limited-access highway
A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. The road was proposed in 1971 to alleviate traffic in the area and was named for former Governor
Alfred E. Driscoll
Alfred Eastlack Driscoll (October 25, 1902 – March 9, 1975) was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate (1939–1941) representing Camden County, who served as the 43rd governor of New Jersey, and as ...
, who as chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) would push for construction of the road. By the mid-1970s, mounting opposition from area residents and Governor
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a priva ...
led to the cancellation of the road.
Route description
The Driscoll Expressway, if it had been built, would have begun at an interchange with the
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
Ocean County
Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.Toms River Township (formerly Dover Township), Lakewood, and Jackson Township. The highway was to continue into Monmouth County and head northwest through Freehold Township and
Manalapan Township
Manalapan Township (, ) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the t ...
. The Driscoll Expressway would cross into Middlesex County and pass through Old Bridge Township (formerly Madison Township), Monroe Township, Helmetta, and East Brunswick Township before heading into South Brunswick and ending at the New Jersey Turnpike.
The Driscoll Expressway was to be four lanes wide. The proposed highway was to have lanes and shoulders as well as a wide median with preserved vegetation and a right-of-way area of preserved open space. Engineers decided that the speed limit would have been posted at , as opposed to for extra safety. The southern half of the highway would have run through the Pinelands Preserve, an area of sandy soil that prevents most plant species other than pines to grow, hence the name.
History
The highway was originally envisioned as the Garden State Thruway by the
New Jersey Highway Authority
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Town ...
. However, in the mid 1970s, the plans were scratched. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority then stepped in, drawing up plans for a proposed highway. The route would have provided a route to Southern New Jersey for trucks coming from the Trenton area. The highway was now scheduled for completion in 1976. The proposed highway, originally called the Toms River Expressway, was designated in 1971 for former Governor
Alfred E. Driscoll
Alfred Eastlack Driscoll (October 25, 1902 – March 9, 1975) was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate (1939–1941) representing Camden County, who served as the 43rd governor of New Jersey, and as ...
. Driscoll would be named the chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority the same year by Governor
William T. Cahill
William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, repr ...
and would be responsible for the planning and construction of the road. The Driscoll Expressway was proposed in order to relieve traffic on
U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...
at a time when Ocean County was experiencing rapid population growth. The highway was projected to have an
annual average daily traffic
Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a ...
count of 92,000 vehicles by 1990. The Driscoll Expressway was projected to cost $350 million.
In 1973,
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a priva ...
was elected Governor of New Jersey, and he would be in opposition to the proposed highway. Byrne would sign legislation to protect the Pine Barrens from development. Driscoll fought Byrne in an effort to have the road constructed. A total of 90 houses would need to be demolished to construct the highway, and opposition mounted from residents who would lose their houses. Also, voters turned down a $650 million issue for transportation issues. Byrne tried to kill the proposal because of the negative environmental impact it would have. The Authority did not listen, but when Byrne saw that Turnpike tolls would rise by more than 80%, he became more determined. Opposition increased in Ocean County out of fear that the highway would increase traffic and development. In June 1974, construction of the road was blocked by a three-judge Appellate Court. Driscoll died in March 1975 and a week later, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority shelved plans for the road. In February 1977, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority dropped plans for the highway. Hopes to revive the highway failed and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority began to sell off the rights-of-way in the late 1980s.