Route 38 is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the southern part of the
U.S. state 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 ...
serving the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
. It extends from the
Airport Circle, where it intersects
U.S. Route 30 and
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 (US 130) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 30, located completely within the state of New Jersey. It is signed with north and south cardinal directions, following a general northeast–southwest diagonal path, wi ...
, in
Pennsauken Township
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...
,
Camden County to an intersection with
U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 (US 206) is a north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delawa ...
and
County Route 530 in
Southampton Township,
Burlington County
Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly. . The entire route is closely parallel to
County Route 537, being only one block away at places. The route is a four- to six-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
for most of its length and passes through commercial development, residential development, and some farmland.
Route 38 was signed in 1927, replacing part of
Pre-1927 Route 18, which had run from
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
to
Toms River. Route 38 was originally planned to be a
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
crossing the state of New Jersey, running from Camden to
Wall Township,
Monmouth County. The eastern part of this freeway would become part of
Interstate 195 in the late 1960s. The freeway routing was then modified to head north of Interstate 195 to the
Route 18 freeway in
Colts Neck Township but was ultimately canceled by the late 1970s due to environmental and financial concerns.
Route 138 was originally numbered as a segment of this Route 38 freeway, but was renumbered by the 1990s when it became apparent the freeway would not be completed.
Route description
Route 38 begins at the
Airport Circle junction of County Route 607 (Kaighn Avenue),
U.S. Route 30, and
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 (US 130) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 30, located completely within the state of New Jersey. It is signed with north and south cardinal directions, following a general northeast–southwest diagonal path, wi ...
in
Pennsauken Township
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...
,
Camden County, heading east on Kaighns Avenue.
It meets a
partial cloverleaf interchange
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
with the western terminus of
Route 70, which replaced the Browning Road Traffic Circle.
A six–lane divided highway separated by a
Jersey barrier, it proceeds eastward, crossing into
Cherry Hill Township, where it heads through commercial development.
Route 38 features
cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...
s with County Route 636 (Cuthbert Boulevard) and County Route 644 (Haddonfield Road), passing under
NJ Transit's
Atlantic City Line between the two interchanges.
Past the County Route 644 interchange, Route 38 passes by the
Cherry Hill Mall
The Cherry Hill Mall, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), was originally known as Cherry Hill Shopping Center, commonly reported as the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping center east of the Mississippi River in the ...
, located on the north side of the road.
It proceeds through the Church Road Circle, where it crosses County Route 616 (Church Road) and County Route 627 (Coles Avenue/Cooper Landing Road).
Route 38 crosses the South Branch of the
Pennsauken Creek
Pennsauken Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in Burlington and Camden counties, New Jersey in the United States.
...
into
Maple Shade Township,
Burlington County
Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly. . The route then reaches a cloverleaf interchange with
Route 41 and then interchanges with
Route 73.
The Route 38-41-73 interchange complex replaced a dangerous and congested 6-way traffic circle.
The route then crosses County Route 608 (Lenola Road) into
Moorestown Township
Moorestown is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 21 ...
, where it becomes unnamed. Route 38 then travels by the
Moorestown Mall
Moorestown Mall is a shopping mall in Moorestown, New Jersey, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. The mall has over 90 stores and is anchored by Boscov's, Five Below, HomeSense, Michaels, Planet Fitness, and Sierra Trading Post.
H ...
before passing by the Strawbridge Lake Park, where it crosses County Route 607 (Church Street) and then County Route 603 (Mount Laurel Road).
It then enters
Mount Laurel Township, where it intersects County Route 615 (Marter Avenue) before passing over
Interstate 295 and the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...
.
It then continues east, heading into more residential than commercial development.
Route 38 intersects many roads with
jughandles, including County Route 686 (Hartford Road), County Route 635 (Ark Road), and County Route 636 (Masonville-Fostertown Road) crossing into
Hainesport Township, where it further intersects County Route 674 (Hainesport-Mount Laurel Road), County Route 636 (Creek Road) without a traffic light, and County Route 641 (Hainesport-Lumberton Road).
The route then crosses the South Branch of
Rancocas Creek
Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-re ...
before entering
Lumberton Township, where the road intersects
County Route 541, the Mount Holly Bypass.
Route 38 then runs through the southern part of the
Mount Holly area, intersecting County Route 691 (Madison Avenue/Main Street), the former alignment of County Route 541. It crosses into
Mount Holly Township at the intersection of County Route 612 (Pine Street/Eayerstown Road).
Past this intersection, Route 38 eventually becomes an undivided highway and then reenters Lumberton Township.
The route then heads into farmland and crosses into
Southampton Township at the intersection with County Route 684 (Smithville Road).
Route 38 then ends at the intersection with
U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 (US 206) is a north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delawa ...
where the road continues east as
County Route 530 (Pemberton Road).
History
Prior to 1927, the route was a part of
Pre-1927 Route 18, which was legislated in 1923 to run from
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
to
Toms River.
[State of New Jersey, Laws of 1923, Chapter 184.] In the
1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering
In 1927, New Jersey's state highways were renumbered. The old system, which had been defined in sequence by the legislature since 1916, was growing badly, as several routes shared the same number, and many unnumbered state highways had been d ...
, Route 38 was legislated to run along the route from
Route 25 (now
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 (US 130) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 30, located completely within the state of New Jersey. It is signed with north and south cardinal directions, following a general northeast–southwest diagonal path, wi ...
) in
Pennsauken Township
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...
east to
Route 39 (now
U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 (US 206) is a north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delawa ...
) in
Eastampton.
[State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.]
In 1938, Route 38 was legislated to extend from East Hampton to
Route 4N (now
Route 71) in
Wall Township,
Monmouth County.
[State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 51.] A section of this was built, running between
Route 34
The following highways are numbered 34: for a list of roads numbered N34 : see list of N34 roads.
International
* AH34, Asian Highway 34
* European route E34
Australia
* Cox Peninsula Road (Northern Territory)
* (Sydney)
* Maroondah Highway (Vi ...
and
Route 35 in
Wall Township.
The Route 38 freeway was then planned in 1961 to connect these two sections of Route 38. It was to run from
Interstate 80S (now
Interstate 676) in
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
east to the planned Route 35 freeway (now
Route 18) in Wall Township, providing a direct freeway connection between the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
area and the northern
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...
. The route of the freeway was to run east from the
Ben Franklin Bridge
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, originally named the Delaware River Bridge and known locally as the Ben Franklin Bridge, is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey. Owned and ope ...
, paralleling
U.S. Route 30 and then
Route 70. It would then have run parallel to the current alignment of Route 38 through the
Mount Holly area and then travel along the northern border of the
Fort Dix Military Reservation to
Jackson Township,
Ocean County, where it would then follow the present alignment of
Interstate 195 to Wall Township.
In the late 1960s, the eastern part of the Route 38 freeway became part of the proposed Interstate 195.
In 1969, it was estimated the Route 38 freeway between
Interstate 295 in
Cherry Hill Township and Interstate 195 in Jackson Township would cost $60 million and be completed by 1985.
The route of the freeway was revised in 1972 to head north of Interstate 195 to the Route 18 freeway in
Colts Neck Township, intersecting the
Route 33 bypass of
Freehold Borough. The western terminus was also moved to
Mount Laurel Township, where it was to connect to the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...
and the
Route 90 freeway, which was projected to extend to the New Jersey Turnpike. It was estimated that this routing of the Route 38 freeway would cost $101 million.
However, due to environmental concerns of the route passing through the
Pine Barrens and financial troubles, the freeway was canceled by the end of the 1970s.
The orphaned eastern section of Route 38 in Monmouth County was renumbered to
Route 138 on July 29, 1988.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
New Jersey Roads – HistoryNew Jersey Roads – PhotosSpeed Limits for Route 38
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jersey Route 038
038
Transportation in Burlington County, New Jersey
Transportation in Camden County, New Jersey