 Route 38 | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byNJDOT | ||||
| Length | 19.1 mi[1] (30.7 km) | |||
| Existed | 1927–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   US 30 /US 130 inPennsauken | |||
| Major intersections |    Route 70 /CR 601 /CR 612 in Pennsauken  Route 41 /Route 73 inMaple Shade I-295 inMount Laurel | |||
| East end |   US 206 /CR 530 inSouthampton | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New Jersey | |||
| Counties | Camden,Burlington | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 38 is astate highway in the southern part of theU.S. state ofNew Jersey serving thePhiladelphia metro area. It extends 19.1 mi (30.74 km) from theAirport Circle junction withUS 30 andUS 130 inPennsauken,Camden County, east to an intersection ofUS 206 and South Pemberton Road (CR 530) inSouthampton,Burlington County. The entire route is closely parallel toCR 537 located to the north, being only one block away at places. The route is a multilanedivided highway for most of its length and passes through commercial development, residential development, and some farmland.
Route 38 was signed in 1927, replacing part ofPre-1927 Route 18, which had run fromCamden east toToms River. Route 38 was originally planned to be afreeway crossing the state of New Jersey, running from Camden east toWall Township,Monmouth County. The eastern part of this freeway would become part ofI-195 in the late 1960s. The freeway routing was then modified to head north of I-195 toRoute 18 inColts Neck but was ultimately canceled by the late 1970s due to environmental and financial concerns.Route 138 was originally numbered as a segment of Route 38, but was renumbered by the 1990s when it became apparent the freeway would not be completed.
Route 38 begins at theAirport Circle intersection ofUS 30,US 130, and Kaighns Avenue (CR 607) inPennsauken,Camden County, heading east on Kaighns Avenue.[1] It comes to apartial cloverleaf interchange with the western terminus ofRoute 70 that also connects toCR 601 (Marlton Pike) andCR 659 (Browning Road), which replaced the Browning Road Traffic Circle.[2] A six–lane divided highway separated by ajersey barrier, it proceeds eastward, crossing intoCherry Hill, where it heads through commercial development.[1][3] Route 38 featurescloverleaf interchanges with Cuthbert Boulevard (CR 636) and Haddonfield Road (CR 644), passing underNJ Transit'sAtlantic City Line between the two interchanges.[1] Past the interchange with Haddonfield Road (CR 644), Route 38 heads past theCherry Hill Mall, located on the north side of the road.[3] It proceeds through the Church Road Circle, where it crosses the intersection of Church Road (CR 616) and Coles Avenue/Cooper Landing Road (CR 627).[1]
_at_the_exit_for_New_Jersey_State_Route_41_SOUTH_(Haddonfield)_in_Maple_Shade_Township%2c_Burlington_County%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
Route 38 crosses the South Branch of thePennsauken Creek intoMaple Shade,Burlington County. The route reaches a cloverleaf interchange withRoute 41 before it has an interchange withRoute 73 that also has access to Old Kings Highway.[1] The Route 38-41-73 interchange complex replaced a dangerous and congested 6-way traffic circle.[2] The route then crosses the intersection of Lenola Road (CR 608) intoMoorestown, where it becomes unnamed. Route 38 travels by theMoorestown Mall located to the south before passing by the Strawbridge Lake Park located to the north, where it crosses the intersection of Church Street (CR 607) and then Mount Laurel Road (CR 603).[3] It entersMount Laurel, where it intersects with Marter Avenue (CR 615) before meetingI-295 at a partial cloverleaf interchange and passing over theNew Jersey Turnpike without access.[1]
It then continues east, heading into more residential areas and passing south ofRowan College at Burlington County.[3] Route 38 intersects many roads withjughandles, including Hartford Road (CR 686), Ark Road (CR 635), and Masonville-Fostertown Road (CR 636) crossing intoHainesport, where it further intersects with Hainesport-Mount Laurel Road (CR 674), Creek Road (CR 636) without a traffic light, and Lumberton Avenue (CR 641).[1] The route then crosses the South Branch of theRancocas Creek before enteringLumberton, where the road intersects with Mount Holly Bypass (CR 541).[1] Route 38 runs through the southern part of theMount Holly area, intersecting with Madison Avenue/Main Street (CR 691), the former alignment of CR 541. It crosses intoMount Holly at the intersection of Pine Street/Eayrestown Road (CR 612).[1] Past this intersection, Route 38 eventually becomes an undivided highway and then reenters Lumberton.[1] The route then heads into farmland and crosses intoSouthampton at the intersection of Smithville Road (CR 684).[1][3] Route 38 ends at the intersection ofUS 206, where the road continues east on South Pemberton Road (CR 530).[1]
_from_the_pedestrian_overpass_at_the_Cherry_Hill_Mall_in_Cherry_Hill_Township%2c_Camden_County%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
Prior to 1927, the route was a part ofPre-1927 Route 18, which was legislated in 1923 to run fromCamden toToms River.[4] In the1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 38 was legislated to run along the route fromRoute 25 (nowU.S. Route 130) inPennsauken east toRoute 39 (nowUS 206) inEastampton.[5][6]
In 1938, Route 38 was legislated to extend from East Hampton toRoute 4N (nowRoute 71) inWall Township,Monmouth County.[7] A section of this was built, running betweenRoute 34 andRoute 35 in Wall Township.[2] The Route 38 freeway was then planned in 1961 to connect these two sections of Route 38. It was to run from I-680 (nowI-676) inCamden east to the planned Route 35 freeway (nowRoute 18) in Wall Township, providing a direct freeway connection between thePhiladelphia metro area and the northern portions of theJersey Shore. The route of the freeway was to run east from theBen Franklin Bridge, parallelingUS 30 and thenRoute 70. It would then have run parallel to the current alignment of Route 38 through theMount Holly area and then travel along the northern border of theFort Dix Military Reservation toJackson,Ocean County, where it would then follow the present alignment ofI-195 to Wall Township.[8][9] In the late 1960s, the eastern part of the Route 38 freeway became part of the proposed I-195.[10][11]
In 1969, it was estimated the Route 38 freeway betweenI-295 inCherry Hill and I-195 in Jackson would cost $60 million and be completed by 1985.[12] The route of the freeway was revised in 1972 to head north of I-195 to Route 18 inColts Neck, intersecting withRoute 33 inFreehold Township. The western terminus was also moved toMount Laurel, where it was to connect to theNew Jersey Turnpike andRoute 90, 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.[13] However, due to environmental concerns of the route passing through thePine Barrens and financial troubles, the freeway was canceled by the end of the 1970s.[14] The orphaned eastern section of Route 38 in Monmouth County was renumbered toRoute 138 on July 29, 1988.[15]
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | Pennsauken Township | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 30 /US 130 –Camden,B Franklin Br,Trenton | Airport Circle; western terminus |
| 0.6 | 0.97 |     Route 70 east toRoute 72 /Route 37 –Cherry Hill Business DistMarlton Pike/Browning Rd –Merchantville | Partial cloverleaf interchange; western terminus of Route 70; access viaCR 601/CR 612 | ||
| Cherry Hill | 1.5 | 2.4 | Cuthbert Blvd –Merchantville,Oaklyn | Cloverleaf interchange; access viaCR 636 | |
| 2.8 | 4.5 | Haddonfield Rd –Haddonfield,Pennsauken Township | Cloverleaf interchange; access viaCR 644 | ||
| Burlington | Maple Shade Township | 5.2 | 8.4 |  Route 41 toRoute 73 north –Haddonfield,Palmyra,Tacony Br | Partial cloverleaf interchange; no northbound access to Route 38 west |
| 5.5 | 8.9 |     Route 73 south toN.J. Turnpike –Marlton | No westbound exit | ||
| Route 73 north –Palmyra,Tacony Br | No eastbound exit | ||||
| Mount Laurel | 9.5 | 15.3 |  I-295 south –Del Mem Br | No eastbound exit; Exits 40A-B (I-295) | |
 I-295 north –Trenton | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; Exits 40A-B (I-295) | ||||
| Lumberton | 15.3 | 24.6 |   CR 541 (Mt Holly Bypass) toN.J. Turnpike north –Mt. Holly,Burlington,Lumberton,Medford | ||
| Southampton Township | 19.1 | 30.7 |   US 206 toA.C. Expressway –Trenton,Hammonton CR 530 east (S Pemberton Rd) | Eastern terminus; western terminus of CR 530 | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
The section of highway which was designated as Route 38 in Wall Township, Monmouth County, was redesignated Route 138 on July 29, 1988, as evidenced in the New Jersey State Highway Straight Line Diagrams 1990.
