|
The Garden State Parkway is a 172-mile-long limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York Thruway at Montvale, NJ to Cape May at the southern tip of the state. Its name refers to the state nickname, the "Garden State". Along with the New Jersey Turnpike, it is one of two limited access highways closely associated with the suburban highway-centered culture of New Jersey. Within New Jersey, the official (unsigned) designation is New Jersey State Highway 444. All but two miles of the road are within the state of New Jersey. The short segment that is in New York, and connects to the New York State Thruway, is officially designated as New York State Reference Route 982L.
Two short spurs are given numbers by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. New Jersey State Highway 444R is the connector at exit 117 to Route 35 at the north end of Route 36 near Keyport. New Jersey State Highway 444S is the connector at exit 105 to the south end of New Jersey State Highway 36 at Hope Road (CR 51) near Eatontown.
The Parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957. It basically has two sections: the "metropolitan section", north of the Raritan River; and the "shore section", between Raritan and Cape May. Most of the metropolitan section is like any expressway built in the 1950s through heavily populated areas. The shore section parallels United States Highway 9 and runs through unspoiled wilderness in the Pine Barrens. In Cape May County, the Parkway does have three traffic lights (at exits 8, 10, and 11 respectively), but these may be eliminated in the future.
Whereas the New Jersey Turnpike uses a system of long-distance tickets, obtained once by a motorist upon entering and surrendered upon exiting at toll gates, the Garden State Parkway uses no tickets but collects tolls at toll barriers at semi-regular intervals along its length, as well as at certain exits. Both the Turnpike and the Parkway now allow for payment with the E-ZPass system.
On July 9, 2003 New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey's plan to merge the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike into one agency was completed.
External links
| 
