department's safety committee and state attorney for the toll-free segments and NJHA's safety committee for the tolled ones. This followed a year involving 20 motorcycle accidents that resulted in two fatalities. Motorists who were caught using these modes of transportation on
18600-425: The much-amended Act of 1899. It retains a three or five member township committee serving staggered terms, whose members are generally elected at-large. The committee elects a mayor from among its members to serve a one-year term. Partisan elections are allowed under this law. Voters may initiate a referendum to change the membership to consist of either 3 or 5 members. While many township committees directly supervise
18786-516: The northbound and southbound lanes of US 9. After passing under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Perth Amboy Running Track, US 9 splits off to the east and the parkway reaches an interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike ( I-95 ). Running northwest through Woodbridge as a ten-lane roadway, the highway has an interchange with US 1 and crosses under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Port Reading Secondary line as it enters
18972-520: The northbound direction opened. On February 13, tolls went into effect on the Ridgewood Avenue intersection. On January 6, 1967, exit 166 was closed to prevent traffic from traveling through them. The reasoning for this was that traffic heading onto them congested many of the local roads. By September, it had been forcibly reopened after a gag order was secured to prevent local authorities from affecting parkway operations. In early 1967,
19158-566: The north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May north to the New York state line at Montvale . Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname , the "Garden State". The parkway has an unsigned reference number of Route 444 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). At its north end, the road becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector ,
19344-581: The old one also became a collector-distributor road, though it rather served as a US 9 ramp to connect to the northbound GSP as well as the New Jersey Turnpike. An expansion of the Driscoll Bridge across the Raritan River was completed on September 2, 1971. Work then began on widening the Sayerville side and repairing and widening the existing part of the bridge deck, work was completed by beginning of 1972. On January 17, 1973, exit 127
19530-419: The old ramps, this new one would provide access to I-280. Also as part of this project, exit 146 would be demolished, and an overpass would be built to replace part of the depressed roadway. The exits 146 and 145 were permanently closed to traffic in late 1965. On January 12, 1966, the replacement exit 145 were opened to traffic, though the ramps onto I-280 at the latter remained barricaded off while
19716-529: The operation of their municipality, the revised act allows the committee to delegate all or a portion of its responsibilities to an appointed municipal administrator. A number of municipalities changed to the Township type, or the Township form of government, between 1979 and 1982. A federal law, The State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972 provided funding to the states to be divided between state and municipal governments. In 1981, states were removed from
19902-401: The other restrictions remained. Particular pushback was made by Malcolm Forbes , who filed two lawsuits to stop this ban. On April 14, 1976, exits 142 was opened to traffic. This interchange constructed by the highway department was first proposed in 1966. The parkway was planned to have a interchange with Route 55 constructed at milepost 19. This was canceled in 1975 after
20088-549: The park, it crosses a pair of interchanges for Route 208 and Route 4 as it enters Paramus near the Garden State Plaza shopping mall. North of Route 4, the parkway passes east of the Arcola Country Club and runs closely parallel with Route 17 before interchanging with it. Past this interchange, the median becomes grass-filled. After passing east of businesses and west of homes,
20274-458: The parkway as a self-liquidating toll road from Cape May to the New York state line. The parkway was extended north to Union Township on July 16, 1953. On September 16, 1953, pedestrians were banned from the parkway in order to increase safety on the segment with at-grade intersections. Sections opened in quick succession in 1954; these were the first to be tolled. The first tolled segment
20460-533: The parkway as outlined in original plans. Soon after the parkway's opening, congestion on Route 17 increased substantially, prompting an extension of the parkway to Montvale , connecting to the newly-built New York State Thruway . By November 30, 1955, it had been determined that this extension was financially feasible. On January 18, 1956, the NJHA entered into an agreement with the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) for
20646-520: The parkway briefly enters Hillsdale before entering Woodcliff Lake , where there is a northbound exit and southbound entrance for Chestnut Ridge Road, which is accessed via CR S73 and serves Saddle River . The parkway then enters Montvale , where it reaches the James Gandolfini Service Area, the northernmost service area on the road. Immediately north is an exit for Grand Avenue ( CR 94 ) serving Park Ridge ; this
20832-588: The parkway combined the example of the Pennsylvania Turnpike , a model of efficiency with parallels in the German autobahn routes of the 1930s, with the Merritt Parkway model that stressed a planted "green belt" for beauty. Both design models featured wide planted medians to prevent head-on collisions and mask the glare of oncoming headlights. The Garden State Parkway was designed to have
21018-432: The parkway comes to an interchange with I-280 and Central Avenue ( CR 508 ), which serve Downtown Newark . At the interchange, the Garden State Parkway loses a lane in each direction and passes under NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines near East Orange station . The parkway continues to run in between frontage roads containing many houses before passing west of several apartment buildings and hospitals and crossing
21204-409: The parkway crosses into uninhabited areas again before heading into a commercial area and widening to six lanes. Here, the road has an interchange with Black Horse Pike ( US 40 / US 322 ) and Tilton Road ( CR 563 ), marking the first of three interchanges with roads that serve Atlantic City , located to the east. The median then transitions to a Jersey barrier and the parkway passes over
21390-564: The parkway enters a more suburban area and the southbound parkway has the Essex Toll Plaza. The highway briefly enters Nutley before crossing back into Bloomfield, where the jersey barrier becomes a grassy median and the parkway reaches a diamond interchange for Watchung Avenue ( CR 655 ) serving Montclair and passing the Larry Doby and Connie Chung service areas, serving northbound and southbound traffic respectively, to
21576-410: The parkway faced either a fine of $ 200 or 30-day jail sentence. On December 5, 1962, a new ramp from exit 120 onto the northbound lanes opened to traffic, serving direct access to them without traveling through Cheesequake State Park . In March 1961, the Highway Authority announced that plans were being made to construct a new interchange at either Red Hill Road or Nutswamp Road. By June,
21762-596: The parkway has an interchange with Route 70 , serving Brick Township and Point Pleasant to the east; this interchange also serves CR 528 . Running along the border of Lakewood and Brick townships, the route has an interchange with CR 549 before crossing the South Branch of the Metedeconk River and passing over Route 88 with no access. Now entirely within Brick Township,
21948-532: The parkway meets the southern terminus of the Route ;19 freeway, which heads north toward Paterson . Past this point, the highway curves northeast and passes over NJ Transit's Main Line before the median transitions to a Jersey barrier and the highway has a northbound exit and southbound entrance at Hazel Street ( CR 702 ), serving Passaic . The parkway heads northeast past many homes before heading into
22134-443: The parkway northbound, and from the parkway southbound to US 46 westbound. In May 1958, a bid of the project went to Thomas Nichol Company, Inc. of Farmingdale , and construction began immediately. By August 1958, the piers for the new viaduct from US 46 eastbound to the parkway northbound were finishing up. In September, the completed piers had roadway construction on top of them. The new ramps opened on January 1, and
22320-464: The parkway passes in between the Paramus Park shopping mall and New Bridge Medical Center before reaching an interchange with East Ridgewood Avenue ( CR 80 ), which serves Oradell and has a park and ride. After bisecting residential neighborhoods, the parkway has an partial interchange with Linwood Avenue ( CR 110 ) before entering Washington Township where the southbound lanes have
22506-505: The parkway passes to the west of the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets and has a partial exit for Asbury Avenue ( CR 16 ), where the road widens to ten lanes. North of this point, the parkway reaches the northbound Asbury Park Toll Plaza. Immediately north of the toll barrier, the road divides into a local-express lane configuration with two express and three local lanes in each direction. The parkway passes to
22692-639: The parkway passes west of Brick Township Reservoir through woods. The parkway crosses the Manasquan River and passes under the Capital to Coast Trail before reaching a large interchange near Allaire State Park . The interchange includes a pair of collector-distributor roads and serves the eastern terminus of I-195 (which runs west across Central Jersey toward Trenton ), Route 34 (which runs southeast toward Point Pleasant), and Route 138 (which runs east toward Belmar ). A park and ride
22878-554: The parkway passes west of the Greate Bay Country Club and some homes before a partial interchange with West Laurel Drive, which provides access to Somers Point and Ocean City. After passing to the west of more residences, the median briefly becomes a Jersey barrier as the route crosses the Patcong Creek into Egg Harbor Township , where developments begin to appear on the west side of the highway. Eventually,
23064-522: The parkway was opened through Clifton in 1955, a spur was supposed to open south of its exit to Broad Street at exit 155P. However, by 1965, no other construction had occurred, and the parkway's spur had been canceled. Because of this, in 1967, work began on a project to construct the remaining ramps at exit 155P (now exit 155A); instead of serving as a spur of the parkway, they would serve Route 20 (now Route 19 ) instead. The ramps were opened to traffic on October 20, 1969. In 1972,
23250-539: The parkway was widened from four lanes to six lanes between the Bergen Toll Plaza and exit 161 in Paramus. In 1968, the road was widened from four lanes to six lanes between exit 163 and exit 165. In early 1969, the roadway was widened between exit 163 and exit 161. These widenings made the entire 80-mile (130 km) stretch from Ocean County to Paramus at least six lanes wide. When
23436-478: The parkway would be reconstructed to be wider. Work on this project began immediately, and the ramp was opened to traffic in January 1998, six months ahead of schedule. Despite the fact it was not designed with it in mind, the overpass carrying I-80 traffic was not rebuilt, instead, a retaining wall was constructed instead On April 1, 1998, a project to construct a new northbound ramp to Lomell lane at exit 83
23622-525: The plant would be allowed to operate without cooling towers. The plant, which had contributed a third of the township's budget through taxes, was closed in September 2018, after which a decommissioning process estimated to take eight years and cost $ 1.4 billion was to be undertaken. Murray Grove is a Unitarian-Universalist retreat and conference center in Lanoka Harbor , traditionally considered
23808-599: The point where the parkway directly parallels US 9 north of Burleigh. However, due to a lack of funds, construction of the Route ;4 Parkway stalled. The only segment to open was 1952, only the bypass of Toms River was opened on July 3. The solution was for the state to establish the New Jersey Highway Authority (NJHA) in April 1952 to oversee construction and operation of the remainder of
23994-660: The poll results, Lacey Township is South Jersey's northernmost Jersey Shore community. The 2010 United States census counted 27,644 people, 10,183 households, and 7,607 families in the township. The population density was 332.0 inhabitants per square mile (128.2/km). There were 11,573 housing units at an average density of 139.0 per square mile (53.7/km). The racial makeup was 96.15% (26,581) White , 0.60% (167) Black or African American , 0.14% (38) Native American , 0.80% (222) Asian , 0.02% (6) Pacific Islander , 1.14% (316) from other races , and 1.14% (314) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.74% (1,310) of
24180-431: The population were under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.5 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income
24366-417: The population. Of the 10,183 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18; 60.0% were married couples living together; 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.3% were non-families. Of all households, 20.1% were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13. 23.1% of
24552-407: The population. There were 9,336 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and
24738-440: The program and the law was amended to provide direct grants to the most popular form of local government in the United States - townships. In Essex County alone, 11 municipal governments changed their form or name to take advantage of the program. There are a total of 240 townships in the state, including: Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway ( GSP ) is a controlled-access , tolled highway that stretches
24924-404: The prompt, and coordinated plans for extension. The agreement was formally signed on February 1 by NJHA Chairwoman Katharine E. White and NYSTA Chairman Bertram D. Tallamy. Groundbreaking for the road began on May 1 of that year. Unlike previous segments of the roadway, this one uses prestressed concrete for overpasses; this made correcting errors during construction or future demolition easier. It
25110-474: The public; a temporary northbound ramp was opened while exit 117 was reconstructed into a right side exit. This was completed later that year, the new exit 117 as well as the southbound exit 117A were tolled, unlike their original equivalents. On July 2, 1973, southbound traffic heading onto exit 105 was redirected onto a new right hand ramp, and the left-hand ramp was permanently closed. In mid 1974, construction began on new express roadways in
25296-479: The ramps. In June 1958, the southbound road between the exit 117 and the Asbury Park Toll Plaza was widened from two lanes to three lanes. Additionally, that same summer, the Highway authority began enforcing the speed limit through use of radar . On June 19, 1959, the northbound roadway equivalent was widened, completing the project. On December 30, 1959, exit 139B was opened. The ramp, which served
25482-428: The remaining connections closed on June 22. On December 23 of that year, the ramps onto Midland Avenue from exit 159 were opened to traffic. Tolling of the interchange began immediately. However, the ramps to and from I-80 would not open until October 20, 1964. The project cost a total of $ 4,500,000. In November of that year, the northbound exit and southbound entrance at exit 157 were permanently closed. This,
25668-428: The road crosses over Cedar Creek and enters Berkeley Township , passing west of a golf course and Central Regional High School while traversing Double Trouble State Park . The route then crosses into Beachwood and passes west of several homes before entering South Toms River , where the median narrows and the parkway becomes concurrently with US 9 once again at an interchange with CR 530 . After crossing
25854-467: The road had ten picnic areas along its length, but only one remains open today. The Garden State Parkway begins at Route 109 in Cape May County . It runs north along the Jersey Shore , crossing the Great Egg Harbor Bay and passing to the west of Atlantic City . The parkway passes through the sparsely populated Pine Barrens until it reaches Toms River in Ocean County . From here,
26040-553: The road heads into suburban areas. North of Tinton Falls , the route splits into a local-express lane configuration, which it maintains through Sayreville . Here, the highway crosses the Raritan River into Woodbridge Township , where it meets the New Jersey Turnpike ( Interstate 95 , I-95). North of here, the Garden State Parkway passes through densely populated communities in Middlesex and Union counties and intersects I-78 near Newark . The parkway eventually passes to
26226-593: The route crosses the North Branch of the Metedeconk River and reaches a second exit for CR 549, where a pedestrian bridge for the Brick Park & Ride, located to the east, passes over the parkway. North of this interchange, the road widens to eight lanes and passes west of a solar farm . Upon entering Wall Township , Monmouth County , the southbound lanes have a truck inspection area and
26412-435: The same power as other township committee members. The mayor does hold the powers vested in all mayors under state law One township committee member is elected deputy mayor each year. Some towns with this form of government rotate the mayor's office each year, while others elect the same mayor for 2–3 consecutive years. Out of the 240 townships in the state, the township form of government is used by 140. On road signs, township
26598-578: The school but still may send students there. The Asbury Park Press and The Press of Atlantic City provide daily news coverage of the township, as does WOBM-FM radio. The township provides material and commentary to The Southern Ocean Times , which also serves Barnegat Township , Long Beach Island , Ocean Township ( Waretown ), Stafford Township ( Manahawkin ) and Tuckerton as one of seven weekly papers from Micromedia Publications . In terms of televised news coverage, both New York City and Philadelphia television stations provide coverage of
26784-483: The sections for one dollar with the requirement that tolls were never to be charged on them. That same year, the roadway between mileposts 99.5 and 83.5 was restriped from two lanes with a shoulder to three lanes with no shoulder. In December 1986, a new right hand ramp at exit 100 was opened, the existing the left-hand one was then closed permanently. Work also began in March 1987, to construct new overpasses, implode
26970-408: The segment to three lanes. It would have involved construction of new overpasses and demolition of the old ones, including a new pedestrian overpass to serve a nearby school. Costing $ 3.7 million (equivalent to $ 26.5 million in 2023 ), Construction on the new complete interchange began almost immediately, with the new southbound ramps opening on November 30, 1966, On December 29, the dual ramps on
27156-674: The site where Universalism in America began. According to the United States Census Bureau , the township had a total area of 99.81 square miles (258.49 km), including 83.25 square miles (215.62 km) of land and 16.55 square miles (42.87 km) of water (16.58%). Forked River (with a 2010 Census population of 5,244) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lacey Township. Other unincorporated communities , localities and place names located partially or completely within
27342-406: The south and east of Paterson and meets I-80 in Saddle Brook . After traversing the suburban northern section of Bergen County , the road enters the state of New York where it becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector , continuing north to the New York State Thruway mainline. The parkway serves as a major route connecting North Jersey with all of the state's shore points, and as such,
27528-545: The southbound entrance from Bloomfield Avenue, until an inspection proved the highway safe; the exits were finally opened on January 21. During this conflict, the section from Route 3 to Hazel Street in Clifton opened on January 4. A similar blockade was threatened to be placed, but the announcement of speedy construction of fencing prevented this. On May 10, 1955, legislation was passed that made it legal for emergency vehicles to not pay tolls when on duty. The bridge over
27714-456: The southbound entrance once was, thus eliminating the traffic signal that existed prior. This was completed on November 20, 1996, though at the cost of $ 4.4 million. In April 1997, plans to construct an jughandle overpass from southbound exits 159 onto eastbound I-80 were made. Also as part of this, new traffic signals would be installed at the Midland avenue ramps, and its overpass crossing
27900-516: The southbound lanes of the parkway as it passes west of The Shore Club golf course. The two highways then split apart and the Garden State Parkway bisects residential areas before reaching an interchange for Stone Harbor Boulevard ( CR 657 ), which serves the Cape Regional Medical Center and Stone Harbor . Past this point, the road comes to an interchange for Crest Haven Road ( CR 609 ), which provides access to
28086-474: The state line, where the parkway would meet with a connecting spur from the mainline of the New York State Thruway. Part of the extension to Chestnut Ridge opened on July 3, 1957, and the Thruway's Garden State Parkway Connector opened on August 29 that year. In only 36 hours, the extension reported 8,000 drivers. On February 7, 1958, U-turning was banned in order to increase safety. This
28272-493: The time suggested that the parkway would become toll-free once bonds used for its construction were paid off. However, this speculation never became a reality. Segments north of Irvington began opening in the months thereafter. The section from Irvington to Central Avenue in East Orange was scheduled to open on November 26, but complaints about the road's safety from Irvington officials stalled opening until December 9, after
28458-520: The toll booths on the ramps opened the in February, replacing the toll booths on the grounded ramps, which were later demolished. The total cost of the project was $ 2.25 million, which was half a million higher than the original estimate. Dedication of the overpasses occurred on January 15, 1959, when the Highway Authority and several city officials attended a ceremony and a luncheon. During 1959, traffic counts noted 1.5 million cars used
28644-467: The township form of government, or adopt one of the modern forms of government, which are not restricted to a particular type of municipality. In New Jersey, a municipality's name (such as X Township) is not necessarily an indication of its form of government. In New Jersey, the township form of government consists of a three to five-member township committee usually elected at-large in partisan elections. At its organization meeting, held after an election,
28830-589: The township include Aserdaten , Bamber Lake , Barnegat Pines, Batuber, Cedar Creek, Cedar Crest, Deer Head Lake, Good Luck, Lake Barnegat, Lanoka Harbor , Osteam, Red Oak Grove, Union Clay Works and Webbs Mill. The township's fire stations are named after the various areas of Lacey Township. The township borders the Ocean County municipalities of Barnegat Township , Berkeley Township , Manchester Township and Ocean Township , as well as Woodland Township in Burlington County . The north–south track of
29016-464: The township via boat. Lacey Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on
29202-429: The township were taken on June 23, 1933, to form the borough of Island Beach (which is now Island Beach State Park , part of Berkeley Township ). The township was named for Revolutionary War brigadier general John Lacey , who developed Ferrago Forge in 1809. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station is located in the southern part of the township. The single-unit 636 MWe boiling water reactor power plant adjoins
29388-421: The township's 18,618 registered voters, yielding a 48.9% turnout. The Lacey Township School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade . As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,864 students and 334.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from
29574-477: The township's 19,182 registered voters (101 ballots were spoiled ), for a turnout of 66.2%. In the 2008 presidential election , Republican John McCain received 59.4% of the vote (8,188 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.4% (5,286 votes) and other candidates with 1.5% (200 votes), among the 13,776 ballots cast by the township's 19,102 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.1%. In the 2004 presidential election , Republican George W. Bush received 63.3% of
29760-465: The township's 2010 Census population, 66.0% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 85.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election , Republican Mitt Romney received 59.1% of the vote (7,438 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 39.7% (4,998 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (159 votes), among the 12,696 ballots cast by
29946-510: The township's area, is strictly controlled by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission . Some Ocean County residents refer to all of Lacey Township as Forked River with the first word pronounced with two syllables (FOR-kid or FORK-id). Pronouncing the first word with one syllable is a sign of a non-native. In a 2015 NJ.com poll with 91,000 respondents, Lacey Township was voted as part of South Jersey . According to
30132-433: The township, as the media markets of both cities overlap in the township, as they do in much of Ocean County. As of May 2010, the township had a total of 194.40 miles (312.86 km) of roadways, of which 155.81 miles (250.75 km) were maintained by the municipality, 28.45 miles (45.79 km) by Ocean County, 4.45 miles (7.16 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 5.69 miles (9.16 km) by
30318-625: The two sections of Naval Weapons Station Earle . Continuing northwest past houses and parks, the route has an interchange with Red Hill Road ( CR 52 ) as it enters Holmdel Township , where it serves the PNC Bank Arts Center and the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial . Upon entering Hazlet , the parkway crosses NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line before reaching an interchange for Route 35 and Route 36, which serves Keyport . At this point,
30504-619: The uninhabited Port Republic Wildlife Management Area. With some occasional development appearing along the sides of the road, the median narrows to a Jersey barrier as US 9 merges back onto the parkway, along with the Pine Barrens Byway , and the three routes cross the Mullica River . The highway surfaces into Bass River Township , Burlington County , and US 9 and the Pine Barrens Byway depart at
30690-459: The vote (8,300 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 35.5% (4,655 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (107 votes), among the 13,102 ballots cast by the township's 17,986 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.8. In the 2013 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 75.2% of the vote (6,394 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 23.1% (1,966 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (145 votes), among
30876-435: The west and neighborhoods on the east, the Garden State Parkway turns northeast as the median widens and contains a maintenance yard, and US 9 leaves the parkway at an interchange with Route 166 . Past the interchange, the parkway reaches the bi-directional Toms River Toll Plaza and passes by lighter suburban development in addition to parkland, with Ocean County College to the east. Upon entering Lakewood Township ,
31062-599: The west of the Upper Montclair Country Club. The parkway crosses into Clifton , Passaic County , where it reaches an interchange with Route 3 . At this point, the space between the northbound and southbound roadways contains the Allwood Road Park and Ride serving NJ Transit buses. After passing under a set of power lines and bisecting a residential area, the route has an incomplete interchange with US 46 . Immediately north,
31248-696: The western area but without any intersections to other roads in the municipality. NJ Transit provides bus service between the township and Atlantic City on the 559 bus route. Academy Bus offers Parkway Express routes from the Forked River Service Area to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan or to Wall Street in Lower Manhattan . Ocean Ride local service is provided on
31434-406: Was $ 55,938, and the median income for a family was $ 61,298. Males had a median income of $ 47,406 versus $ 30,088 for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 23,136. About 3.7% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over. Lacey Township is home to many businesses, the largest employer has been
31620-412: Was $ 72,835 (with a margin of error of ± $ 3,271) and the median family income was $ 84,031 (± $ 6,930). Males had a median income of $ 56,748 (± $ 3,051) versus $ 40,360 (± $ 3,340) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $ 31,552 (± $ 1,524). About 2.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over. As of
31806-425: Was also extended north to Route 50 at Seaville that day, which then was extended south to Route 47 on September 4, and north to Beesley's Point Bridge on October 6. The entire highway south of Irvington was declared finished on October 9, 1954. The lone exception was across the Great Egg Harbor; the parkway temporarily detoured onto US 9 and over the Beesley's Point Bridge at this point. Literature from
31992-437: Was also rebuilt to give each direction dedicated toll canopies instead of all traffic merging into a single canopy like previously. The project was completed in December 1963. They also repaved a 2 mile segment of roadway from the Passaic County line to exit 154 in order to add a one inch overlay of asphalt. This project also entitled lengthening and widening northbound acceleration lanes to exit 153A, exit 153B, and
32178-400: Was completed on July 9 of that year. In late 1955, construction of a northbound roadway began in Cape May. The new roadbed was opened north of Seaville by October 17, south of Cape May Court House by October 25, and fully by October 28. On April 16, 1956, the parkway's trailblazer was posted. The final stretch of permanent roadway was opened alongside the Great Egg Harbor Bridge , completing
32364-407: Was completed. Later that year, a traffic signal was installed at exit 81, in addition to other safety improvements. Later that year, large portions of the roadway had their speed limit increased to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). In June 1999, a project to expand the Barnegat toll plaza was completed and with it eliminated the final single canopied mainline plaza. Also included in this project
32550-416: Was completed. The cloverleaf interchange , which costed $ 800,000,000 was built to serve as a link to the newly constructed Atlantic City Expressway . In May 1962, plans were announced to widen the segment from exit 154 to just near exit 158 from two lanes to three lanes. As part of this, the Passaic River Bridge was to be reconstructed with a wider superstructure and piers. The Bergen Toll Plaza
32736-413: Was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban Northern New Jersey with the Jersey Shore resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north–south routes running through each town center, such as US Route 1 (US 1), US 9 , and Route 35 . During planning and construction of the first segment, the road was to be a toll-free highway designated as
32922-427: Was done to encourage use of exit 159. On March 8, 1965, a project began to improve the segment between the Cape May Toll Plaza and exit 30. It involved a major reconstruction of exits 29, replacing the at-grade intersection with a new grade separated northbound exit and southbound entrance. Exit 30 also had its northbound entrance and southbound exit closed and a toll plaza constructed. Additionally,
33108-555: Was enforced at both the toll plazas and on the main roadway, and was considered a violation even if done to correct error. By the time the parkway had been extended to the New York State Thruway, the need for a full interchange at the exit 154 was noted. Following the recommendation of a survey to do so, D. Louis Tonti, the executive director of the New Jersey Highway Authority, announced plans in December 1957 to construct two new overpasses at exit 154 in Clifton . These overpasses would connect drivers from US 46 eastbound to
33294-523: Was later lowered to two or more occupants in June 1981. They were converted into general use lanes in 1982 after almost universal criticism. In late 1983, a project to widen the segment of roadway near the Raritan Toll Plaza from five to six lanes began. The entire project was completed by 1984. Work on the rest of the project was completed at the end of 1985. Also as part of this project the Asbury Park and Union toll plaza were reconstructed with dedicated canopies in each direction. This project made it so that
33480-429: Was new fencing, new electrical work, increased landscaping, and a toll re-coordinating shed. E-ZPass was first installed at the Pascack Valley Toll Plaza in December 1999, with the Raritan Toll plaza following in April 2000. By August, installation of the system had been fully completed. In April 2001, a project to replace the Dover Road overpass to allow for improvements to said road was completed. Later that year,
33666-547: Was only when the southbound section was opened to exit 148 on January 8 that the blockade was lifted on the southbound section. At this point, Bloomfield mayor Donald E. Scott prevented the opening of the northbound lanes until the completion of a new bridge carrying Bloomfield Avenue over Second River needed to carry exiting traffic. Though this bridge was not completed for some time, the highway opened fully to US 46 on January 19, negating this prerequisite. However, Mayor Scott still barred all entrances and exits except for
33852-399: Was opened on January 13, 1954, from US 22 to Mill Road. Due to poor weather conditions, tolls were not collected until January 15. The Toms River bypass was extended south to Manahawkin on July 15, and north to the Eatontown Spur (now Route 36 ) on July 30, 1954. The bridge carrying the parkway over the Raritan River was also opened to northbound traffic on this day, extending
34038-424: Was opened to Route 440 south. By June, the link to Route 440 north had opened. In May 1973, exit 98 was opened to northbound traffic. On July 3, 1973, the southbound exit 98 opened, completing the project. this exit replaced the preexisting exits 96, 97, and 97A, with the new exit featuring a right hand collector-distributor roadway combining the cloverleafs at exits 97 and 97A as well as
34224-470: Was originally proposed as part of a northern extension of the unbuilt Route 101 , a highway that was intended to run from Kearny to Hackensack . The extension, Route S101, would have continued northward from Hackensack to the state line via Paramus. Approximately nine miles (14 km) in length, the extension was planned to run north through the Bergen County municipalities of Paramus, Washington Township, Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake, and Montvale to
34410-468: Was replaced by a new one. In addition, an on-ramp was built that allows southbound Route 18 traffic to enter the southbound local roadway. In 1994, a third lane was added to the segment between mileposts 81 and 82. The Highway Authority rebuilt exit 74. In addition to the construction of toll plazas in both directions, other alterations were made, such as demolishing the southbound entrance and exit ramps and constructing new ones to turn around at where
34596-569: Was responsible to oversee the expenditure of revenue in between town meetings. The Township Act of 1899 abolished the town meeting and strengthened the role of the Township Committee, which was initially set at three and amended to allow for expansion to five members. Members were elected for staggered three-year terms. The Home Rule Act of 1917 legally defined the term "municipality" and recognized five types of government: borough , township, city , town , and village and granted each equal legal standing. The Township Act of 1989 simplified
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