New Jersey Route 5

Route 5 is a 3.18-mile (5.12 km) state highway located entirely in Bergen County, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1-9) in Ridgefield east down the New Jersey Palisades to end at County Route 505 (New Jersey), County Route 505 (CR 505, River Road) at the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, Edgewater. The route is a two- to four-lane undivided highway its entire length, passing mostly through wooded residential neighborhoods. The route passes under New Jersey Route 63, Route 63 in Palisades Park, New Jersey, Palisades Park, with access to that route provided by Bergen Boulevard, and intersects the southern terminus of New Jersey Route 67, Route 67 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, Fort Lee.

The route was designated in 1916 as part of pre-1927 Route 10, which was to run from Paterson, New Jersey, Paterson east to the terminal of the Fort Lee Ferry in Edgewater, using the Paterson and Hackensack Turnpike between Paterson and Hackensack, New Jersey, Hackensack, the Bergen Turnpike from Hackensack to Ridgefield, and a new alignment between Ridgefield and Edgewater. In 1927, the route was renumbered to Route 5, with initial plans to build a new alignment for the route between Ridgefield and Little Ferry, New Jersey, Little Ferry. Route 5 was also planned to run Concurrency (road), concurrent with New Jersey Route 6, Route 6 (now U.S. Route 46, US 46) between Paterson and Ridgefield. However, the plans were modified in 1929 to build Route 6 on a new alignment and have Route 5 end at New Jersey Route 1, Route 1 (now US 1/9) in Ridgefield. The former alignment was designated as Route 10N with maintenance eventually turned over to the county. The eastern terminus of Route 5 was moved to its current location by the 2000s. In 2007, construction began to improve the route in Palisades Park by replacing bridges and widening the road, with work completed in late 2009.

Route description

Route 5 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 1/9, US 1-9 (North Broad Avenue) in Ridgefield, heading east as a two-lane undivided road through residential areas. It crosses CR 31 (Maple Avenue) and enters Palisades Park, New Jersey, Palisades Park. In Palisades Park, the road passes over Delia Avenue and turns south as it heads through wooded residential neighborhoods. Route 5 passes under New Jersey Route 63, Route 63 and enters Fort Lee, New Jersey, Fort Lee, where the route immediately intersects Bergen Boulevard, which provides access to Route 63. From there, the road heads east through wooded neighborhoods before turning north onto Glen Road.

Route 5 comes to an intersection with County Route 29 (Anderson Avenue) and County Route 54 (Central Boulevard), where the route continues east on Central Boulevard as a four-lane undivided road through inhabited areas. It meets the southern terminus of New Jersey Route 67, Route 67 (Palisade Avenue) and continues south along that road. After of following Palisade Avenue, Route 5 makes a left turn onto a two-lane road, with County Route 27 continuing south on Palisade Avenue. The route descends the New Jersey Palisades on a winding road with hairpin turns, crossing into Edgewater, New Jersey, Edgewater. In Edgewater, the road briefly heads through commercial areas before ending at County Route 505 (New Jersey), CR 505 (River Road) along the Hudson River.

History

Pre-1927 Route 10 was legislated in 1916 to run from Paterson, New Jersey, Paterson east by way of Hackensack, New Jersey, Hackensack and Ridgefield to the Public Service Railway's Fort Lee Ferry at Edgewater. From Paterson it used the existing Paterson and Hackensack Turnpike (Market Street and Essex Street, legislated in 1815) to Hackensack and the Bergen Turnpike (Hudson Street) to Ridgefield. Rather than use existing roads from Ridgefield down the Palisades to Edgewater, a whole new route was surveyed with better Grade (slope), grades. This road was built by 1922. At its east end, Route 10 ran south several blocks on River Road to the ferry, just south of Dempsey Avenue. In Ridgefield, Broad Avenue was used to get between the new alignment and Bergen Turnpike.

In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 10 was renumbered to Route 5. Plans at the time were to build a new alignment from east of Ridgefield to Little Ferry, New Jersey, Little Ferry southeast of Hackensack and form Route S5 (New Jersey), Route S5 (now locally maintained) along the old road from Little Ferry to Ridgefield. The new Route 6 (New Jersey), Route 6 would share the alignment of Route 5 from Paterson to west of Hackensack, where it would turn southeast onto a new alignment to Little Ferry, then run with Route 5 again to east of Ridgefield and split onto its own alignment to the George Washington Bridge.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.

In 1929, the routes were redefined. Route 6 would be a completely new alignment from Paterson to the George Washington Bridge, and Route 5 would only run east from Route 1 (New Jersey), Route 1 (Broad Avenue, now US 1/9) in Ridgefield.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1929, Chapter 126. The alignment of Route 10 west of Ridgefield was designated Route 10N until it was eventually turned over to the county.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1939, complied. Route 5 retained its routing in the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering. By the 2000s, the section of Route 5 along River Road to the former ferry was removed. In June 2007, construction began on a $24.6 million project to improve the route through Palisades Park. This project, which was completed in late 2009, involved the replacement of the bridge over Delia Boulevard, the removal of a bridge over an abandoned rail line, and the widening of the two-lane road to include a shoulder.

Major intersections

See also

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References

External links

New Jersey Roads: Route 5Speed Limits for Route 5

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Transportation in Bergen County, New Jersey, 005
State highways in New Jersey, 005