Route 42 - North South Freeway
Following Black Horse Pike and the North-South Freeway, Route 42 stretches 14.28 miles north from U.S. 322 at Williamstown in Monroe township to Bellmawr. The state route connects the west end of the Atlantic City Expressway at Turnersville to the beginning of Interstate 76 at I-295 in Bellmawr.
The North-South Freeway portion along Route 42 opened to traffic between I-295 and Route 168 (Black Horse Pike) in 1958 and from Route 168 south to the Atlantic City Expressway at Turnersville in 1959. Widening of Route 42 to eight overall lanes, between Bellmawr and the Route 55 freeway in Deptford Township, took place between 1996 and August 1999.1
Work broke ground in March 2013 on the I-295 Direct Connect project, major reconstruction of the interchange complex joining Route 42 (North South Freeway) with I-295/76. Started in 2013, the I-295 Direct Connect project eliminated the local/express roadway configurating linking Route 42 with Interstate 76. Work through 2028 realigns I-295 to no longer overlap with I-76 on an improved ramp system. The Missing Moves project through late 2023 adds ramps that were not built in the original construction of I-295. These include Route 42 north to I-295 south and from I-295 north to Route 42 south.
North
Route 42 advances two miles north from the parclo interchanges (Exit 12) with CR 544 (Clements Bridge Road) in Deptford Township to Exit 1 B for Interstate 295 north to Cherry Hill, Burlington and Trenton.
12/18/16
Route 42 (North South Freeway) converges with the north end of the freeway along Route 55 at a wye interchange.
12/18/16
North between Route 55 and Exit 1 B to I-295 northbound, Route 42 (North South Freeway) enters the borough of Runnemede over Big Timber Creek.
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Construction through 2028 realigns Interstate 295 from substandard ramps through the exchange with Route 42 and I-76 onto a separate high speed roadway independent of the North South Freeway.
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Route 42 crosses over the New Jersey Turnpike ahead of Exit 14 at Bellmawr.
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The Missing Moves project through 2023 adds a wye interchange (Exit 14 A) with an access road linking Route 42 north with I-295 west. Exit 14 for Leaf Avenue to CR 753 (Creek Road) was renumbered as Exit 14 B.
12/18/16
Exit 14 joins Route 42 north with Leaf Avenue and parallel Wellwood Avenue in Bellmawr. Creek Road (CR 753) travels nearby between CR 659 (Browning Road) and U.S. 130 at Brooklawn. Browning Road east to Route 168 south links with the NJ Turnpike.
12/18/16
Route 42 (North South Freeway) passes underneath the CR 753 (Creek Road) overpass just ahead of a wye interchange with I-295 north from Westville. A Local/Express configuration formerly commenced here along I-76 westbound to I-676.
12/18/16
Exit 1B connects with I-295 ahead of the eastern turn to Barrington and Cherry Hill. Westbound I-76 begins ahead of Gloucester City. I-76 stretches nearly 435 miles from Camden west across the Keystone state, between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, to Youngstown and Akron, Ohio.
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South
Route 42 commences south along the North Freeway from the east end of Interstate 76 in Bellmawr.
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RIRO (right in right out) ramps at Exit 14 connect Route 42 with Harding Avenue north to Creek Road (CR 753) in Bellmawr.
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Creek Road parallels Big Timber Creek northwest to Brooklawn while leading east to Browning Road (CR 659) in Bellmawr.
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Route 42 follows the North South Freeway south to Washington Township en route to Williamstown. The eight lane freeway passes over the New Jersey Turnpike through western reaches of Runnemede borough.
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Southbound Route 42 crosses Big Timber Creek and the Gloucester County line ahead of a wye interchange (Exit 13) with the freeway along Route 55 leading south to Glassboro and Vineland.
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Route 55 branches west from Route 42 through Deptford Township. The 40.54 mile long freeway was completed to Route 47 at Maurice River Township in 1989.
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Paralleling Almonesson Creek, Route 42 continues south to succeeding parclo interchanges at Exit 12 with CR 544 (Clements Bridge Road) and Route 41 (Hurffville Road).
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CR 544 (Clements Bridge Road) east connects Route 42 (North South Freeway) south with Route 41 (Hurffville Road) ahead of Clements Bridge and Runnemede.
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West from adjacent Deptford Mall, CR 544 continues to CR 534 (Cooper Street) southeast of Woodbury.
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Route 41 parallels Route 55 south from CR 544 (Clements Bridge Road) and Route 42 to Fairview, where Route 47 takes over en route to Glassboro.
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A loop ramp departs Route 42 (North South Freeway) south at Exit 8 to CR 534 (Church Street) at Blackwood in Gloucester Township. CR 534 (Blackwood Clementon Road) heads east to the boroughs of Pine Hill and Clementon.
12/22/11
Southbound Route 42 continues with three lanes toward the Atlantic City Expressway. RIRO ramps (Exit 7 B) were added along this stretch in 2013 to connect with CR 673 (College Drive) and the Gloucester Premium Outlets
Exit 7 B departs for Zimmerman Drive west, a link between Route 42 south and Route 168 (Black Horse Pike).
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Passing under College Drive (CR 673), Route 42 is one mile out from the split with the Atlantic City Expressway. Route 42 overtakes Black Horse Pike south from Route 168 en route to Williamstown and U.S. 322.
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The Atlantic City Expressway (unsigned Route 446) extends 43.74 miles southeast from Route 42 (North South Freeway) to Madison Avenue and Christopher Columbus Boulevard in Atlantic City.
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The Atlantic City Expressway parallels Sicklerville Road (CR 705) east from Route 42 by a number of subdivisions. The toll road provides a fast route out of the Camden suburbs with limited interchanges to Hammonton.
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Exit 7 joins Route 42 with Route 168 (Black Horse Pike) at Turnersville. Route 168 leads back north along Black Horse Pike 10.75 miles to Camden.
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The North South Freeway partitions with a two lane ramp for the continuation of Route 42 south into Washington Township and two lanes for the tolled Atlantic City Expressway east to Egg Harbor City, Pleasantville, Absecon and AC.
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scenes
CR 544 (Clements Bridge Road) connects with Route 42 (North South Freeway) south at a parclo interchange (Exit 12) east of Deptford Mall.
12/18/16
CR 544 ties into Route 41 (Hurffville Road) just east of Route 42 and north of the exchange providing northbound access to the North South Freeway.
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Route 41 (Hurffville Road) heads south along a commercial strip from CR 544 (Clements Bridge Road) to a parclo interchange (Exit 12) with Route 42 (North South Freeway).
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The entrance ramp for Route 42 north leads to Bellmawr, I-295 and Interstate 76 west to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
12/18/16
References:
- NJ 42 Freeway, Philadelphia Area Roads, Crossings and Exits
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman, Carter Buchanan: 12/18/16
- I.C. Ligget: 12/22/11
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Page Updated Monday November 21, 2022.