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 ...

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 sover ...

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 ...

U.S. Route 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 ...

Folsom Folsom may refer to: People * Folsom (surname) Places in the United States * Folsom, Perry County, Alabama * Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama * Folsom, California * Folsom, Georgia * Folsom, Louisiana * Folsom, Missouri * Folsom, New Jersey * ...

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.Tacony–Palmyra Bridge in

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second ...

,

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.

, where the road continues into

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 ...

,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, as

Pennsylvania Route 73 Pennsylvania Route 73 (PA 73) is a long east–west state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. It runs from PA 61 near Leesport southeast to the New Jersey state line on the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River i ...

(PA 73). South of the interchange with the

Atlantic City Expressway The Atlantic City Expressway, officially numbered, but unsigned, as Route 446 and abbreviated A.C. Expressway, ACE, or ACX, and known locally as the Expressway, is a long toll road in the U.S. state of New Jersey, managed and operated by t ...

in Winslow Township, Camden County, Route 73 is a two-lane undivided county-maintained road and is signed as County Route 561 Spur (CR 561 Spur), a spur of CR 561. North of the Atlantic City Expressway, the route is maintained by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

and is mostly four lanes, with the portion north of the CR 561

concurrency 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 ...

a

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 ...

. North of the US 30 interchange near

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Route 73 runs through suburban areas of the

Delaware Valley The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...

metropolitan area, intersecting Route 70 in Marlton, 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 Interstate 295 (I-295) in Mount Laurel Township,

Route 38 The following highways are numbered 38: Australia * A38 (Sydney) Canada * Alberta Highway 38 * Ontario Highway 38 (former) * Saskatchewan Highway 38 Czech Republic * I/38 Highway; Czech: Silnice I/38 Germany * Bundesautobahn 38 India * N ...

and Route 41 in Maple Shade Township, Route 90 in Cinnaminson Township, and US 130 in Pennsauken Township. What is today Route 73 between the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge and Berlin was legislated as Route S41 in 1927, a spur of Route 41. An extension of this spur called Route S41A was designated in 1938 to continue south from Berlin to Route 42 (now US 322) in Folsom. In 1953, both these routes became Route 73 in order to match PA 73. The portion of Route 73 between Berlin and the Atlantic City Expressway became a state highway by 1969. By the 2000s, Route 73 was extended south along CR 561 Spur to US 322. Several traffic circles along Route 73 have been modified or replaced over time. Among these was the

Berlin Circle The Berlin Circle (german: die Berliner Gruppe) was a group that maintained logical empiricist views about philosophy. History Berlin Circle was created in the late 1920s by Hans Reichenbach, Kurt Grelling and Walter Dubislav and composed of ...

, which was turned into an at-grade intersection in 2006. The

Marlton Circle Marlton can refer to some locations in the United States: * Marlton, Maryland, a census-designated place * Marlton, New Jersey, a census-designated place * Marlton, Camden, a neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey *Marlton Square, future medical facili ...

at Route 70, which was modified in 1974 to allow Route 73 to pass through the circle, was replaced with an interchange completed in 2011.

Route description

US 322 to Atlantic City Expressway

Route 73 begins at an intersection 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 ...

(

Black Horse Pike The Black Horse Pike is a designation used for a number of different roadways that had been part of a historic route connecting the Camden area to the area of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Roadways now bearing the Black Horse Pike designation include ...

) in

Folsom Folsom may refer to: People * Folsom (surname) Places in the United States * Folsom, Perry County, Alabama * Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama * Folsom, California * Folsom, Georgia * Folsom, Louisiana * Folsom, Missouri * Folsom, New Jersey * ...

,

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

with some homes and farms, coming to a crossroads with Route 54. Following this intersection, the road continues northwest as Mays Landing Road, crossing the Beesleys Point Secondary railroad line operated by the

Cape May Seashore Lines Cape May Seashore Lines is a short line railroad in southern New Jersey. It offers two excursion services: a round trip between Richland, New Jersey, Richland and Tuckahoe, New Jersey, Tuckahoe and a round trip between Rio Grande, New Jersey, ...

railroad at-grade. It enters a small corner of Hammonton before it crosses into Winslow Township in Camden County. Here, Route 73 crosses the

Southern Railroad of New Jersey The Southern Railroad of New Jersey is a small short-line railroad company based in Winslow Township, New Jersey. The railroad operates freight trains in two areas in Southern New Jersey. In the Winslow area, trains operate between Winslow Jun ...

's Southern Running Track railroad line at-grade and intersects CR 725. From this point, the road heads north to a partial interchange with the

Atlantic City Expressway The Atlantic City Expressway, officially numbered, but unsigned, as Route 446 and abbreviated A.C. Expressway, ACE, or ACX, and known locally as the Expressway, is a long toll road in the U.S. state of New Jersey, managed and operated by t ...

that has access from southbound Route 73 to the eastbound Atlantic City Expressway and from the westbound Atlantic City Expressway to northbound Route 73.

Atlantic City Expressway to Route 70

After the Atlantic City Expressway, Route 73 becomes officially signed and maintained by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

, although CR 561 Spur is still signed along the route. It heads to the north as a four-lane undivided road, passing through wooded areas with some residences and businesses and crosses CR 723, which provides access to the westbound Atlantic City Expressway and from the eastbound Atlantic City Expressway. The route continues to an intersection with CR 561, where it briefly widens into a four-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 ...

. At this junction, CR 561 Spur ends and Route 73 forms a

concurrency 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 CR 561. The road intersects CR 722 and CR 721, becoming Camden Road at the latter junction. It heads north through more rural areas, meeting CR 720. CR 561C, a former segment of CR 561, splits from Route 73 by heading north through the community of Cedar Brook while Route 73 and CR 561 bypass the community to the east, crossing under

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 ...

' (CSAO) Beesleys Point Secondary railroad line. North of Cedar Brook, the route traverses CR 536, becoming Cedarbrook Road. It intersects CR 680 and CR 711 before widening into a divided highway prior to a junction where CR 712 heads northeast and CR 561 splits from Route 73 by heading north on Cedarbrook Road. Past this intersection, Route 73 becomes an unnamed road and encounters CR 710 at a four-way intersection. A short distance later, the route enters Waterford Township and comes to a modified

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 ...

with

US 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

(White Horse Pike) and CR 536 Spur. NJ 73 NB past Brick Road

Following US 30, Route 73 passes through a small corner of Berlin Boro before it goes 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

Atlantic City Line The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage ...

west of the

Atco station Atco is a train station in Atco, New Jersey on the Atlantic City Line. It serves NJ Transit trains, and the local 554 bus route. Its Amtrak station code is ATO. Eastbound service is offered to Atlantic City and Westbound service is offered to Ph ...

. At the railroad underpass, the route enters Berlin Township and meets CR 534 at a crossroad. After the intersection with this route, the road proceeds back into Berlin Boro, where the route runs through a mix of residences and businesses. Route 73 widens to a six-lane highway and comes to the former

Berlin Circle The Berlin Circle (german: die Berliner Gruppe) was a group that maintained logical empiricist views about philosophy. History Berlin Circle was created in the late 1920s by Hans Reichenbach, Kurt Grelling and Walter Dubislav and composed of ...

, where it meets both CR 689 and CR 708. From here, the road turns north and reenters Berlin Township as a four-lane divided highway, continuing through developed areas and intersecting CR 692. Prior to the junction with CR 693, the route enters Voorhees Township, where it encounters CR 675 before passing east of

Virtua Voorhees Hospital Virtua Health is a non-profit healthcare system in southern New Jersey that operates a network of hospitals, surgery centers, physician practices, and more. Virtua is South Jersey's largest health care provider. The main headquarters are loca ...

. At the intersection with CR 671, Route 73 comes into Evesham 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.

. In Evesham, it heads to a junction with CR 544 before coming to Marlton, where it passes west of

The Promenade at Sagemore The Promenade at Sagemore is a large regional shopping mall located in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, leased bMSC Opened in 2001, The Promenade is an open-air lifestyle center with high ...

shopping center and Virtua Marlton Hospital before turning northwest at CR 607. The route intersects CR 600 and CR 620 before meeting Route 70 at 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 ...

that was formerly the

Marlton Circle Marlton can refer to some locations in the United States: * Marlton, Maryland, a census-designated place * Marlton, New Jersey, a census-designated place * Marlton, Camden, a neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey *Marlton Square, future medical facili ...

.

Route 70 to Tacony–Palmyra Bridge

Past the Route 70 interchange, Route 73 continues through suburban commercial areas, crossing the unsigned CR 674, and heading into Mount Laurel Township. The route comes to an intersection with CR 616, where it turns to the northwest. A short distance later, the road has an access ramp 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 ...

. Following this interchange, Route 73 widens into a six-lane divided highway and encounters CR 673 before coming to a cloverleaf interchange with

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 ...

. From the I-295 interchange, the route goes into Maple Shade Township. Route 73 comes to two exits for

Route 38 The following highways are numbered 38: Australia * A38 (Sydney) Canada * Alberta Highway 38 * Ontario Highway 38 (former) * Saskatchewan Highway 38 Czech Republic * I/38 Highway; Czech: Silnice I/38 Germany * Bundesautobahn 38 India * N ...

and Route 41 within a short distance of each other. After Route 41, the road intersects CR 610 and bypasses the center of Maple Shade to the east as a four-lane divided highway. The route has an interchange with CR 537 and runs under CSAO's Pemberton Industrial Track railroad line before turning northwest and paralleling the North 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. ...

, meeting CR 609. Route 73 enters Cinnaminson Township, where the Route 90 freeway splits from the road before crossing over the South Branch of the Pennsauken Creek into Pennsauken Township, Camden County. In Pennsauken, the route has exits with CR 644 and US 130. Route 73 briefly enters Cinnaminson Township, Burlington County, again before crossing into

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second ...

at the bridge over the Pennsauken Creek. In Palmyra, the road has an interchange with CR 543 before running under NJ Transit's River Line. The route comes to the intersection with Temple Boulevard, where it becomes maintained by the

Burlington County Bridge Commission The Burlington County Bridge Commission is a public agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of several bridges in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, across the Delaware River. It now manages eight bridges, including the Tac ...

and comes to the northbound toll plaza for the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge. A short distance later, the road traverses 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 ...

on the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge, a combination steel

tied-arch bridge A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward horizontal forces of the arch(es) caused by tension at the arch ends to a foundation are countered by equal tension of its own gravity plus any element of the total deck structure such grea ...

and

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

with two northbound lanes and one southbound lane, where it continues into

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 ...

,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, as PA 73. The Tacony–Palmyra Bridge was designed by

Ralph Modjeski Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski; January 27, 1861 – June 26, 1940) was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as "America's greatest bridge builder." Life He was born in Bochnia, called Galicia at the time, on Janua ...

, who also engineered the Ben Franklin Bridge and the

Manhattan Bridge The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. The main span is long, with the suspension cables be ...

, that opened to traffic in 1929, replacing a ferry service across the Delaware River. Route 73 serves as a main road in

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

that helps provide access between the Philadelphia area and the southern part of the

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 ...

as well as connections to several local roads. It has been rated one of the worst roads in the state in terms of traffic, accidents, and driver aggression.

History

In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, a spur of Route 41 called Route S41 was legislated to run from the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge south to Berlin along what is today Route 73.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. A southern extension of Route S41 called Route S41A was proposed to run from Berlin south to Route 42 (now US 322) in Folsom in 1938.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 299. 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 S41 and Route S41A were renumbered to Route 73 in order to match PA 73. With the establishment of the 500-series county routes in 1952, the current alignment of Route 73 between Berlin and Blue Anchor became a part of CR 561 while it became CR 561 Spur between Blue Anchor and Folsom. By 1969, Route 73 was designated south of Berlin along CR 561 and CR 561 Spur to the Atlantic City Expressway. By the 2000s, Route 73 was extended south along with CR 561 Spur from the Atlantic City Expressway to US 322. NJ S41A (cutout)

Over the years, several

traffic circle A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...

s have been modified or replaced along Route 73. The Marlton Circle at Route 70 in Marlton was modified in 1974 to allow Route 73 to run directly straight through the circle. This circle became known for traffic backups and was replaced with an interchange. Construction on this interchange, which cost $31 million, began in April 2009. In May 2010, the circle was eliminated with a temporary at-grade intersection constructed while the Route 73 bridge over Route 70 was being built. The interchange was completed in June 2011. A traffic circle that existed at the intersection of Route 38 and Route 41 in Maple Shade Township was removed by the 1960s and replaced by the current set of interchanges. In addition, the

Berlin Circle The Berlin Circle (german: die Berliner Gruppe) was a group that maintained logical empiricist views about philosophy. History Berlin Circle was created in the late 1920s by Hans Reichenbach, Kurt Grelling and Walter Dubislav and composed of ...

in Berlin was replaced by an at-grade intersection between August 2005 and September 2006 at a cost of $73 million.

Major intersections

References

External links

NJ State Highways: 55-74Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 73
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jersey Route 073 073 Transportation in Atlantic County, New Jersey Transportation in Burlington County, New Jersey Transportation in Camden County, New Jersey

Route description

US 322 to Atlantic City Expressway

Atlantic City Expressway to Route 70

Route 70 to Tacony–Palmyra Bridge

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links