Old NJ Turnpike Photos

[D-Dey65]

NJTPA maintains a large archive of Turnpike memorabilia. A ton of photos landed up in the Arcadia Press book "Images of America: The New Jersey Turnpike" if anyone is looking for more. The NJ State Museum also had an exhibit entitled "What Exit?: New Jersey and it's Turnpike" that made its rounds at various locations in the state back in 2002. One of these days I'll post some photos of the exhibit that I took.

Has anyone found more old pics?

I'd like to know that myself. I posted some pics from the Woodrow Wilson Service Area in the Wikimedia Commons and I wanted more specific details, hoping I could use some pre-HMSHost info for the descriptions.

[J3ebrules]

NJTPA maintains a large archive of Turnpike memorabilia. A ton of photos landed up in the Arcadia Press book "Images of America: The New Jersey Turnpike" if anyone is looking for more. The NJ State Museum also had an exhibit entitled "What Exit?: New Jersey and it's Turnpike" that made its rounds at various locations in the state back in 2002. One of these days I'll post some photos of the exhibit that I took.

I’ve tried to find pictures from the What Exit? exhibit, but they never made it to the NJTA page - or even anywhere I can find on the Internet. I wonder what they’ve done with it? Anyone know?

Also, for a fun time, watch this YouTube clip I found while scouring for old Turnpike material: if you haven’t seen it already, it’s so... fifties. The funny thing is, you’ll see in the video that they want you to pull over and wait for someone from the NJTA in case of a breakdown; that still exists today! I called AAA when I had a tire blowout a couple of years ago, and they put me through to the Turnpike Authority, saying that it’s their turf.
https://youtu.be/hSRhEJc3GHw


Side note: at 8:22, they show “traffic moving along in both lanes during a major holiday rush”. .... BOY, those must have been the days!!! I’m 32 years old, and have probably spent about 25 Thanksgivings sitting on the Turnpike...

[Steve D]

NJTPA maintains a large archive of Turnpike memorabilia. A ton of photos landed up in the Arcadia Press book "Images of America: The New Jersey Turnpike" if anyone is looking for more. The NJ State Museum also had an exhibit entitled "What Exit?: New Jersey and it's Turnpike" that made its rounds at various locations in the state back in 2002. One of these days I'll post some photos of the exhibit that I took.

Has anyone found more old pics?

I think I still have a few left somewhere and I will check, but I posted the most interesting ones when I started the thread.  However, for a real treat check out the link below for some unique photos, including one of the unique "dual/dual" section near exit 13 in the 1950s (which proves it was not an "express/local" set up like some have suggested, as it only goes for about one mile after you pass exit 13 southbound)

https://placesjournal.org/article/the-highway-not-taken-tony-smith-and-the-suburban-sublime/?cn-reloaded=1

[roadman65]

Yes diito for the Garden State Parkway as both roads have their own contractors.  AAA, though, is to reimburse you for the cost, that can be a pain in the butt.  Then when I my battery went dead in 1984 in Union, Seville's Towing in Westfield had the contract for that part of the roadway and came by and gave me a jump as the Troopers called for help when one saw me on the side of the freeway.  Only had 5 bucks on me which I would given the man who started me as a tip, but he had the nerve to say "that will be 15 bucks!"  I said I only had five and he got real anal and said "I will let you go now, but break down again don't call me!"  Like I was the one who called him anyway as it was an officer of Troop E who made the call.

I also broke down in Holmdel where a garage in Matawan had the contract for that part of the highway, so this time I had money for him as it was a flat where I had no jack to change it myself (as we did that in the 80's lol), but the trucks these contractors have even have the Parkway and Turnpike logo on their wreckers as well.

[J3ebrules]

I think I still have a few left somewhere and I will check, but I posted the most interesting ones when I started the thread.  However, for a real treat check out the link below for some unique photos, including one of the unique "dual/dual" section near exit 13 in the 1950s (which proves it was not an "express/local" set up like some have suggested, as it only goes for about one mile after you pass exit 13 southbound)

https://placesjournal.org/article/the-highway-not-taken-tony-smith-and-the-suburban-sublime/?cn-reloaded=1

Wow, this was an unexpectedly interesting read in and of itself!! The pictures were great, too!

[SignBridge]

Steve D, that bottom photo in your link showing the dual/dual roadways is labeled 1970, not 1950's, and I'm sure that's correct because construction on the dual/dual project didn't begin until the late 1960's.

[jeffandnicole]

NJTPA maintains a large archive of Turnpike memorabilia. A ton of photos landed up in the Arcadia Press book "Images of America: The New Jersey Turnpike" if anyone is looking for more. The NJ State Museum also had an exhibit entitled "What Exit?: New Jersey and it's Turnpike" that made its rounds at various locations in the state back in 2002. One of these days I'll post some photos of the exhibit that I took.

Has anyone found more old pics?

I think I still have a few left somewhere and I will check, but I posted the most interesting ones when I started the thread.  However, for a real treat check out the link below for some unique photos, including one of the unique "dual/dual" section near exit 13 in the 1950s (which proves it was not an "express/local" set up like some have suggested, as it only goes for about one mile after you pass exit 13 southbound)

https://placesjournal.org/article/the-highway-not-taken-tony-smith-and-the-suburban-sublime/?cn-reloaded=1

Who suggested that? It's well known it's always been a dual/dual setup. And as mentioned, it wasn't a 1950's design.

[ixnay]

Jc3ebrules, I just watched the NJTP video you linked and found it fascinating, informative, and nostalgic.  Thank you.

ixnay

[SignBridge]

Yes, that's a great video about the NJT's early years. Interesting to watch the early radio dispatching and operations. Also seeing the Turnpike in its original form and the old cars from the 1950's is very cool!

[NE2]

Steve D, that bottom photo in your link showing the dual/dual roadways is labeled 1970, not 1950's, and I'm sure that's correct because construction on the dual/dual project didn't begin until the late 1960's.

He's talking about this one...

It was probably done to make overcrossings easier. A 1957 aerial shows that it ended just below the photo. The railroad and Bayway overpasses were replaced when the Turnpike was widened, but it looks like the Goethals Bridge approach survived as the westbound lanes until 2017.

[Steve D]

[/quote]

Who suggested that? It's well known it's always been a dual/dual setup. And as mentioned, it wasn't a 1950's design.
[/quote]

To be clear, the turnpike opened in 1951 and this small (about 1 mile) section just south of exit 13 existed from day one as a "dual/dual" section - see the picture referenced from the 1950's  and historic aerial photos from the 1950s.  Not sure why it existed (it was 2-2-2-2), but someone on one of these boards a few years ago called it "an express/local" section which it is clearly not, since it started after exit 13 southbound and lasted only a mile.  I once thought it was possibly due to overpasses above not wide enough to fit 3 lanes, but that couldn't be the case as the turnpike itself constructed all of the overpasses at the same time, with the exception of the Goethals bridge which the turnpike was able to fit 3 lanes below in a 3-3-3-3 configuration when it expanded in 1965-69 to include the truck/bus lanes.

So to summarize, these lanes existed in 1951, and was the only "dual/dual" section until the truck/bus lanes opened from exit 10 to exit 14 in 1969.

[roadman65]

Steve D, that bottom photo in your link showing the dual/dual roadways is labeled 1970, not 1950's, and I'm sure that's correct because construction on the dual/dual project didn't begin until the late 1960's.

He's talking about this one...

It was probably done to make overcrossings easier. A 1957 aerial shows that it ended just below the photo. The railroad and Bayway overpasses were replaced when the Turnpike was widened, but it looks like the Goethals Bridge approach survived as the westbound lanes until 2017.

You are right on that one.  When I-278 got built to connect to US 1 & 9 in Linden the dual approach was then added.    Good catch on that one as many of us either did not realize that one as we took for granite that the approach always was split at the bottom.

Also to note Exit 13 was to the north of the Goethals Bridge and not to the south of it as it has been for ages.     The photo shows an unusual set up for that interchange instead of the usual trumpet.  Most likely cause the Elizabeth River was there it was designed that way, but also Exit 14 before the Newark Bay Extension was added also had the same interchange design hence the NB to WB there now goes under the Oak Island Yard viaduct instead of built with its own flyover.  Historic Aerials shows that the NB ramp from 14 was inside the ramp NB to the 14 plaza.

Of course for the times those interchanges worked as Exit 13 ending at Trenton Avenue  gave motorists access to the Business District via 3rd Avenue rather than use NJ 439 and South Broad Street like now.  Also remember that Downtown Elizabeth is east of the Turnpike and  not on Broad Street like many believe.  Elizabeth Avenue is the Downtown Business District all the way to Front Street.  Most likely because the defunct Shore Branch of the now gone CNJ Railroad is what built Elizabeth (originally Elizabethtown) and not the Penn or CNJ mainline even though Midtown Elizabeth was built around their train stations. 

Exit 14 originally tied into a traffic circle now replaced due to the 78 freeway and the original terminal prior to 1971 was located on Port Street just to the southwest of the current toll plaza of Exit 14.  So the terminal was a slam dunk drive from the original Turnpike freeway Exit 14.

[Steve D]

I have a bunch of great photos from the Turnpike from the 1950s through the early 1970s that I will post in waves roughly beginning at the northern end.

We'll start at the original northern terminus of the NJ Turnpike.  Long before interstate 80, the Turnpike simply ended at a trumpet interchange with US 46.  This configuration lasted until 1969 (the bridge over US 46 still exists just east of the mainline Turnpike with only the exit ramp active); the toll booth was removed in 1964 when it was combined with the toll booth at exit 16 (today 16E).



Once the tollbooths for Exit 18 were moved south and combined with Exit 16 in 1964, the END OF TURNPIKE signs were erected (and lasted only five years until 1969 when I-95 was completed to I-80).  You can still see the horizontal lines across the pavement from the old toll plaza.


Looking northbound at the original exit 16 - a split plaza before being combined with exit 18 in 1964.  It is important to note that at this time (prior to 1964) exit 17 existed just north as a FULL INTERCHANGE!! Today exit 16E accounts for that access with a ramp leading to NJ3 west in roughly the same location (in this picture, exit 16 only headed towards the Lincoln Tunnel).  Like several early Turnpike exits (exit 12, the original exit 10 - Garden State Parkway) this exit was (and is) only accessible to and from one direction.


This is located northbound just prior to where interchange 15X is today.  Until 1974 several major Turnpike bridges did not have shoulders and this system was used to indicate lane closures when a vehicle broke down or due to constriction.  The  LANE CLOSED AHEAD sign could be moved physically to indicate a lane closure long before the standard VMS.



To be continued.....

This was brought up in the other thread, but here's some pictures I posted years ago of the original northern end of the turnpike, 1951-1971.

[cpzilliacus]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

[D-Dey65]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

Unfortunately no, and you'd think I would. Especially since the red neon VMS signs also existed at the same time.

[ixnay]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

Unfortunately no, and you'd think I would. Especially since the red neon VMS signs also existed at the same time.

Are you talking about the median signs that were interior lit and sequenced something like

KEEP AWAKE

FOR SAFETY

REST NEXT

SERVICE AREA (n) MILES

?

ixnay

[1995hoo]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

Those were discussed in a thread from 2013:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8610.msg202533#msg202533

[ixnay]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

Those were discussed in a thread from 2013:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8610.msg202533#msg202533

Yep.  I only saw those signs in the daytime.

ixnay

[D-Dey65]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

Those were discussed in a thread from 2013:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8610.msg202533#msg202533

I thought he was talking about a completely different set of signs.

[cpzilliacus]

Anyone else recall the neon or fluorescent green flashing signs on the median of the New Jersey Turnpike that encouraged drivers to stop at a service plaza and take a break from driving? I remember them being there in the late 1960's or early 1970's  - these were gone by the late 1970's.

Unfortunately no, and you'd think I would. Especially since the red neon VMS signs also existed at the same time.

These were quite different from the red neon DMS units. 

They were  backlit, and there was a series of maybe as many as five in a row on the median of the Turnpike, had either green neon or some other source of green lighting inside that lit them up (I do not think they were on during hours of daylight). 

Maybe not florescent tubes inside either, since these had to flash pretty quickly, and I think they may have flashed "in sequence" to catch the attention of drivers, the sequence being consistent with the direction of travel.

They were pretty retro cool. 

[1995hoo]

I just did a Google image search and the only photos I found of those signs were in the thread I linked above. Too bad. I don't remember them, but that's not surprising because cpzilliacus says they were gone by the late 1970s.

The Google search did turn up a Car and Driver article about the Turnpike that refers to a poem referencing those signs: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15391278/the-great-big-shouldered-road-feature/

The reference I find more interesting in that article is to someone named Evan Macbeth. I went to college with someone of that name and I can't help but wonder if it's the same guy. I seem to recall another article quoting him as describing the area north of Carteret as "miles and miles of universal fart."

[D-Dey65]

Anyone remember the music video for The Church's song "Columbus?" I've posted this before, but a shot of one of the turnpike's red neon VMS signs can be seen there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owSg2fJPgV0

[Steve D]

I have some photos from the planned dual/dual widening of the Western Spur.

Background:  In 1985 the Turnpike announced three widening projects as part of what they called the 1985-90 Widening Program:

1)  Truck/bus lane extension from exit 9 to exit 8a
2)  Adding a fourth lane in the truck/bus roadway between exits 11 and 14
3)  Adding truck/bus lanes to the Western Spur between the "Northern Mixing Bowl" south of exit 15E and exit 18W.

The first two projects were completed by 1990 but the third was cancelled I think due to environmental issues.....Maybe someday?


Relocated exit 16W...this exit never seems to stay still; every few years the toll booths are expanded, the ramps to route 3 are re-configured, or the ramps to the Turnpike are altered.


Exit 15W plans...notice that the truck/bus lanes for the western spur would have crossed over the mainline (on presumably a very high bridge) to join the other three roads of the western spur.


Exit 15E plans...notice those three loops from the toll plaza northbound...it would probably be difficult to provide good signage in such a short area with so many different exits and options (note that the truck/bus lanes for the western spur are actually on the outside of the mainline, which is on the outside of the cars only lane of the western spur.....)


I also seem to remember a new exit - 15W-A - was proposed as part of this project but I could not find it in the plans.

That's all the photos I have for now - I hope you have enjoyed them!

These photos contain pictures of the western spur with planned full truck/bus lanes, from an abandoned 1985-90 widening proposal I posted years ago.  It looks like the outer lanes would end at the 18W toll both - I don't recall when I scanned these seeing any plans for north of the toll plaza.

[Alps]

These photos contain pictures of the western spur with planned full truck/bus lanes, from an abandoned 1985-90 widening proposal I posted years ago.  It looks like the outer lanes would end at the 18W toll both - I don't recall when I scanned these seeing any plans for north of the toll plaza.

I'm not scrolling all the way back, but I think the extension west of Exit 16W would have been the replacement of 15AW and likely tied into the 17 cloverleaf. I would imagine whatever they come up with is not going to eat up acres of Meadowlands like the old drawings.

[Mergingtraffic]

I wonder if this was there during the 1950s?