NJ Turnpike mystery trumpet

[lepidopteran]

On the NJTP, just south of the Molly Pitcher Service Area, there used to be a trumpet interchange whose original purpose I never quite understood.  The trumpet ramps went to and from the NB lanes only, and crossed the Turnpike to a point near the service plaza.

In the early 1970s, I remember the signs leading to that ramp said "Charter Bus Stop".  The gore sign added the words "Buses Only" I think on a separate tab below, and yet another tab below that read "Open"; my observation says that was actually a 2-sided panel with "Closed" on the other side, so someone had to get out there and flip it.  Anyone know what was meant by a "Charter Bus Stop"?  And why have the crossover for the Service Plaza anyway with Joyce Kilmer only 6 miles away?

By the mid-1990s or some time earlier, the trumpet became an "Official Use Only" ramp, with a NJ State Police logo as the gore sign.  And in the recent widening, a wider bridge was rebuilt in the same spot, but instead of a trumpet interchange, it now has the same less-inviting right-angle ramps found at other "Official Use Only" U-turn locations.

[seicer]

In the 1957 aerial (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1.14556356780816E-5&lat=40.3207829163309&lon=-74.4881707417366&year=1957), there was no ramp but it looks as if there was ROW available for a NB service plaza.

Jump to 1963 (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1.14556356780816E-5&lat=40.3207829163309&lon=-74.4881707417366&year=1963) and a half trumpet ramp was completed for what look like bus parking spaces.

More odd is that in the 1979 aerial (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=3.566557849163E-6&lat=40.3204305502437&lon=-74.4897992357409&year=1979), there is a car in a parking space and is accessible from the SB NJ TPK service plaza. The lot to the north has a fence surrounding it - so it's not accessible from the NJ TPK.

By 1987 (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=3.566557849163E-6&lat=40.320041695806&lon=-74.4893855150304&year=1987), a connection was made to the truck parking for the SB NJ TPK service plaza, and the bus spaces were used by truckers.

By 1995, it's all gone. Odd.

[jeffandnicole]

In the 1957 aerial (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1.14556356780816E-5&lat=40.3207829163309&lon=-74.4881707417366&year=1957), there was no ramp but it looks as if there was ROW available for a NB service plaza.

Jump to 1963 (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1.14556356780816E-5&lat=40.3207829163309&lon=-74.4881707417366&year=1963) and a half trumpet ramp was completed for what look like bus parking spaces.

More odd is that in the 1979 aerial (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=3.566557849163E-6&lat=40.3204305502437&lon=-74.4897992357409&year=1979), there is a car in a parking space and is accessible from the SB NJ TPK service plaza. The lot to the north has a fence surrounding it - so it's not accessible from the NJ TPK.

By 1987 (http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=3.566557849163E-6&lat=40.320041695806&lon=-74.4893855150304&year=1987), a connection was made to the truck parking for the SB NJ TPK service plaza, and the bus spaces were used by truckers.

By 1995, it's all gone. Odd.

I could've sworn at one time this was the Turnpike's only Service Plaza that served both NB & SB traffic, with NB traffic utilizing that mystery trumpet.  When someone challenged me on that (damn them), I tried to look up information about it, and could not find anything supporting my position.

I believe a State Police Barracks was built just south of the Pitcher Service Plaza and that's what the ramps became primarily used for.

[1995hoo]

Correct about the state police having a facility just south of there. It's easy to spot if you look at a current satellite view.

[roadman65]

It was a Chartered Bus Stop, that was opened seasonally at one time.  It allowed for busses to have a place to stop, because the normal service areas prohibited buses due to the large crowds it would bring.  This was long before the current food courts, when all you had was a sit down restaurant.

I have not payed attention last few times in New Jersey, so I do not know if the ban on buses in the Service Areas are still in effect now.

[Steve D]

Not a mystery at all - here's the history:

In the 1950s the land across from the Molly Pitcher service area on the northbound side was unused.  It was not meant to be space for a northbound plaza, as the Joyce Kilmer service area was only a few miles north and had opened at the same time as Molly Pitcher.

In those days buses were much more popular for long distance travel so in the early 1960s (1964?) the Turnpike opened a Charter Bus facility, consisting mainly of one large new building and a parking lot (a mid 1960s Turnpike annual report picture shows scores of buses stopping at the plaza on their way to the civil rights march in Washington).  A trumpet ramp was built to allow entry/exit from the northbound side of the Turnpike, and the southbound ramps were modified to access the new facility.  Access between north and south sides (i.e., turning around) was prohibited but was physically possible from the new parking lot.  As this area was restricted to buses only (or supposed to be) the Turnpike probably did not see that as an issue.

By the late 1970s cars and airplanes became more popular for mid to long trips and bus usage was in severe decline.  The bus stop was closed for business around 1977 but the trumpet ramps remained as the Turnpike Authority did not know the future use of the facility.  As someone stated, the "Charter Bus Stop" signs were taken down and those small silly (non standard for the rest of the world) Turnpike style "do not enter" signs were put up.  The lane markings even stayed on the acceleration and deceleration lanes with nothing physically blocking the ramps.

In the 1980s the Turnpike Authority did develop a vision for the area - a full scale truck stop, the first ever on the Turnpike, including a motel and several restaurants and stores only open to truckers.  Of course the neighbors made a big deal about it and the plan was quickly killed.   The Turnpike Authority then decided to convert the land into a state police barracks, which was completed in the late 1980s.  The trumpet ramps were re-configured physically from curved endings to the perpendicular connection as is standard on emergency-only Turnpike access. 

I moved out of NJ about 20 years ago so I'm not sure about the site today.  I imagine the charter bus stop building is long gone, based on the renovation of the service plaza around 1990.  Also that trumpet bridge was replaced last year in the exit 6-9 widening.

From Chapter 6 of my upcoming book on the Turnpike.....

[roadman65]

Thanks for that great information.  I was about to write to the NJTA for more information on that former Bus Stop as it was puzzling to know why it was closed.  I thought it had to do with the new food courts allowing the many bus passengers better service than the old restaurants in the day did.

Also, I do remember in the turnpike newsletter back in the 80's of the proposed truck stop.  I always wondered what happened to that plan as it sounded like it was a sure thing at the time.

[jeffandnicole]

There was a truck stop proposed near Interchange 4 in the Mt. Laurel area as well...probably in part to the opposition further North.

Residents and township officals welcomed the news with open arms closed fists, and the plans were dropped there as well.

[lepidopteran]

Thanks for the history, Steve!  Though I wanna mention that the NB ramps were still curved ramps, probably unchanged, until the bridge was rebuilt for the 6-9 widening.

The aerials that Sherman linked to, do in fact show a separate building facing the bus lot.  Makes me wonder, did this have a cafeteria setup to better accommodate batches of bus riders than a sit-down restaurant would?  Perhaps it was an extended "snack bar" arrangement, or a proto food court (I have a distant but specific memory of seeing the words "Snack Bar" on a highway sign.)  Did Howard Johnson have the concession for this place, same as the regular plaza?  I wonder if there wasn't an exclusive "drivers' lounge" where the bus drivers could get away from the passengers for a spell.

The separate building was gone by the 1990s, with the space used for more bus/truck parking spaces.