New Jersey Route 37

Route 37 is a state highway located in Ocean County, United States. The route runs from Lakehurst at a traffic circle with Route 70 to an interchange with Route 35 in Seaside Heights its entire length, Route 37 serves as the major east–west route through the Toms River area as well as a main route to the Barnegat Peninsula, crossing the Barnegat Bay on the Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges. The route through Toms River Township is lined with many businesses and named Little League World Champions Boulevard in honor of Toms River East Little League's victory in the 1998 Little League World Series. Route 37 intersects many major roads in the Toms River area, including County Route 527 (CR 527), the Garden State Parkway/U.S. Route 9 (US 9), Route 166, CR 549, and CR 571. The route experiences congestion from both development in the area and from traffic bound for the barrier islands in the summer.

Route 37 was first legislated in 1927 in two sections: one running from Trenton to White Horse along the current US 206 alignment that replaced part of Pre-1927 Route 2 and the other running from Lakehurst to Point Pleasant that replaced part of Pre-1927 Route 18 between Lakehurst and Toms River. In 1953, Route 37 was legislated along its current alignment, with the designation dropped on the Trenton–White Horse segment to avoid the concurrency with US 206 and the Seaside Heights–Point Pleasant section becoming a realignment of Route 35. Route 37 was then proposed in the 1960s as a freeway running from White Horse to Seaside Heights. This freeway proposal was eventually altered to create Interstate 195 (I-195), running from Trenton to Wall Township.

Route description

Route 37 begins at the Lakehurst Circle traffic circle with Route 70 in Lakehurst, heading east first briefly as an undivided two-lane road, then becoming a four–lane divided highway. Soon after beginning, the route crosses into Manchester Township. It intersects Commonwealth Boulevard, which provides access to the Leisure Village West-Pine Lake Park community, before crossing into Toms River Township. Route 37 continues east with many intersections that feature jughandles and at the intersection with Industrial Way, the road widens to six lanes. Route 37 passes to the north of Holiday City - Silver Ridge Park, an age-restricted community which contributes to the large population of senior residents in the area. The route crosses Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Toms River Industrial Track line before it meets CR 642 (Mule Road) and CR 527 (Oak Ridge Parkway/Lakehurst Road). After the intersection with CR 527, the route passes north of Community Medical Center and crosses over the North Branch of the Toms River.

Route 37 features a cloverleaf interchange with the Garden State Parkway/US 9. Past the Garden State Parkway, the route crosses the former alignment of US 9, Route 166. Past this intersection, Route 37 becomes a road lined with several businesses. The route intersects CR 549 (Hooper Avenue) and CR 38 (Clifton Avenue). CR 627 (Vaughn Avenue/West End Avenue) intersects next and Route 37 runs along the border between Toms River to the north and Island Heights to the south. Route 37 meets the southern terminus of CR 627 (Central Avenue) and fully enters Toms River Township again at the Gilford Avenue intersection. Further east, the route intersects CR 549 Spur/CR 571 (Fischer Boulevard).

Route 37 crosses the Barnegat Bay on the Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges with the eastbound bridge featuring a drawbridge that allows ships to pass through while the westbound bridge is a higher-level span. The route continues onto Pelican Island in the Barnegat Bay, crossing into a small piece of Berkeley Township. Route 37 crosses over a part of the Barnegat Bay and heads onto the Barnegat Peninsula, where the route comes to its eastern terminus at an interchange with Route 35 on the border of Berkeley Township and Seaside Heights