New Jersey Turnpike

[D-Dey65]

Perhaps NJ is relying more on mobile weigh checks like NY?

I do wonder why some large toll roads (including the NYS Thruway, the N.J. Turnpike; the Pennsylvania Turnpike; and the Ohio Turnpike) do not have any stationary weight enforcement at all. 

The Pennsylvania Turnpike does weigh vehicles entering its ticket system, so in that sense does have weight enforcement by just keeping them off that part of its system, but that's not going to work in an all-AET environment.

The Thruway actually has a couple truck inspection stations; one heading north between exits 19-20, and one heading west between exits 28-29.

Something else I remember the Thruway having was an area where tandem trucks would drop off and/or pick up tow dollies north of Exit 15. I don't know why a truck weigh station couldn't be installed there.

But getting back to the New Jersey Turnpike, there's a beauty who works at the Walt Whitman Service Area.

[storm2k]

The MUTCD sign replacement project has piked up steam along the Eastern spur, with new gantries rolling out at a pretty good clip. It means that a lot of the old school signage that's survived for 40 some odd years (like Exit 17 advance signage) is on death watch.

[roadman65]

I think those signs are even longer than that!  The ones approaching Exit 17 from the north were erected when the original Exit 18 toll plaza was removed for the current 16E-18E plaza and the relocation of Exit 17 from Route 3 proper to where it is at now as a one way coin drop to and from Route 495.

[noelbotevera]

I think those signs are even longer than that!  The ones approaching Exit 17 from the north were erected when the original Exit 18 toll plaza was removed for the current 16E-18E plaza and the relocation of Exit 17 from Route 3 proper to where it is at now as a one way coin drop to and from Route 495.

I'm going this way in 2017, do you think they can hang on for that long?

[SignBridge]

Roadman65 is correct about the Exits 16E-17-18E history. Those southbound Exit 17 signs went up circa 1964 when the new interchange was built. That big arcing exit ramp seemed really cool to this young adolescent around that time! BTW the posted exit toll was 15 cents if you can believe that.

[Mergingtraffic]

Roadman65 is correct about the Exits 16E-17-18E history. Those southbound Exit 17 signs went up circa 1964 when the new interchange was built. That big arcing exit ramp seemed really cool to this young adolescent around that time! BTW the posted exit toll was 15 cents if you can believe that.

I noticed for some signs it takes a while (months?) for the foundations to stabilize. 

ANY news on the Black button copy Tpke signage on NJ-495 approaching the Tpke? 

[Alps]

Roadman65 is correct about the Exits 16E-17-18E history. Those southbound Exit 17 signs went up circa 1964 when the new interchange was built. That big arcing exit ramp seemed really cool to this young adolescent around that time! BTW the posted exit toll was 15 cents if you can believe that.

I noticed for some signs it takes a while (months?) for the foundations to stabilize. 

ANY news on the Black button copy Tpke signage on NJ-495 approaching the Tpke? 

Very dark painted green, but not actually black - and about to disappear I've heard, but I don't know that it's tied to any specific project.

[roadman65]

Roadman65 is correct about the Exits 16E-17-18E history. Those southbound Exit 17 signs went up circa 1964 when the new interchange was built. That big arcing exit ramp seemed really cool to this young adolescent around that time! BTW the posted exit toll was 15 cents if you can believe that.

You know that ramp is cool and I always noticed something about it that was totally different from the other turnpike bridges.  It seemed like it did not belong because other turnpike bridges all had the same designs such as the rounded bottom piers and further south with Exit 6 northbound's on ramp having the same angle across the roadway as Exit 17 does, it featured more modern design features.  It always struck me, but never really gave it a second thought until recently when I saw aerials from the past.  Had the current Exit 17 been built with the original turnpike you would have that typical turnpike design as the Exit 6 bridge has.

Also, for years I often wondered why the two exit numbers 16 and 17 (later 16E and 17) existed for the same interchange. I thought that was because of the barrier coin drop on 17 and the ticket for 16 (16E), but after seeing that the original Exit 17 was an interchange directly with ramps leading to NJ 3,  I then realized the real reason.  I also found, in addition,  that unlike the usual trumpet to trumpet interchanges that other original with two separate toll features instead of the usual trumpet to trumpet interchanges (or at least shared ramps with one single plaza as 13 and 14 were not really trumpets), that there were two Exit 17 toll plazas with only partial movements.  One plaza for the southbound exit which only allowed access to and from the EB lanes of NJ 3, and another for the northbound exit which only allowed movement to and from the WB lanes of NJ 3 is seen in historic aerials.

Also Exit 12 was only to and from the south with, I believe with a half diamond and again two plazas.  Plus the original Exit 13 did not connect with either the Goethals Bridge nor NJ 439 directly (278 was only a proposal at the time) and other discoveries are so cool to learn on historic aerials.

Edit: I mean to say Exit 12 was to and from the north and yes it was half diamond.

[SignBridge]

Roadman65, if you haven't already seen it, check out the Images of America series book "The New Jersey Turnpike". It has the complete history of the construction of the Turnpike and lots of photos of the original interchanges, etc. Well worth the cost of the book, about $20. 

[Mergingtraffic]

Anybody know when this was put up on NJ-495?



I'd expect this and the other 3 in the area will soon be replaced as well?

[Alps]

Anybody know when this was put up on NJ-495?

Probably when the interchange was built in the 1950s. After all, it references US 46 as the northern terminus.

[SignBridge]

I believe that sign was erected circa 1964 as part of that same Interchange 16-17 reconstruction. Before that you could not access the northbound NJT directly from what is now called Route 495. You had to exit onto Route-3 and enter the Turnpike northbound at the original Interchange-17.

[storm2k]

Anybody know when this was put up on NJ-495?



I'd expect this and the other 3 in the area will soon be replaced as well?

The sign bridge is going up. One of the support arms is up, and the other one and the truss are on site. This sign will be replaced very soon.

[noelbotevera]

nah. these signs are invincible, why replace them?

[The Nature Boy]

I drove the NJ Turnpike last week and I will say that the I missed the old button copy and the light up signage. It always screamed "New Jersey!" to me.

[noelbotevera]

I'm going to be stuck here in Pennsylvania for the next two, three years. I'm probably heading to Boston and see if the signs are up in 2017/2018. We use the NJTP around this area.

[roadman65]

Anybody know when this was put up on NJ-495?



I'd expect this and the other 3 in the area will soon be replaced as well?

The sign bridge is going up. One of the support arms is up, and the other one and the truss are on site. This sign will be replaced very soon.

I hate to see "TO US 46" and "Pa-Del-Md" as well.  I know the MUTCD and since the interchange was added a lot to the area has changed, like I-95 coming and extending the Turnpike to the GWB and stuff, but its nice to leave at least this sign anyway.

Change the rest to include I-95 and add "Newark" and "Trenton" to the signs at the split for the SB NJT, and then add " G. Washington Br." for NB NJT and even maybe add shields for I-78 and I-280 as well as I-80 like they briefly did at the gore point to replace the old SOUTH Newark Airport and NORTH I-95 & US 46 that were there previously.

[NJRoadfan]

Man, if Philly didn't get enough of a shaft getting left off of MD's signs on I-95, now NJ is giving the city the same treatment. All of the southbound signs are likely going to say Camden and/or Trenton at this point!

[ekt8750]

Man, if Philly didn't get enough of a shaft getting left off of MD's signs on I-95, now NJ is giving the city the same treatment. All of the southbound signs are likely going to say Camden and/or Trenton at this point!

Nah with the 95 completion you'll likely see Camden/Philadelphia control cities.

[NJRoadfan]

Nah with the 95 completion you'll likely see Camden/Philadelphia control cities.

http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/SD-NJTA-SL18.pdf

All the new MUTCD signing that has been installed has used either Trenton or Camden as the southbound control city thus far. I think the only installed sign that has Philadelphia on it is the ones at Exit 6 which have it covered up at the moment.

[noelbotevera]

Man, if Philly didn't get enough of a shaft getting left off of MD's signs on I-95, now NJ is giving the city the same treatment. All of the southbound signs are likely going to say Camden and/or Trenton at this point!

Nah with the 95 completion you'll likely see Camden/Philadelphia control cities.

Philadelphia should've got a spot on the NJ Turnpike control cities decades ago.

[SignBridge]

Roadman65, I'm with you. When driving west from the Lincoln Tunnel enroute to Penna. or Virginia and I pass under that sign for Pa-Del-Md, and see the Turnpike in the distance I know I'm on my way. I too will be sorry to see that sign disappear.  It's been there since I was a kid. 

[thenetwork]

The white (or formally yellow-now-faded) stripe on the bottom of the sign -- did that once have text???

[roadman65]

I am not against Philly being on it, but with Newark being NJ largest city and on the signs for I-95 from the Bronx southward, it will most likely be on it with either Camden or Trenton with it.

Yes Maryland won't let Philly be signed from Baltimore northward and Delaware uses its own Wilmington with NJ-NY, up until after I-295 then Philly comes into ramp signs.

The problem is that the NJT is the defacto I-95 and Philadelphia is miles away from the NJT mainline.

Yes, another part of road history gone like the Exit 6 gantry now a memory as well.

[roadman65]

The white (or formally yellow-now-faded) stripe on the bottom of the sign -- did that once have text???

No the lane control arrows for the contraflow bus lane is there and its just to help with the contrast of the arrows.