Route 44 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 ...

located in Gloucester County 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 ...

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 ...

. It runs from Barker Avenue in

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

to a cul-de-sac at a ramp from southbound Interstate 295 (I-295) and U.S. Route 130 (US 130) in Thorofare. The route, which is mostly a two-lane undivided road, passes through the communities of Gibbstown and Paulsboro in the northern part of the county, a short distance south of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

. Route 44 generally runs a short distance to the north of I-295/US 130 for much of its length. In 1923, Route 17S was legislated along the current route followed by Route 44 today, running between Penns Grove and Westville. The only portion of Route 17S ever built ran from Penns Grove to Salem. Route 44 was designated in 1927 to replace Route 17S between Penns Grove and Westville. By the 1940s, Route 44 was extended south to Salem and US 130 was designated

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with the route north of Penns Grove. Several spurs of Route 44 had existed or were planned prior to 1953, including Route S44, which ran concurrent with US 322 to the ferry between Bridgeport and

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

; Route S44A, a never-built bypass of Camden; and Route 44T, which was to run from a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

under the Delaware River in Paulsboro east to Route 42. In 1953, Route 44 was replaced by US 130 north of Deepwater and by Route 49 south of there. After two bypasses were built for US 130 around Carneys Point and between Bridgeport and Westville, Route 44 was redesignated along the former US 130. After I-295 was completed in the 1960s, US 130 returned to its original alignment in Carneys Point and replaced that portion of Route 44.

Route description

Route 44 begins at an intersection with Main Street and Barker Avenue in the community of

in Logan Township, heading to the east on Crown Point Road, a two-lane undivided road. Shortly after beginning, the route heads through wooded areas a short distance to the north of

Conrail Shared Assets Operations Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail (reporting mark CRCX), an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Area ...

Penns Grove Secondary Penns Grove Secondary is a Rail freight transport, rail freight line in the Delaware Valley in the South Jersey, southwestern part of New Jersey. Part of Conrail's South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Area, South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Asset ...

and intersects County Route 671 (CR 671). The road turns northeast and comes to an interchange with US 130 and continues closely parallel to the railroad line as it passes through more rural areas with some homes, coming to a junction with CR 684 and Flood Gate Road, the latter of which heads northwest to provide access to

Bridgeport Speedway Bridgeport Speedway is a dirt Oval track racing, speedway located in the community of Bridgeport, New Jersey, Bridgeport in Logan Township, New Jersey, Logan Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County, New Jersey, that consists of ...

. Route 44 enters Greenwich Township upon crossing the marshy Repaupo Creek and becomes a local road called West Broad Street. The route passes over the railroad tracks and continues east into residential and commercial areas of Gibbstown, intersecting CR 607/CR 673 and CR 680 within the town. At the intersection with CR 653, Route 44 enters Paulsboro and passes more developed areas, soon meeting CR 678. The route intersects CR 667 in the center of Paulsboro before crossing the Mantua Creek on a

lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...

and entering wetlands within West Deptford Township. Here, the road heads into a mix of rural lands and development, crossing CR 656 and the Little Mantua Creek. Route 44 intersects the Mid-Atlantic Parkway, which provides access to

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville *Interstate 29 ...

and US 130 a short distance to the south, before continuing into inhabited areas. Here, the road crosses the Conrail line and CR 643. The route becomes a four-lane road and has access ramps to and from southbound I-295/US 130 prior to coming to a crossroads with CR 640 in Thorofare. Past CR 640, the route closely parallels I-295/US 130 and crosses Woodbury Creek. Route 44 passes a mobile home park before coming to an end at cul-de-sac that has an access ramp to southbound Route 44 from southbound I-295/US 130.

History

What is now Route 44 was originally legislated as Route 17S in 1923, a route that was to run from Penns Grove to Westville.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1923, Chapter 199. By 1927, however, the only portion of Route 17S that had existed was a road that ran from Penns Grove south to Salem. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering that occurred that year, Route 44 was designated to run from Penns Grove to Westville, replacing what had been legislated as Route 17S.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. By the end of the 1930s, Route 44 was extended south from Penns Grove to Salem and US 130 was also designated along with Route 44 north of Penns Grove by 1941.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1939, compiled. NJ S44A (cutout)

Prior to 1953, several spurs of Route 44 existed or were planned. Route S44 was designated in 1939 as a connection from Route 44 in Bridgeport to the ferry across the

, and was concurrent with

US 322 U.S. Route 322 (US 322) is a long, east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was concurrent with ...

. The S44 designation was removed in 1953 to avoid the concurrency with US 322. In 1974, the

Commodore Barry Bridge The Commodore Barry Bridge (also known as the Commodore John Barry Bridge or John Barry Bridge) is a cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport, in Logan Township, New Jersey. It is named after the A ...

was built, bypassing the ferry, and the old alignment of US 322 became Route 324. Route S44A was planned in 1938 as an eastern bypass of Camden from Route 45 in Brooklawn to

Route 40 The following highways are numbered 40: International * European route E40 Argentina * National Route 40 Australia * NSW State Route 40 (Windsor Road and Victoria Road in Sydney) * Victorian State Route 40 * Mulligan Highway (Queensland) Br ...

(now Route 70) and Route 41 in Delaware Township (now Cherry Hill), mostly along what is now CR 551. The bypass was never built, although part of what would have been the bypass north of

Haddonfield :''Not the fictional Illinois town from the Halloween film series.'' Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593,

is now Route 41.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 374. Route 44T was planned in 1938 as an approach to a never-built

under the Delaware River near Paulsboro. Originally, the route was to run from the tunnel east to the intersection of Route 41 and Route 47 in Deptford Township.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 367. In 1939, the planned route was extended east to Route 42 between Blackwood and Williamstown.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1939, Chapter 264. In the

1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering On January 1, 1953, the New Jersey Highway Department renumbered many of the State Routes. This renumbering was first proposed in 1951 in order to reduce confusion to motorists. A few rules were followed in deciding what to renumber: *No state ro ...

, Route 44 was replaced by US 130 north of the

Delaware Memorial Bridge The Delaware Memorial Bridge is a dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by the firm kno ...

approach in Deepwater and by Route 49 south of there. However, US 130 was moved to new

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 ...

alignments around Carneys Point and between Bridgeport and Westville. The bypassed alignments of US 130, originally unnumbered, eventually became Route 44. After I-295 was built in the 1960s, it bypassed the portion of the US 130 freeway in Bridgeport and was designated along the US 130 freeway north to Westville and around Carneys Point. US 130 was moved back onto its old alignment in Carneys Point, replacing that portion of Route 44.

Major intersections

References

External links

New Jersey Highway Ends: Route 44Speed Limits for Route 44
{{DEFAULTSORT:044 State highways in New Jersey Transportation in Gloucester County, New Jersey

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links