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 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 ...

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 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 ...

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),

, and

, 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 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 ...

, 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 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 ...

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 ...

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

jughandle A jughandle is a type of ramp or slip road that changes the way traffic turns left at an at-grade intersection (in a country where traffic drives on the right). Instead of a standard left turn being made from the left lane, left-turning traffic ...

s, 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

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

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

) in

east to Route 39 (now

) 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 Interstate 676 (I-676) is an Interstate Highway that serves as a major thoroughfare through Center City Philadelphia, where it is known as the Vine Street Expressway, and Camden, New Jersey, where it is known as the northern segment of the ...

) in

east to the planned Route 35 freeway (now Route 18) in Wall Township, providing a direct freeway connection between the

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

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 Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.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

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 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 ...

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

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

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links