Interstate 80 in New Jersey

Interstate 80
Christopher Columbus Highway
I-80 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT and DRJTBC
Length	68.54 mi[2] (110.30 km)
Existed	1958[1]–present
History	Completed in 1973[3]
Major junctions
West end	I-80 at Pennsylvania border in Hardwick Township
Major intersections	US 46 / Route 94 in Knowlton Township US 206 / Route 183 in Roxbury Route 15 in Wharton I-287 in Parsippany-Troy Hills I-280 / US 46 in Parsippany-Troy Hills US 46 / Route 23 in Wayne Route 19 in Paterson Route 20 in Paterson G.S. Parkway in Saddle Brook Route 17 in Hackensack
East end	I-95 / N.J. Turnpike in Teaneck
Location
Counties	Warren, Sussex, Morris, Essex, Passaic, Bergen
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate US State Scenic Byways ← Route 79 → Route 81

Interstate 80 (I-80) is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from San Francisco, California, eastward to the New York City Metropolitan Area. In New Jersey, I-80 runs for 68.54 miles (110.30 km) from the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge at the Pennsylvania state line to its eastern terminus at I-95 in Teaneck, Bergen County. I-95 continues from the end of I-80 to the George Washington Bridge for access to New York City. The highway runs parallel to U.S. Route 46 (US 46) through rural areas of Warren and Sussex counties before heading into more suburban surroundings in Morris County. As the road continues into Passaic and Bergen counties, it heads into more urban areas. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) identifies I-80 within the state as the Christopher Columbus Highway.^[2]

A freeway along the I-80 corridor had been planned in 1936 and again in 1955 to provide relief along US 46 between the George Washington Bridge and the Delaware Water Gap. With the establishment of the Interstate Highway System, this planned freeway, which had been identified in some planning documents as the Bergen-Passaic Expressway, would be incorporated into I-80. The freeway was built across New Jersey in various stages from the 1960s to 1973. The westernmost four miles in New Jersey was originally a rerouting of US 611 when built; that route was later realigned back into Pennsylvania. In the 1990s, high-occupancy vehicle lanes had existed on a part of I-80 in Morris County but were opened to regular traffic due to under-use.

Route description[]

Warren and Sussex counties[]

View east along I-80 just after entering New Jersey within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

I-80 enters Hardwick Township, Warren County from Pennsylvania on the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge over the Delaware River, maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC).^[2] In addition to carrying I-80, this bridge also carries the Appalachian Trail over the Delaware River. From this point, the four-lane freeway heads south along the east bank of the river through the Delaware Water Gap, immediately reaching a westbound exit and eastbound entrance for Old Mine Road.^[2][4] Now maintained by NJDOT, the road makes a sharp turn to the east and comes to a U-turn ramp in both directions that also has access to the Appalachian Trail.^[2] NJDOT has proposed a controversial rock wall along the stretch to handle rock slides.^[5] The highway heads south again and enters Knowlton Township, where it comes to another set of U-turn ramps that also includes a weigh station in the eastbound direction. After turning southeast and leaving the Delaware Water Gap, the road has a westbound right-in/right-out for Hainesburg Road before crossing under the abandoned Delaware River Viaduct of the Lackawanna Cutoff. East of the viaduct, I-80 widens to six lanes and reaches a complex interchange with the western terminus of US 46, Route 94, and Decatur Street in Columbia, where development near the route increases. After this interchange, the freeway turns east away from the Delaware River and crosses over Paulins Kill before it continues through wooded and hilly areas containing some farms, with the eastbound direction widening from three to four lanes and the highway median also widens. A scenic overlook of the Delaware Water Gap is located in the westbound direction while a rest area is located in the eastbound direction.^[2][4]

I-80 westbound at CR 521 exit in Hope Township

Upon crossing into Blairstown Township, the eastbound direction narrows down to three lanes.^[2] In Hope Township, I-80 reaches an interchange with County Route 521 (CR 521) that also provides access to CR 519 and the Land of Make Believe amusement park.^[2][4] The highway widens to eight lanes briefly after this interchange before narrowing to six lanes. In Frelinghuysen Township, the freeway carries four lanes eastbound and three lanes westbound. Upon coming into Allamuchy Township, I-80 has six lanes before gaining a fourth eastbound lane as it comes to the CR 517 exit.^[2] This exit gives the highway access to Allamuchy Mountain State Park.^[4] Following this, the road runs through densely forested areas of Allamuchy Mountain State Park, coming to two pairs of rest areas with no facilities in both directions. The eastbound direction becomes three lanes again before the road passes through Byram Township in Sussex County.^[2][4]

Morris and Essex counties[]

I-80 westbound at US 46 exit in Roxbury Township

Upon crossing the Musconetcong River, I-80 enters Mount Olive Township in Morris County and passes through more woodland with a narrower median. The road comes to a trumpet interchange with US 206 and forms a concurrency with that route as it bypasses Netcong to the south. After turning southeast and passing near suburban business parks, the highway crosses over NJ Transit's Morristown Line/Montclair-Boonton Line and reaches a partial interchange with US 46.^[2][4] This interchange has only a westbound exit and eastbound entrance. The freeway crosses a small corner of Netcong and Mount Olive Township again before continuing into Roxbury Township, where it comes to a modified cloverleaf interchange.^[2] At this interchange, Route 183 heads north into Netcong and US 206 splits from I-80 by heading south. The road continues through wooded areas containing some suburban development as it comes to the CR 631 interchange, which also provides access to eastbound US 46.^[2][4] The road crosses the NJ Transit line again and parallels it a short distance to the north as it comes into Mount Arlington and reaches the Howard Boulevard exit, serving Mount Arlington station.^[2] I-80 continues back into Roxbury Township and comes to a westbound truck rest area with the eastbound one being abandoned.^[2][6][7] After this, the road heads farther north of the railroad tracks and briefly passes through Jefferson Township and Rockaway Township before continuing into Wharton. Here, the freeway has an eastbound exit to CR 634 that provides access to Route 15 before it reaches the interchange with Route 15 proper that lacks an eastbound exit.^[2]

I-80 westbound past Howard Boulevard interchange in Mount Arlington

The highway continues back into Rockaway Township as it widens to eight lanes and comes to the CR 661 exit near the Rockaway Townsquare shopping mall. Suburban development near the highway becomes more dense at this point as I-80 briefly passes through a corner of Rockaway before coming to the interchange with CR 513 in Rockaway Township.^[2][4] The freeway passes over the Dover and Rockaway River Railroad's Dover and Rockaway Branch and turns southeast here into Denville. In the center of Denville, it has an eastbound exit and westbound entrance serving US 46 that also provides access to Route 53. There is a westbound exit and eastbound entrance serving both US 46 and Route 53 as the road begins to turn more to the east. I-80 turns south and crosses the Montclair-Boonton Line for a third time before it enters Parsippany-Troy Hills.^[2] The highway makes a turn east as it comes into an area of business parks, with the median widening before an interchange serving US 202 and CR 654.^[2][4] The median narrows again before I-80 reaches the I-287 interchange that also has movements to US 46 and Smith Road to and from the east.^[2]

I-80 eastbound at the exit for US 46 in Wayne

Past I-287, I-80 gains local-express lanes with a 2-3-3-2 configuration.^[2] The road continues past more commercial areas, with the local lanes having an eastbound exit and westbound entrance at CR 637.^[2][4] After this, there is a large interchange with US 46 and the western terminus of I-280, at which point the local-express lanes end.^[2] From this point, I-80 continues east through wooded areas as a six-lane freeway, crossing into Montville.^[2][4] In Montville, there is a partial interchange providing access to Hook Mountain Road.^[2] After a turn to the northeast, the highway comes into Fairfield Township, Essex County, continuing through wooded surroundings as it heads north before turning east. Development near the road increases as it comes to the westbound exit and eastbound entrance with CR 613.^[2][4]

Passaic and Bergen counties[]

I-80 eastbound in Paterson

After crossing the Passaic River again, I-80 enters Wayne in Passaic County.^[2] Here, the road passes under the Montclair-Boonton Line before coming to the Spaghetti Junction with Route 23 and US 46 near the Willowbrook Mall. At this point, the freeway widens to eight lanes and continues into Totowa, passing near more commercial areas and over a Norfolk Southern railroad line as it comes to an interchange with CR 642 that has access to and from the west.^[2][4] A short distance later, there is a westbound exit and eastbound entrance serving Route 62 and CR 646.^[2] I-80 crosses the Passaic River a third time and enters Woodland Park, where it turns to the northeast past suburban neighborhoods and reaches an interchange serving CR 636.^[2][4] Passing to the north of Garret Mountain Reservation, the freeway enters Paterson and turns east into urban areas as it comes to the interchange at the Route 19 freeway. After Route 19, I-80 runs above Paterson on a viaduct, crossing over NJ Transit's Main Line before coming to the exit for CR 649 (Madison Avenue). The road returns to ground level near urban neighborhoods as it comes to an eastbound exit and westbound entrance serving Market Street.^[2][4] A short distance later, I-80 encounters Route 20 at an interchange.^[2]

Eastern terminus of I-80 in Bergen County viewed from an airplane

After a fourth crossing of the Passaic River, I-80 comes into Elmwood Park in Bergen County. Immediately after the river, the highway reaches the CR 507 exit.^[2] It continues near suburban neighborhoods, coming to a bridge over New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's (NYSW) New Jersey Subdivision line, and passes over NJ Transit's Bergen County Line as it comes to an interchange with the Garden State Parkway on the border of Elmwood Park and Saddle Brook that also has connections to CR 67.^[2][4] At the Garden State Parkway, I-80 gains a 2-2 local-express lane configuration eastbound while the westbound direction carries four lanes. The next interchange along the road is with CR 79, and is a westbound entrance and an eastbound exit accessible from the local lanes. The freeway passes over the NYSW line again and turns south along the west bank of the Saddle River, eventually crossing it into Lodi.^[2] Immediately after, there is a diamond interchange at Riverview Avenue that provides access to Route 4 and Route 17. Heading southeast, I-80 passes over NYSW's Lodi Branch line and comes to an interchange at Route 17, which provides access to US 46 to the south, Route 4 to the north, and various local roads. At this point, I-80 runs between the travel lanes of Route 17 as it continues into Hackensack. Past Route 17, I-80 gains a 3-2-2-3 local-express lane configuration and crosses NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line before passing through industrial parks and running through a small part of South Hackensack.^[2][4] Here, there is an interchange to Green Street before the highway comes into Teterboro. Turning east, the freeway runs through South Hackensack before entering Hackensack, where an exit provides access to CR 124 (Hudson Street).^[2] The road passes near neighborhoods before crossing the Hackensack River into Ridgefield Park, where it passes over NYSW's New Jersey Subdivision line and CSX's River Subdivision line before there is an exit for 2nd Street.^[2][4] The freeway passes through a corner of Bogota before it continues into Teaneck.^[2][4] In Teaneck, I-80 reaches its eastern terminus at the interchange with I-95 (the New Jersey Turnpike). From here, one can head southbound on I-95 and the turnpike towards Newark, or head northbound towards the George Washington Bridge and New York City.^[4]

History[]

View west at I-80's east end at I-95 in Teaneck

A freeway along the I-80 corridor was first planned in 1936 as a replacement for the cross-state US 46, running from the George Washington Bridge west to the Delaware Water Gap and Scranton, Pennsylvania.^[8] This proposal was considered again in 1955. Coming off the George Washington Bridge, Route 4 and US 46 already provided high-speed corridors, but they were overloaded, and so a new corridor in between, the Bergen-Passaic Expressway, was planned to run from the bridge to Paterson.^[9][10] The planned route west to the Delaware Water Gap was designated in 1956 as Federal Aid Interstate Route 101 by the New Jersey State Highway Department.^[11] It first received the I-82 designation before finally becoming a part of I-80 in 1958.^[1][12] The easternmost section of the route, leading to the bridge, had become part of I-95.^[12]

The section of I-80 through the Delaware Water Gap had already opened on December 16, 1953, running from the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge to Route 94 at Columbia.^[13] This road was signed as a realignment of US 611 from Pennsylvania, later receiving the I-80 designation. The old alignment of US 611 in Pennsylvania had become US 611 Alternate.^[14][15] By 1966, I-80 had been completed from Netcong to Denville and from Paterson to I-95.^[15] By 1969, the section between I-280 in Parsippany-Troy Hills and Route 23 in Wayne was finished. Also around this time, US 611 was moved off of I-80 and back into Pennsylvania, replacing US 611 Alternate.^[16] By 1971, the section between Wayne and Paterson was completed along with the part between US 202 and I-280.^[17] A 3.5-mile (5.6 km) section between US 46 in Denville and US 202 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, was opened in September 1973.^[18] Also in 1973, the section between US 206 in Netcong and US 46 and Route 94 in Columbia was completed, and the interchange in Columbia was realigned into a complex array of ramps.^[3]

I-80 eastbound in Elmwood Park, approaching the split into local and express lanes

In 1982, two rest areas along I-80 were closed due to chronic use for illegal activities. The rest area in Lodi, next to westbound exit 63, closed on June 30, 1982, on request of the New Jersey State Police. Local lawyers noted that an uptick of summonses were given at the rest area, including one motorist cited for not using parking lights. The State Police decided that it was not worth patrolling as it was an unattended rest area.^[19] The rest area at Roxbury in Morris County closed in October 1982.^[20] Opened in the 1970s, the borough noted that it was impossible to control the activity going on at the location, including public intercourse, alcohol and drug parties, theft and lewd acts.^[21] However, citing numerous accidents and the need for a place for truckers to be able to rest,^[21] the stop re-opened on August 14, 1991, for trucks only.^[22]

In the 1990s, high-occupancy vehicle lanes were built along I-80 between Rockaway and Parsippany. These HOV lanes, along with the ones that had been built on I-287, were opened to regular traffic in 1998 due to lack of usage, and the state did not have to repay the federal government the $240 million to build the lanes.^[23] On June 22, 2001, a tanker crashed on a westbound bridge on I-80 in Denville, causing a fiery explosion that damaged the bridge and forced its demolition.^[24] A temporary bridge had to be built and traffic on this part of I-80 as well as adjacent roads was snarled; in addition, a state of emergency had been declared for Morris County.^[25] The new I-80 bridge opened in September 2001.^[26]

I-80, like many other highways in New Jersey, once had solar powered emergency call boxes every 1 mile (1.6 km), however with the advent of cell phones the usage of these call boxes became extremely limited. To save on maintenance costs, the NJDOT removed these call boxes in 2005.^[27]

In June 2019, NJDOT held a public meeting regarding a proposed rock wall along I-80 in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The $60 million project, dubbed the "Jurassic Park fence", would involve construction of a 60-foot (18 m) metal fence between mile marker 1.04 and 1.05 to prevent rocks from falling onto the highway. According to NJDOT, the area has the highest rockfall hazard in the state. Nine rockfall incidents and one fatality have been reported between 2001 and 2016.^[28]

Exit list[]

County	Location	mi[2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Delaware River		0.00	0.00	–	I-80 west to PA 611 – Stroudsburg, Delaware Water Gap	Continuation into Pennsylvania; toll booths across state line
				Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge (Westbound toll, cash or E-ZPass)
Warren	Hardwick Township	0.10	0.16	1	Millbrook, Flatbrookville	Via Old Mine Road; last westbound exit before toll
		0.87	1.40	–	Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area	Access to u-turn and Appalachian Trail
	Knowlton Township	2.05	3.30	Weigh station
		3.39	5.46		Hainesburg Road	Westbound exit and entrance
		4.20	6.76	4A	Columbia	Westbound exit is via exit 4B; via Decatur Street
		4.58	7.37	4B	US 46 east to PA 611 – Portland, PA, Buttzville	Western terminus of US 46
				4C	Route 94 north – Blairstown
	Hope Township	12.03	19.36	12	CR 521 to CR 519 – Blairstown, Hope
	Allamuchy Township	19.88	31.99	19	CR 517 – Hackettstown, Allamuchy, Andover
Sussex	No major junctions
Morris	Mount Olive Township	25.25	40.64	25	US 206 north – Stanhope, Newton	West end of concurrency with US 206
	Netcong	26.25	42.25	26	US 46 west – Budd Lake, Hackettstown	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Roxbury	27.19	43.76	27A	US 206 south – Somerville	East end of concurrency with US 206
				27B	Route 183 north – Netcong
		28.91	46.53	28	US 46 east to Route 10 – Ledgewood, Lake Hopatcong
	Mount Arlington	30.61	49.26	30	Howard Boulevard (CR 615) – Mount Arlington	Access to Mount Arlington station
	Wharton	33.58	54.04	34	To Route 15 (CR 634) – Wharton, Dover, Sparta	Eastbound exit only; formerly exit 33
		34.02	54.75		To Route 15 – Wharton, Jefferson, Sparta	No eastbound exit; signed as exits 34A (south) and 34B (north)
	Rockaway Township	35.33	56.86	35	Mount Hope, Dover	Signed as exits 35A (south) and 35B (north) westbound; access via CR 661
		37.63	60.56	37	CR 513 – Hibernia, Rockaway
	Denville	38.81	62.46	38	US 46 east to Route 53 – Denville	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; to Denville station
		39.57	63.68	39	US 46 east to Route 53 – Denville	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; to Denville station
	Parsippany-Troy Hills	42.46	68.33	42A	US 202 south – Morris Plains
				42B	To US 46 – Parsippany	No eastbound exit
				42C	US 202 north – Parsippany	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		43.62	70.20	43	I-287 – Boonton, Morristown, Mahwah	Signed as exits 43A (south) and 43B (north) westbound; exit 41 on I-287
				Western terminus of local-express lanes
				–	To US 46 / Smith Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance via exit 43B
		45.34	72.97	45	Lake Hiawatha, Whippany	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance via CR 637
		46.36	74.61	47A	I-280 east – The Oranges, Newark	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
				Eastern terminus of local-express lanes
		46.50	74.83	47B	US 46 east – The Caldwells, Montclair	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
				47	US 46 west – Parsippany	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Montville	47.83	76.97	48	Montville, Pine Brook	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access via Hook Mountain Road
Essex	Fairfield Township	52.48	84.46	52	Lincoln Park, Fairfield, The Caldwells	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance via CR 613
Passaic	Wayne	53.62	86.29	53	US 46 east to Route 3 – Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunnel	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; access to Meadowlands Sports Complex
					US 46 / Route 23 – Wayne, Butler, Verona	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Totowa	54.73	88.08	54	Minnisink Road (CR 642) – Little Falls, Totowa	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		55.21	88.85	55	Route 62 south / Union Boulevard (CR 646) – Little Falls, Totowa	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 55A (south) and 55B (north)
	Woodland Park	57.07	91.85	56	Squirrelwood Road (CR 636) – Woodland Park, Paterson	Signed as exits 56A (south) and 56B (north) eastbound
	Paterson	58.22	93.70	57A	Route 19 south – Clifton
				57B	Downtown Paterson
		58.37	93.94	57C	Main Street (CR 509) – Paterson	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		59.06	95.05	58	Madison Avenue (CR 649) – Paterson, Clifton	Signed as exits 58A (south) and 58B (north)
		60.04	96.63	59	Market Street – Paterson	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		60.41	97.22	60	Route 20 – Hawthorne, Passaic	Westbound exit to Route 20 south is via exit 59
Bergen	Elmwood Park	60.81	97.86	61	CR 507 – Garfield, Elmwood Park
	Saddle Brook	62.34	100.33	62A	G.S. Parkway / Midland Avenue – Saddle Brook	Signed as exit 62 westbound; commercial vehicles prohibited on the parkway
				Western terminus of local-express lanes
				62B	Saddle River Road (CR 79) – Fair Lawn, Lodi	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	Lodi	63.82	102.71	63	To Route 4 / Route 17 – Rochelle Park, Paramus, Lodi, Fair Lawn
				Eastern terminus of local-express lanes
	Hackensack	65.19	104.91	64A	Route 17 north to Route 4 – Rochelle Park, Paramus	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		65.05– 65.19	104.69– 104.91	64	Route 17 south to US 46 east – Hasbrouck Heights, Newark	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		65.40	105.25	64B	To Route 17 south – Hasbrouck Heights, Newark	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Teterboro–South Hackensack line	65.67	105.69	65	Green Street – Teterboro, South Hackensack
	Hackensack	66.55	107.10	66	Hudson Street (CR 124) – Hackensack, Little Ferry
	Ridgefield Park	67.22	108.18	67	Bogota, Ridgefield Park	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance via 2nd Street
	Teaneck	68.17	109.71	68A	I-95 south / N.J. Turnpike south to US 46 – Meadowlands Sports Complex	I-95 exit 69; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		68.54	110.30	–	I-95 north – George Washington Bridge, New York City	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Tolled

Auxiliary routes[]

• I-280, known locally as the Essex Freeway

See also[]

•  U.S. Roads portal
•  New Jersey portal

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 80 in New Jersey.

Route map:

• Speed Limits for New Jersey State Roads: Interstate 80

Interstate 80
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