Route 4 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 ...

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Passaic County,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The highway stretches from Route 20 (McLean Boulevard) in Paterson east to an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95), U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9), US 46, and

US 9W U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as Fletcher Avenue crosses the US 1–9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 (I-95) approac ...

at the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United S ...

approach in Fort Lee. 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 ...

its entire length, with the portion east of the Route 208 interchange in Fair Lawn a

limited-access road 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 ...

consisting of interchanges and

right-in/right-out Right-in/right-out (RIRO) and left-in/left-out (LILO) refer to a type of three-way road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. "Right-in" and "left-in" r ...

intersections with many businesses along the road, particularly in

Paramus Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

, where the route passes through a major shopping area consisting of numerous malls, Hackensack, Englewood, and Fort Lee. West of Route 208, the route is a surface arterial that runs through commercial areas. Route 4 intersects many important roads, including Route 208 in Fair Lawn and 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 Jersey ...

and Route 17 in Paramus. The highway is officially named the Mackay Highway, but is rarely referred to as such. Originally legislated to traverse the state from

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The so ...

to the George Washington Bridge, Route 4 was reduced to its current alignment in 1953. Today's stretch of the route was completed by 1934; the state planned to upgrade it to a full freeway, but plans never materialized. Despite this, the route has seen improvements, such as to the interchanges with Route 17 in 1999 and with Route 208 in 2002. Route 4 is a heavily used commuter, retail, and long-distance artery. As well as providing a critical commuter route from the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

and Bergen County into

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

via the

, it gives New Yorkers access to popular shopping areas such as

Garden State Plaza Garden State Plaza (officially Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey. It is owned and managed by Paris-based real estate management company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and located at the intersection of ...

and

Bergen Town Center Bergen Town Center (formerly known as The Outlets at Bergen Town Center) is a shopping center located in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. The center consists of both an indoor mall and exterior outlying stores and occupies over 105 acres split betw ...

, and forms part of the straightest route from New York City and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

to Upstate and

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

New York destinations. Locally, especially west of the

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The drainage basin, watershed of the ri ...

, it is seen as a socioeconomic dividing line between wealthier, more affluent suburbs like Ridgewood and Oradell to the north, and more urbanized, industrialized, working-class areas like Hackensack to the south.

Route description

Route 4 starts in Paterson, Passaic County at the intersection of Broadway and East 43rd Street at an interchange with Route 20 (McLean Boulevard), heading east on Broadway, a four-lane,

with a

Jersey barrier A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...

and a speed limit of . The route passes over Route 20 and continues east, crossing the Passaic River into Elmwood Park,

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.County Route 507 (CR 507). Route 4 features a

in the eastbound direction that provides access to CR 507. The route continues east on Broadway as a divided highway with a concrete then a grassy median, with businesses lining both sides of the roadway. At the intersection with Cyril Avenue, Route 4 runs along the border of Elmwood Park to the south and Fair Lawn to the north before entirely entering Fair Lawn, where the route passes under

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

’s

Bergen County Line The Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either dir ...

near Broadway station. It intersects CR 67 (Midland Avenue) and continues east as a divided highway with a Jersey barrier through commercial areas of Fair Lawn. Route 4 comes to an interchange Route 208, where the route continues east on the Route 208 alignment, becoming a divided highway with four lanes in the eastbound direction and three lanes in the westbound direction. The interchange between Route 4 and Route 208 also features access to CR 79 (Saddle River Road). The route continues east as a limited access road that is lined with businesses. Route 4 crosses the Saddle River and then enters

. Upon entering Paramus, Route 4 has a cloverleaf interchange with CR 62 (Paramus Road/Passaic Street). The route features a partial interchange with the

, with access from westbound Route 4 to the southbound Garden State Parkway and from the northbound Garden State Parkway to eastbound Route 4. Route 4 has an interchange which provides access to the

Westfield Garden State Plaza Garden State Plaza (officially Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey. It is owned and managed by Paris-based real estate management company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and located at the intersection of R ...

shopping mall, located on the south side of the road, and a large

IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...

store, located on the north side of the road. Past this, Route 4 features a cloverleaf interchange with Route 17 and continues east as a six-lane divided highway with a speed limit. It interchanges with Spring Valley Road and passes by

The Outlets at Bergen Town Center Bergen Town Center (formerly known as The Outlets at Bergen Town Center) is a shopping center located in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. The center consists of both an indoor mall and exterior outlying stores and occupies over 105 acres split bet ...

located on the south side of the road. Route 4 interchanges with CR 59 (Forest Avenue/Maywood Avenue). As the road leaves Paramus, it becomes a partial

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 ...

and businesses no longer line the route. Route 4 enters River Edge, where the route crosses Van Saun Mill Creek, and it heads to the southeast and features ramps that provide access to CR 51 (Kinderkamack Road), which the route passes over along with NJ Transit's

Pascack Valley Line The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit, in the United States. The line runs north from Hoboken Terminal, through Hudson County and Bergen County in New Jersey, and into Rockland Co ...

just south of the

New Bridge Landing station New Bridge Landing, signed as New Bridge Landing at River Edge, is an active commuter railroad station in the borough of River Edge, Bergen County, New Jersey. Located at the junction of Kinderkamack Road ( County Route 503) and Grand Avenu ...

. Upon crossing the Pascack Valley Line, Route 4 heads into Hackensack, where it interchanges with CR 503 (Hackensack Avenue) near

The Shops at Riverside The Shops at Riverside is a two-level enclosed shopping mall, located in Hackensack, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, off Route 4, along the Hackensack River. The mall has a Gross leasable area (GLA) of . The "lavishly appointed" mall ...

. The route crosses the

into

Teaneck Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

and heads through the campus of

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

. Route 4 features ramps that provide access to CR 41 (River Road), which it later passes over. The road continues southeast through wooded residential areas, intersecting a few roads at right-in/right-out intersections, before passing over

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

's River Subdivision line and reaching an interchange with Queen Anne Road . It interchanges with CR 39 (Teaneck Road) and Webster Avenue/Farragut Drive before crossing into Englewood where the route crosses

Overpeck Creek Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River, approximately long, in Bergen County in northeastern New Jersey in the United States. The lower broad mouth of the creek is part of the extended tidal estuary of the lower Hackensack and of t ...

and businesses resume along the road with access to businesses and a few local roads provided by right-in/right-out ramps. In Englewood, Route 4 passes over CSX's

Northern Branch The Northern Branch is a railroad line that runs from Jersey City to Northvale in northeastern New Jersey. The line was constructed in 1859 by the Northern Railroad of New Jersey to connect the New York and Erie Railroad's Piermont Branch te ...

rail line. Englewood Route 4 is a proposed station along

Northern Branch Corridor Project The Northern Branch Corridor Project is a proposed extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) from its northern terminus into eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, initially proposed in 2001. If built, the new service would use the right-of-w ...

extension of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail which would be located under the road. Nearby is a cloverleaf interchange with Route 93 and CR 501 (Grand Avenue). Past this interchange, businesses stop along the road and it continues east with three lanes in the eastbound direction and two lanes in the westbound direction, coming to an interchange with Jones Road . Past this interchange, the road continues south with businesses along the road, crossing into Fort Lee. In Fort Lee, the lanes split as Route 4 approaches

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

, with the eastbound lanes passing over I-95. Route 4 continues south with I-95 in the median, ending at an interchange with I-95, US 1/9, US 46, and

, at the George Washington Bridge approach.

History

Route 4 was originally legislated in the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering to run from

north to the George Washington Bridge, running through Pleasantville, Toms River,

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

Rahway Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

, and Paterson.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. The route replaced portions of the alignments of several pre-1927 state highways including pre-1927 Route 14 (chartered 1917) between Cape May and Seaville, pre-1927 Route 19 between Seaville and Absecon (c. 1923, never realized), pre-1927 Route 4 (c. 1916) between Absecon and Lakewood and between

South Amboy South Amboy is a suburban city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 9,411.pre-1927 Route 7 (c. 1925) between Lakewood and Freehold. US 9 was also designated along Route 4 between Absecon and Lakewood and from South Amboy to Rahway. By the 1940s, US 9 was realigned to follow Route 4 between Lakewood and South Amboy, having followed portions of today’s Route 88, Route 35, and Route 71 and was extended south along Route 4 to Cape May. The section of present-day Route 4 was built beginning 1930 to connect Paterson and the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, and was completed and opened July 28, 1932. There were plans made in 1936 to make this portion of Route 4 a

; however,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

delayed plans for the expressway. By Joint Resolution No. 11, approved June 8, 1935, the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

designated Route 4 as the Mackay Highway. William B. Mackay, Jr., a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from Bergen County, had served in the

New Jersey State Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

from 1917 to 1928. Afterwards he served as judge of the Passaic circuit of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...

. Route 4 had several former spur routes that existed prior to the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering. Route 4N was designated in 1939 from the portion of pre-1927 Route 4 between

Brielle Brielle (), also called Den Briel in Dutch and Brill in English, is a town, municipality and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New ...

and Eatontown; it is now Route 71.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1939, complied. Route S4 was defined in 1927 to run to the

Outerbridge Crossing The Outerbridge Crossing, also known as the Outerbridge, is a cantilever bridge that spans the Arthur Kill between Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey R ...

from present-day Route 35; it was eventually extended to the Garden State Parkway and this route is now Routes 440 and 184. Route S4A was planned in 1927 to run from

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

across swamps to Tuckerton; only a small portion of this route was built and it is now Route 87. Route S4B was planned in 1929 to run from Route 4 near Paterson northwest to the New York border, replacing a portion of what was legislated as Route 3 in 1927. The portion of this route that was built between Fair Lawn and

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

is now Route 208.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1929, Chapter 126. Route S4D was a never built spur in Teaneck proposed in 1938; the proposal was renumbered Route 303.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 134. Route 4A was created by the 1940s following a realignment of Route 4 (and US 9) between Freehold and Cheesequake; it became Route 79 and a portion of Route 34 in 1953. Route 4 Parkway was planned in 1946 as a north–south parkway running from Cape May north to Route 6 (now US 46) in

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

, bridging the gap that existed along Route 4 between Rahway and Paterson; this proposal became Route 444 (Garden State Parkway).State of New Jersey, Laws of 1946, Chapter 117. Route S4C was a planned route running from Route 4 in

Bennett Bennett may refer to: People *Bennett (name), including a list of people with the surname and given name Places Canada * Bennett, Alberta *Bennett, British Columbia * Bennett Lake, in the British Columbia and Yukon Territory **Bennett Range **Benn ...

south to Cape May; the general alignment of this route is now Route 162 and Cape May County Route 626. In the 1953 renumbering, Route 4 was defined to run along its current alignment between Route 20 in Paterson and the George Washington Bridge. Between Cape May and South Amboy, the Route 4 designation was dropped in favor of US 9 while the portion of the route between South Amboy and Rahway became a part of Route 35. In the mid-1950s, plans resumed for an east–west

through Bergen County. Three alignments were proposed in 1956: one along Route 4, one along US 46, and one in between the two routes. The alignment between the two routes was chosen due to the least disruption it would cause and it was built as

I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. In the 1960s, recommendations were made to upgrade Route 4 to a full freeway but was cancelled due to feared disruption to residents. Many improvements have been made to the existing Route 4 arterial. The Route 17 interchange in Paramus was rebuilt at a cost of $120 million in 1999, replacing the 1932 cloverleaf interchange by adding several flyover ramps. In 2002, construction was completed on a $32 million project that improved the interchange with Route 208 in Fair Lawn. This interchange saw improvements of the ramps and bridges, including the Route 208 bridge over Saddle River Road.

Major intersections

References

External links

An enlarged view of road jurisdiction at the Fort Lee approaches to the George Washington BridgeNew Jersey Roads: Route 4Speed Limits for State RoadsPolice Scanner Frequencies for Route 4
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jersey Route 004 004 Transportation in Bergen County, New Jersey Transportation in Passaic County, New Jersey Limited-access roads in New Jersey

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links