Anyone know why NJ 440 curves under I-78 here (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6920851,-74.1089925,17z/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6920851,-74.1089925,17z/data=!3m1!1e3))? It seems to me that it would be easier to continue along the north side of 78.
Quote from: Interstate 69 Fan on January 10, 2018, 03:01:34 PM
Anyone know why NJ 440 curves under I-78 here (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6920851,-74.1089925,17z/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6920851,-74.1089925,17z/data=!3m1!1e3))? It seems to me that it would be easier to continue along the north side of 78.
Very interesting. To my surprise, Historical Aerials shows that entire section was under water in the 1960s. By the 1970s, it looks like it was filled in and a reverse loop ramp and overpass were built (both which don't exist today), which I presume were built to allow future expansion for the highway to continue further south. Then it looks like a park was finally built on the southern end and the road re-configured to what you are asking about. I don't think they could easily curve 440 with the existing train bridge and maintain highway speeds and a safe turning radius.
Yep, the 1979 aerial is the most valuable one to look at, IMO.
As a youth I collected maps. If you look at any RM based map from the 1970's, it shows a planned NJ 440 freeway along the west side of Bayonne. The short section South of 78 was built with this expectation. The bypass ended up on the east side of Bayonne, so they had to compensate.
The entire 440 freeway is on fill. The fill was intended to extend to the Bayonne Bridge, which used to just tie into 501. 169 was built down to Constable Hook and 440 was gradually extended to that ghost interchange. Someone eventually decided it would be easier to connect 169 to the bridge over old railroad right of way than to put more fill in the harbor, and around 2000 440 was slapped over 169, essentially killing the extension. Of course removal of the loop and overpass was the final blow. (Bayonne Bridge interchange was also redone to eliminate ramp stubs.)
NJ-169 was killed May of 2001. One of NJDOT's "duh" moments.
I remember talking to NJDOT officials sometime around 1992. At that time, a southern extension of the NJ 440 expressway was still on their list of things they wanted to accomplish. But the locals fought it and in the end it was cheaper to do what they eventually did.
So basically remnants of what would have been if NJ 440 was built on the alignment as planned.
I remember the overpass for the planned NJ 440 and NJ 169 interchange that is now removed.