Route 440 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 ...

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 ...

. It comprises two segments, 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 ...

in Middlesex County linking

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in ...

(I-287) 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 ...

(

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 ...

), in Edison 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 ...

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 ...

and a four-lane divided highway in

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

running from the

Bayonne Bridge Bayonne Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Kill Van Kull and connecting Bayonne, New Jersey with Staten Island in New York City. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Route 440. It is the sixth-longes ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

to U.S. Route 1/9 Truck (US 1-9 Truck) in

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New York State Route 440 New York State Route 440 (NY 440) is a state highway located entirely on Staten Island in New York City. The route acts as a connector between the two segments of New Jersey Route 440, running from the Staten Island community of R ...

(NY 440), which runs across

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. The freeway portion in Middlesex County is six lanes wide and interchanges with 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 US 9 in Woodbridge. What is now Route 440 was designated as two different routes in 1927: the Middlesex County portion between Route 4 (now Route 35) and the proposed Outerbridge Crossing was designated Route S4 (a spur of Route 4) while the Hudson County portion was designated as a part of Route 1. In 1953, Route 440 replaced Route S4 as well as Route 1 south of Communipaw Avenue; the number was chosen to match NY 440. A freeway was built for the route in Middlesex County between 1967 and finished in 1972. A freeway was also proposed for the route in Hudson County to fill in the gap between the Bayonne Bridge and 63rd Street; however, it was never built. In 2001, Route 440 replaced Route 169 along the Bayonne waterfront.

Route description

Middlesex County

The Route 440

begins in Edison Township at an interchange with the southern terminus of

and the

(

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

); from Route 440's southern terminus, the road becomes northbound Interstate 287. Within this interchange, Route 440 also has access to County Route 514. It continues to the east as a six-lane road through wooded surroundings and enters Woodbridge Township at the underpass of King Georges Post Road. Here, the route interchanges with County Route 656 (Smith Street) before intersecting the

and

U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...

at a large interchange. Within this interchange, the route passes 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) Raritan Industrial Track line. From here, the freeway turns northeast and passes under CSAO's Perth Amboy Running Track line before it enters

at the point where it crosses under County Route 616 (New Brunswick Avenue). Route 440 passes near homes before coming to the next interchange for County Route 501 and Route 184. At this point, County Route 501 joins the Route 440 freeway for a concurrency, and the road comes to an interchange with Route 35 a short distance later. The road continues east-southeast, with an exit for County Route 653 (Amboy Avenue) before it passes through more residential neighborhoods. The final exit on the Middlesex County portion of Route 440 serves County Route 611 (State Street). Past this interchange, Route 440 becomes the

, a four-lane bridge maintained by the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...

(PANYNJ). It passes over

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

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or com ...

and State Street before crossing over the

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port of ...

onto

. At the New Jersey-

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state line on the middle of the bridge, the southern segments of Route 440 and County Route 501 end and become

New York State Route 440 New York State Route 440 (NY 440) is a state highway located entirely on Staten Island in New York City. The route acts as a connector between the two segments of New Jersey Route 440, running from the Staten Island community of R ...

. An extension of Route 440 also intersects with Route 35 right after the Victory Bridge crossing in Perth Amboy (around Shoprite)

Hudson County

After New York State Route 440 runs through Staten Island, it enters New Jersey again via the

, a four-lane bridge over

Kill Van Kull __NOTOC__ The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait between Staten Island, New York and Bayonne, New Jersey in the United States. It is approximately long and wide and connects Newark Bay with Upper New York Bay. The Robbins Reef Light marks the ...

that is also maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Upon entering

, the road becomes the northern segment of Route 440 and County Route 501 and continues north into residential sections of the city. After widening into a divided highway 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 ...

(NJDOT), County Route 501 splits from the route by heading north on Kennedy Boulevard at an interchange. Meanwhile, Route 440 turns to the east, with CSAO's Avenue A Industrial Track and NJ Transit's

Hudson–Bergen Light Rail The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit (NJT) and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, ...

line parallel to the north, before heading northeast and passing through industrial areas as a surface road, crossing under a CSAO railroad line. It heads north-northeast as it passes between neighborhoods and the parallel CSAO Bayonne Industrial Track and NJ Transit's Hudson–Bergen Light Rail lines to the west and port areas to the east, including the former

Military Ocean Terminal Military Ocean Terminals are operated by the U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) for distribution of surface cargo from storage and repair depots to military forward based units. Current facilities * Military Ocean Terminal ...

. The route crosses into

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike (

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...

) that provides access to the Jersey City and

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

waterfronts and the

Holland Tunnel The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects the New York City neighborhood of Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan to the east with Jersey City in New Jersey to the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Author ...

. Following this, Route 440 reaches an interchange with Route 185. Here, the mainline becomes Route 185 and Route 440 exits onto another four-lane divided highway. From here, Route 440 continues northwest, crossing under Interstate 78 and passing over CSAO's Bayonne Industrial Track and NJ Transit's Hudson–Bergen Light Rail lines before closely paralleling the north side of Interstate 78 and the south side of CSAO's National Docks Branch line. The route interchanges with Avenue C before becoming an undivided road that reenters Bayonne and crossing over County Route 501 (Kennedy Boulevard) without an interchange. Past this intersection, Route 440 makes a sharp turn to the south and passes under the

Newark Bay Bridge The Newark Bay Bridge, officially the Vincent R. Casciano Memorial Bridge, is a steel through arch bridge that is continuous across three spans. It crosses Newark Bay and connects the cities of Newark (in Essex County) and Bayonne (in Hudson Cou ...

(Interstate 78). After making a

hairpin turn A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...

back to the north, it passes under the Newark Bay Bridge another time and runs along the eastern shore of Newark Bay, crossing under CSAO's National Docks Branch line. The route interchanges with West 63rd Street before crossing back into Jersey City and passing residences to the east. It intersects County Route 602 (Danforth Avenue) as the road heads into business sectors farther to the east of Newark Bay. The road heads past industrial establishments before running through commercial areas again, passing to the east of the Hudson Mall. Route 440 ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 1/9 Truck and County Route 612 (Communipaw Avenue), where the road continues north as part of U.S. Route 1/9 Truck.

History

In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, what is now Route 440 was defined as two separate routes. The Middlesex County portion from Route 4 (now Route 35) to the present location of the Outerbridge Crossing was legislated as Route S4, a spur of Route 4. Meanwhile, the Hudson County portion of the route was legislated as a part of Route 1, a route that was to run from Bayonne to the New York border in Rockleigh.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. Route S4 was eventually extended west to the Garden State Parkway. This route followed Pfeiffer Boulevard and the

one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descriptio ...

of Lawrence Avenue and Grove Street. Meanwhile, Route 1 only existed as a state-maintained highway north of 63rd Street in Bayonne; south of there, traffic used Hudson Boulevard to access the Bayonne Bridge. A road carrying Route 1 was proposed to be built on landfill in the

Passaic River Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...

; however, it was never constructed. In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, both Route S4 between the Garden State Parkway and the Outerbridge Crossing as well as Route 1 between 63rd Street and Communipaw Avenue became Route 440 in order to match New York State Route 440. In 1959, an additional piece of Route 440 was legislated to run from the Bayonne Bridge to 63rd Street to complete the route, running over the waters of the Newark Bay; this was never built.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1959, Chapter 57. In the mid-1950s, a freeway alignment was proposed for Route 440 in Middlesex County. This route, to be called the Middlesex Freeway, was to connect the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 287 to the Outerbridge Crossing. Construction began on the freeway in 1967 and it was completed in 1974. The old alignment of Route 440 along Pfeiffer Boulevard between the Garden State Parkway and Route 35 became Route 184. A freeway was also proposed in the 1960s for Route 440 in Hudson County connecting the Bayonne Bridge to Interstate 78 and filling in the gap in the route. In 1976, Route 440 was proposed along with Route 169 in a plan to redevelop the waterfront area of Bayonne. However, the NJDOT shelved the project a year later due to low traffic volumes and feared environmental impact to the Newark Bay. Route 169 was later constructed as a four-lane arterial completed in 1992. In 2001, Route 169 was redesignated as Route 440 in order to complete the gap in the route. On January 8, 2008, Gov.

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

announced plans for a new 35-cent toll on the Middlesex County portion of Route 440, in addition to increases on existing toll roads, to help raise funds to reduce New Jersey's outstanding debt. However, he dropped the idea to toll Route 440 a month later after mounting opposition to the idea. Between 2015 and 2018 the New Jersey Turnpike Authority reconstructed Exit 14A between Interstate 78 and Route 440. Construction began in 2017 to replace the overpass carrying Route 440 over the Garden State Parkway and U.S. Route 9 and it was completed in 2019. In anticipation of a general increase of activity in

Port of New York and New Jersey The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It includes the system of navigable water ...

and new development on

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

and Hackensack Riverfront in Jersey City studies are being conducted to transform the roadway into a multi-use urban boulevard that includes possible grade separations, medians, and a new

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 ...

at its northern terminus. By Joint Resolution No. 4, approved July 3, 1997, 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 the portion of Route 440 in the city of Perth Amboy as the Edward J. Patten Memorial Highway. Democrat

Edward J. Patten Edward James Patten (August 22, 1905 – September 17, 1994) was an American lawyer and politician. Patten, a Democrat, represented the now-redistricted New Jersey's 15th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for ...

, a former

Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey The Current Mayor of Perth Amboy is Helmin Caba, who was elected on December 15, 2020 after defeating Wilda Diaz and was sworn in on January 1, 2021. Perth Amboy, New Jersey is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under t ...

, later served as

Secretary of State of New Jersey The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

and represented

New Jersey's 15th congressional district New Jersey's 15th congressional district in the House of Representatives was a relatively short-lived district that was created after the 1960 Census and eliminated as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 Census. New Jersey had ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

.State of New Jersey; ''Laws of 1997, Joint Resolution No. 4''

Major intersections

References

External links

An enlarged view of road jurisdiction at the confluence of I-95, I-287 and NJ 440 near EdisonAn enlarged view of road jurisdiction at the confluence of US 9 and NJ 440 near Woodbridge TownshipNJ 440 Freeway on nycroads.comNew Jersey Roads: Route 440
{{good article 440 Transportation in Middlesex County, New Jersey Transportation in Hudson County, New Jersey Limited-access roads in New Jersey Freeways in the United States Transportation in Jersey City, New Jersey