U.S. Route 1/9 Truck (US 1/9 Truck) is a United States Numbered Highway in the northern part of New Jersey that stretches 4.11 miles (6.61 km) from the eastern edge of Newark to the Tonnele Circle in Jersey City. It is the alternate route for US 1/9 that trucks must use because they are prohibited from using the Pulaski Skyway, which carries the main routes of US 1/9. It also serves traffic accessing the New Jersey Turnpike, Route 440, and Route 7. The route is a four- to six-lane road its entire length, with portions of it being a divided highway that runs through urban areas. From its south end to about halfway through Kearny, US 1/9 Truck is a freeway, with access to other roads controlled by interchanges.

Truck plate.svg

U.S. Route 1/9 Truck marker

U.S. Route 1/9 Truck

Map
US 1/9 Truck highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 1/9
Maintained by NJDOT
Length4.11 mi[1] (6.61 km)
Existed1953–present
Major junctions
South end I-95 / N.J. Turnpike / US 1-9 in Newark
Major intersections
North end US 1-9 / Route 139 / Route 7 in Jersey City
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountiesEssex, Hudson
Highway system

While the US 1/9 Truck designation was first used in 1953, the roadway comprising the route was originally designated as an extension of Route 1 in 1922, a route that in its full length stretched from Trenton to Jersey City. US 1/9 was designated along the road in 1926, and, one year later, in 1927, this portion of Route 1 was replaced with Route 25 as well as with a portion of Route 1 north of the Communipaw Avenue intersection. Following the opening of the Pulaski Skyway in 1932, US 1/9 and Route 25 were realigned to the new skyway. After trucks were banned from the skyway in 1934, the portion of Route 25 between Newark and Route 1 was designated as Route 25T. In 1953, US 1/9 Truck was designated in favor of Route 25T and Route 1 along this segment of road. The portion of the truck route north of Route 7 was rebuilt as part of a $271.9-million (equivalent to $351 million in 2023[2]) project to construct new approach roads to connect US 1/9 Truck, Route 7, the Pulaski Skyway, Route 139, and US 1/9 north of the Tonnele Circle and local streets in Jersey City. Construction, which started in late 2008, was completed in late 2012.

The highway is posted on reassurance shields as a north–south route. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Straight Line Diagram, however, lists it as an east–west route[1] and recently updated mileposts depict this alignment, with west direction signed for southbound traffic and east for northbound traffic.[3]

Route description edit

 
US 1/9 Truck westbound approaching the Passaic River Bridge in Kearny, with the Pulaski Skyway visible to the right

US 1/9 Truck begins at an interchange with access to and from the southbound direction US 1/9, the Pulaski Skyway, in the Ironbound section of the city of Newark in Essex County.[1] The truck route is meant to bypass the portion of US 1/9 along the Pulaski Skyway, which trucks are restricted from.[4] It merges onto Raymond Boulevard, which continues west from the US 1/9 and US 1/9 Truck interchange into Downtown Newark.[5] The truck restriction on US 1/9 is for the "safety and welfare of the public" according to NJDOT, not a specific bridge defect.[4] At this point, the truck route becomes a four-lane divided highway, heading to the east. A short distance later, the road comes to an interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95, or I-95) and Doremus Avenue before crossing over the Passaic River on a vertical lift bridge.[1] Here, the route enters Kearny in Hudson County and continues east into industrial areas as the Lincoln Highway. The road has a right-in/right-out in both directions that provides access to Jacobus Avenue before it comes to an interchange with County Route 659 (CR 659).[1][5] From here, US 1/9 Truck passes under a Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) railroad line and becomes a six-lane divided highway, coming to an at-grade intersection with Hackensack Avenue.[1] Past this intersection, the road crosses the Hackensack River on a vertical lift bridge and enters Jersey City. Upon entering Jersey City, the road becomes Communipaw Avenue and intersects the northern terminus of Route 440 near the Hudson Mall.[1][5]

 
View north along US 1/9 Truck approaching the Hackensack River Bridge in Kearny

At this intersection, Communipaw Avenue continues to the east toward Communipaw and US 1/9 Truck turns to the north, becoming an unnamed four-lane undivided road[1] and bisecting Lincoln Park before coming to an intersection with CR 605. Here, the road becomes a four-lane divided highway again, passing some urban business areas before running between wetlands to the west and Holy Name Cemetery to the east. The route heads into more commercial areas again before passing urban residences, coming to an intersection that provides access to the Pulaski Skyway. Here, US 1/9 Truck turns east on Broadway, running through a business district. A short distance later, it turns north onto an unnamed road with CR 642 continuing east on Broadway. The route passes under PATH's Newark–World Trade Center line and CSAO's Northern Branch line before crossing under the Pulaski Skyway.[1][5] Immediately after, US 1/9 Truck intersects the eastern terminus of Route 7 and turns to the east, with CR 645 continuing north at this intersection.[1] The truck route becomes a four-lane divided highway called the St. Paul's Viaduct that runs to the north of the Pulaski Skyway and passes through industrial sectors, crossing over the Northern Branch line and CR 646.[5] A short distance later, US 1/9 Truck comes to the Tonnele Circle with US 1/9 and Route 139, where it ends.[1]

The East Coast Greenway runs along the north side of the highway.

History edit

 
Route 25T (1934–1953)
 
US 1/9 eastbound at the beginning of US 1/9 Truck in Newark, with a sign noting "No Trucks" on the approach to the Pulaski Skyway

What is now US 1/9 Truck between Newark and Jersey City was originally chartered as part of Ferry Road by the New Jersey Colonial legislature in 1765. The road stretched from Newark to Jersey City along Ferry Street, US 1/9 Truck, Communipaw Avenue, and Grand Street. The Passaic and Hackensack Ferry and Road Company took over maintenance in 1828, followed by the Newark Plank Road and Ferry in 1849 (not to be confused with the similarly named Newark Plank Road). Though the company's contract was to be extended for 50 years in 1900, this was overturned by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.[6]

In 1913, the road west of Lincoln Park became the first segment of the Lincoln Highway.[7] The current route of US 1/9 Truck was designated to be an extension of Route 1 in 1922, a route that was to run from Trenton to Jersey City.[8]

 
US 1/9 Truck eastbound at Route 7 in Jersey City

When the U.S. Numbered Highway System was established in 1926, the current truck route became a part of the US 1/9 concurrency.[9] A year later, in the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 25 was designated to run along the entire length of the route along with US 1/9 as part of its journey from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Camden to the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City, while Route 1 was also designated along the portion north of Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City as a part of its routing from Bayonne to Rockleigh.[10][11]

Following the opening of the Pulaski Skyway in 1932, US 1/9 and Route 25 were moved to the new bridge.[12] After trucks were banned from the Pulaski Skyway in 1934, the portion of Route 25 between Newark and Route 1 was designated as Route 25T.[13][14] In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, US 1/9 Truck was designated to replace all of Route 25T as well as the portion of Route 1 between Route 25T and the Tonnele Circle.[a][15]

Beginning in 2009, NJDOT replaced the viaduct that carries the route over St. Paul's Avenue and a CSAO line. The St. Paul's Viaduct was built in 1928 and determined structurally deficient. The $271.9-million (equivalent to $351 million in 2023[2]) replacement was completed in September 2011. In addition to replacing the St. Paul's Avenue viaduct, the approaches to US 1/9 Truck between Route 7 and the Tonnele Circle were improved in preparation for the construction of the Replacement Wittpen bridge.[16][17][18][19]

In 2021, with the opening of the new Wittpenn Bridge, the former intersection with Route 7 and US 1/9 was demolished, and the former overpass that originally bypassed the intersection was rerouted to the bridge instead. A replacement ramp to reallow traffic onto Newark Avenue after the ability to do so was removed at the intersection was opened on April 21, 2023, at 9:00 pm.[20]

Studies are being conducted to make the intersection with Route 440 a multilevel traffic circle and to make the northern and southern (Route 440) approaches into a multi-use urban boulevard that includes grade separations and additional medians. The studies are in anticipation of a general increase of activity in Port of New York and New Jersey, as well as new development in West Side, Jersey City, and Hackensack River Greenway.[21][22][23][24]

Major intersections edit

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
EssexNewark0.000.00  
 
  US 1-9 (Pulaski Skyway) to I-78 – Port Newark, Newark Airport, Jersey City, New York City
Interchange
0.14–
0.27
0.23–
0.43
Raymond Boulevard westInterchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
0.410.66   I-95 / N.J. TurnpikeExit 15E on I-95 / Turnpike
0.560.90Doremus AvenueInterchange
Passaic River0.671.08Passaic River Bridge
HudsonKearny0.751.21Jacobus AvenueInterchange
1.131.82Central Avenue (CR 659 east) – KearnyInterchange
Hackensack River1.722.77Hackensack River Bridge
Jersey City2.273.65 
 
Route 440 south / Communipaw Avenue east (CR 612) – Jersey City
Northern terminus of Route 440
3.756.04 
 
 
 
Route 7 west to I-280 – Kearny
Former Charlotte Circle
4.116.61 
 
Route 139 east – Hoboken, Holland Tunnel
 
 
US 1-9 north (Pulaski Skyway / Tonnele Avenue) – Secaucus, Lincoln Tunnel
Tonnele Circle
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ 1953 renumbering

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "U.S. Route 1-9 Truck straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  3. ^ Google (August 27, 2020). "Image of recently installed milepost on U.S. Route 1/9 south, showing a west designation" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Restricted Access: Route US 1 & 9". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e Google (August 6, 2009). "Overview of U.S. Route 1/9 Truck" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  6. ^ "Ferry Street". newarkhistory.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "How 'Lincoln Way' Project Now Stands: A. R. Pardington Tells Pittsburghers of Present Accomplishment on Road". The New York Times. April 5, 1914. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  8. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1922, Chapter 253.
  9. ^ Map of New Jersey (Map). Tydol Trails. 1927. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  10. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
  11. ^ Sketch Map showing approximate location of New Jersey State Highway Routes as designated by Chapter 319, Laws of 1927 (Map). State of New Jersey. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  12. ^ Rand McNally Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1946. p. 42. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  13. ^ "Skyway Truck Ban Approved by State: Jersey Highway Commission Commends Hague's Measure to Increase Safety". The New York Times. January 24, 1932. p. 19. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  14. ^ "Jersey Renumbered". The New York Times. December 28, 1952. p. X15. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522.
  15. ^ "New Road Signs Ready in Jersey". The New York Times. December 16, 1952. p. 41. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "Route 1&9T(25) St. Paul's Viaduct Replacement: Frequently Asked Questions". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  17. ^ "Route 1&9T(25) St. Paul's Viaduct Replacement: Overview". New Jersey Department of Transportation. March 30, 2009. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  18. ^ Whiton, John (September 19, 2011). "Old Route 1&9 Truck Viaduct Now Closed Forever as Traffic Patterns Shift at Tonnelle Circle". Jersey City Independent. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  19. ^ "New traffic pattern begins tomorrow at Tonnelle Circle in Jersey City". The Jersey Journal. September 16, 2011. OCLC 44512660. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  20. ^ "New ramp from Route 1&9 Truck southbound to Newark Avenue to open on Friday night in Jersey City" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. April 20, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  21. ^ Route 440/Routes 1&9T Multi-Use Urban Boulevard and Through Truck Diversion Concept Development Study (PDF) (Report). Jersey City Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce. March 9, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2012.
  22. ^ Scope of Work (PDF) (Report). City of Jersey City. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2012.
  23. ^ McDonald, Terrence T. (March 25, 2011). "Wittpenn Bridge and Pulaski Skyway among Hudson County road projects to receive $551 million in state funding". The Jersey Journal. OCLC 44512660. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  24. ^ "Route 440/Routes 1&9T Multi-Use Urban Boulevard and Through Truck Diversion Concept Development Study" (PDF). City of Jersey City. August 23, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

External links edit

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