 Route 23 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byNJDOT | ||||
| Length | 52.63 mi[1] (84.70 km) | |||
| Existed | 1927–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   CR 506 /CR 577 inVerona | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |   I-84 /US 6 at theNew York state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New Jersey | |||
| Counties | Essex,Passaic,Morris,Sussex | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 23 is astate highway in the northern part ofNew Jersey, United States. The route runs 52.63 miles (84.70 km) from Bloomfield Avenue (County Route 506, CR 506) and Prospect Avenue (CR 577) inVerona,Essex County, northwest to the border withNew York atMontague Township inSussex County, where the road continues toPort Jervis, New York, as CR 15. Route 23 heads through Essex andPassaic counties as a two- to four-lane surface road and becomes a six-lanefreeway at a complex interchange withU.S. Route 46 (US 46) andInterstate 80 (I-80) inWayne. The freeway carries Route 23 north torun concurrently withUS 202. Past the freeway portion, the route heads northwest along the border ofMorris and Passaic counties as a four- to six-lanearterial road with a wide median at places, winding through mountainous areas and crossing the interchange withI-287 inRiverdale. The route continues northwest through Sussex County as a mostly two-lane surface road that passes through farmland and woodland as well as the communities ofFranklin,Hamburg, andSussex before reaching the New York state line, just south of an interchange withI-84 andUS 6 in Port Jervis, in Montague Township nearHigh Point State Park.
Route 23 was established in 1927 to run from Verona to the New York state line near Port Jervis, replacingpre-1927 Route 8 between Verona and Sussex. The route followed two turnpikes that were created in the early 19th century: theNewark–Pompton Turnpike and thePaterson–Hamburg Turnpike. In the mid-1950s, there were plans to build anInterstate Highway along Route 23 between I-80 and I-287, but it was never built. In the 1960s, the route was planned to be upgraded to a freeway all the way up to Port Jervis and south toPiscataway,Middlesex County; however, both freeway proposals were cancelled in the early 1970s. In the mid-1980s, the portion of Route 23 from north of US 46 in Wayne to I-287 in Riverdale was improved, with the road upgraded to a six-lane freeway south of the interchange with Alps Road and to a six-lane arterial road north of Alps Road.
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Route 23 begins at an intersection with Bloomfield Avenue (CR 506) and Prospect Avenue (CR 577) inVerona, heading to the north through residences and some businesses along four-lane, undivided Pompton Avenue.[1][2] After a short distance, the road forms the border betweenCedar Grove to the west and Verona to the east before fully entering Cedar Grove. In Cedar Grove, the route narrows to two lanes at the intersection of West Bradford Avenue/East Bradford Avenue (CR 640) before widening to four lanes again at the intersection of Grove Avenue (CR 639). Shortly before leaving Cedar Grove, Route 23 crosses the intersection of Lindsley Road (CR 604), which also heads to the west asCR 527.[1]
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The road crosses intoLittle Falls,Passaic County, where it narrows to two lanes and becomesNewark-Pompton Turnpike. In Little Falls, Route 23 heads through the central part of the community before crossing thePassaic River intoWayne where the road leaves the unnamed highway briefly and widens to a four lanedivided highway. Route 23 passes two shopping malls,Willowbrook Mall andWayne Towne Center, and enters the "Spaghetti Bowl" interchange withUS 46 andI-80, becoming a six-lanefreeway. Within this interchange, the route passes underNJ Transit'sMontclair-Boonton Line.[1][2][3]
North of I-80, the road rejoins the route unnamed, and features acloverleaf interchange with West Belt Road that provides access to theWayne Route 23 Transit Center along the Montclair-Boonton Line. Route 23 continues north withfrontage roads serving businesses, coming to an interchange withUS 202 andCR 511 Alternate (CR 511 Alt.), forming aconcurrency with US 202.[1][2] The road passes over aNorfolk Southern railroad line before it has an interchange with Alps Road (CR 670) and becomes a six-lanearterial road. Following this, the roadway passes west of the Mother's Park & Ride, apark and ride facility serving NJ Transit buses, and reaches an interchange withCR 683, where the Newark–Pompton Turnpike leaves Route 23 and US 202, which continue north from this point as a surface road through commercial areas. At a U-turn ramp, the eastbound direction ofCR 504 follows both directions of the road, having to use the ramp in order to continue across the road.[4] Northbound US 202 splits from Route 23, where the cut-off intersection with CR 504 is located. At this point, the westbound direction of CR 504 and the southbound direction of US 202 follow southbound Route 23 until an intersection.[1]
Route 23 crosses intoPequannock inMorris County and passes over thePompton River. In Pequannock, the road is a six-lane arterial road with at-grade intersections, some controlled byjughandles, that heads through a mix of businesses and woodland.[1][2] At the north end of Pequannock, the route passes over aNew York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) branch line and intersects withCR 660, where it rejoins Route 23. The route intersects with Boulevard (CR 511 Alt.) and crosses intoRiverdale, and CR 511 Alt. follows Route 23 until it heads to the north unnamed.[1] Route 23 interchanges withI-287 and climbs a hill past the interchange, heading to the west. The route runs throughKinnelon, passing over the NYSW New Jersey Subdivision line, before enteringButler. In Butler, Route 23 passes through commercial areas, crossing the intersection with Boonton Avenue (CR 511) before heading northwest. The road drops to four lanes, still divided by aJersey barrier.[1][2] It heads under Maple Lake Road before passing through Kinnelon again. Upon leaving Kinnelon, the route entersWest Milford in Passaic County at the crossing of thePequannock River.[1] At this point, the route enters a more wooded, mountainous setting, following the Pequannock River and the NYSW line.[2]
Route 23 splits, with the southbound lanes crossing over the Pequannock River into Kinnelon for a time. The route passes by the Charlotteburg Reservoir, areservoir for theNewark public water supply, and has arest area in the northbound direction.[1][2] Route 23 intersects Union Valley Road (CR 513), running concurrently with that route. The southbound lanes cross the Pequannock River intoJefferson Township, Morris County, and CR 513 splits from Route 23 by heading south on Green Pond Road. The southbound lanes cross back into West Milford, where the two separate roads rejoin. Route 23 continues northwest through forested areas, crossing over the railroad tracks and passing by the Oak Ridge Reservoir, another reservoir that provides water for Newark.[2] The route crosses the Pequannock River three times, running within Jefferson Township between the first two crossings and past the third crossing.[1]
Route 23 entersHardyston Township,Sussex County, and comes to an intersection withCR 515. Past this intersection, the divided highway ends and Route 23 becomes a two-lane, undivided road. The road heads to the northwest through wooded mountains and runs through the community ofStockholm, where it passes east of a park and ride lot located at a church. The route curves west onto a winding road, passing over the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway]] line. The roadway gains a wide painted median, crossing intoFranklin and meeting the intersection with Munsonhurst Road (CR 517).[1][2] CR 517 heads north along with Route 23, with the wide median ending, and the road continues through residential and commercial areas of Franklin with a brief wide painted median near the intersection of Franklin Avenue (CR 631).[1] The road crosses a stream, Mill Brook, intoHamburg, where CR 517 splits from Route 23 by heading east on Quarry Road. Route 23 continues north through wooded residential areas of Hamburg, passing under the NYSW line and crossing the intersection ofRoute 94. The route crosses back into Hardyston Township, heading north through a mix of farms and forests.[1][2]
Route 23 crosses theWallkill River intoWantage Township and continues north to an intersection with Glenwood Road (CR 565), running concurrently with that route and gaining a wide painted median past that intersection which eventually turns into a center left-turn lane. The road passes some businesses and becomes a two-lane divided highway before CR 565 departs from Route 23 by heading west on Lewisburg Road.[1][2] Route 23 crosses intoSussex, where the route becomes aone-way pair along Hamburg Avenue northbound and Walling Avenue southbound, passing by residences. The route intersects with East Main Street (Route 284) before the northbound directions turns left onto Loomis Avenue, whereCR 643 continues north on Main Street. Immediately after turning onto Loomis Avenue,CR 639 continues west on Loomis Avenue and Route 23 becomes two-way again, heading north on two-lane undivided Mill Street. The route becomes Clove Avenue before crossing back into Wantage Township.[1][2]
In Wantage Township, Route 23 continues north through farmland and woodland, eventually turning west. It comes to an intersection with Colesville–Lusscroft Road (CR 519) and turns north, running concurrently with that route through forested areas until CR 519 heads north on Greenville Road.[1][2] Route 23 continues northwest and heads across theKittatinny Mountain, crossing theAppalachian Trail and enteringMontague Township, Here, the road heads into heavily forestedHigh Point State Park, which is home to the highest elevation in New Jersey.[2] The route descends through Montague Township along a winding road, passing by some businesses immediately before heading to theNew York state line.[1][2] Route 23 officially ends at the state line and the road continues intoOrange County, New York, as Tappen Road (CR 15) for less than1⁄2 mile (0.80 km). A few feet after the state line, CR 15 comes to an interchange withI-84 before it ends at an intersection withUS 6 inPort Jervis.[2] Although I-84 does not enter New Jersey, missing it by only a few feet, the signs on it for the interchange with CR 15 refer to Route 23, even though some signs erroneously refer to it as NY 23.[5]
Route 23 follows the course of the Pompton Trail, and old Lenape trail connecting what is now Glen Ridge, New Jersey to the Minisink Village in what is now Montague.[6][7][failed verification] In the 19th century, two turnpikes were incorporated that would later become parts of Route 23: theNewark–Pompton Turnpike, which was built between 1806 and 1811; and thePaterson–Hamburg Turnpike, which was incorporated in 1806, and was built from Paterson to a landing in Montague Township, where theOwego and Milford Turnpike continued its route west.[8][9] Parts of the Paterson–Hamburg Turnpike are nowCR 650 in Sussex County, the Hamburg Turnpike from Butler to Wayne (signed CR 694, CR 689, andCR 504), Central Avenue throughHaledon, and into Paterson as Broadway. Due to realignments, the current alignment of Route 23 bypasses the intersection of these two turnpikes.[2] North of Coleville, the road was maintained by theColeville and Carpenter's Point Turnpike, chartered in 1850.[10]
In theoriginal system of New Jersey highways, the Newark–Pompton Turnpike and Paterson–Hamburg Turnpike were combined to formpre-1927 Route 8, which ran fromMontclair to the New York state line nearUnionville, New York, running along the alignment of current Route 23 north to Sussex and following present-day Route 284 north of Sussex.[11] In the1927 New Jersey State Highway renumbering, Route 23 was designated to run fromRoute 9 (now CR 506) in Verona north to the New York state line near Port Jervis, replacing pre-1927 Route 8 from Verona to Sussex.[12][13] In the 1930s, communities in Passaic and Morris counties were bypassed by four-lane roads, with Bloomingdale and Butler bypassed in 1933,[14] and Pequannock by 1936.[15]
In the1955 plan for the Interstate Highway System, anInterstate Highway was planned along the Route 23 corridor between I-80 in Wayne and I-287 inRiverdale, also connecting to a proposed Interstate along theRoute 3 corridor. However, this proposed Interstate was never built.[16] Plans were made in the early 1960s for a Route 23 freeway running from I-80 north to I-84 in Port Jervis, New York, providing improved freeway access to northwestern New Jersey.[17] This proposed freeway, which was to cost $120 million, was cancelled in the early 1970s due to financial troubles and feared environmental issues.[18] A 1966 proposal called for Route 23 to be extended south as a freeway to I-287 inPiscataway inMiddlesex County, running parallel to theGarden State Parkway. This $300 million freeway was added to planning maps in 1969 asRoute 807 but was also cancelled in the early 1970s.[19]
In the late 1970s, theNew Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) made plans to rebuild the section of Route 23, at the time a four-lane undivided road, between I-80 and I-287 to a six-lane freeway between I-80 and Alps Road and a six-lane surface road north of Alps Road.[20] Construction on these improvements began in 1983 and were completed in 1986. With these improvements to the route, manytraffic circles were removed, including one at US 46 that was replaced with a complex interchange. In 2008, the Spaghetti Bowl interchange with I-80 and US 46 was improved, costing $70 million.[3]
In 2010, NJDOT began plans to move Route 23 to a new alignment through Sussex. With this project, the bridge over the Papakating Creek was replaced and a new road for the southbound lanes was built as an extension of Walling Avenue, while the original Route 23 became northbound only.[21][22] The project lasted from July 2012 to November 2014.[23]
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | Verona | 0.00 | 0.00 |  CR 506 (Bloomfield Avenue) /CR 577 south (Prospect Avenue) –Montclair,Livingston | Southern terminus; northern terminus of CR 577 |
| Cedar Grove | 3.60 | 5.79 |  CR 527 south (Lindsley Road) | Northern terminus of CR 527 | |
| Passaic | Wayne | 5.25 | 8.45 | Southern end of freeway section | |
 US 46 –Fairfield | |||||
| 5.48 | 8.82 |  I-80 –New York,Delaware Water Gap | No southbound access to I-80 west; exit 53 on I-80 | ||
| 6.01 | 9.67 | West Belt / Service Road – Local Traffic | |||
| 6.82 | 10.98 |     US 202 south /CR 511 Alt. / Service Road –Lincoln Park,Boonton | Southern end of US 202 concurrency | ||
| 7.21 | 11.60 | Alps Road (CR 670 north) | |||
| Northern end of freeway section | |||||
| 7.68 | 12.36 | Newark-Pompton Turnpike (CR 683 north) –Pequannock | Interchange | ||
| 8.94 | 14.39 |   US 202 north /CR 504 (Black Oak Ridge Road) | Northern end of US 202 concurrency | ||
| Morris | Pequannock Township | 11.90 | 19.15 | Newark-Pompton Turnpike (CR 683) –Pequannock | |
| 12.27 | 19.75 | CR 511 Alt. south (Boulevard) –Pompton Plains,Lincoln Park | Southern end of CR 511 Alt. concurrency | ||
| Riverdale | 12.48 | 20.08 |  CR 511 Alt. north (Newark–Pompton Turnpike)Windbeam Road | Northern end of CR 511 Alt. concurrency | |
| 12.86 | 20.70 |    I-287 toCR 694 –Mahwah,Morristown | Exit 52 on I-287 | ||
| Butler | 14.98 | 24.11 | CR 511 (Boonton Avenue) –Kinnelon,Boonton,Butler | ||
| Passaic | West Milford | 21.84 | 35.15 |  CR 513 north (Union Valley Road) –West Milford,Greenwood Lake | Southern end of CR 513 concurrency |
| Morris | Jefferson Township | 22.09 | 35.55 | CR 513 south (Green Pond Road) –Green Pond | North end of CR 513 overall |
| Sussex | Hardyston Township | 26.87 | 43.24 |  CR 515 north –Highland Lakes,Vernon | Southern terminus of CR 515 |
| Franklin | 31.64 | 50.92 |  CR 517 south (Munsonhurst Road) –Ogdensburg,Sparta | Southern end of CR 517 concurrency | |
| Hamburg | 34.35 | 55.28 | CR 517 north (Quarry Road) | Northern end of CR 517 concurrency | |
| 35.45 | 57.05 |  Route 94 –Newton,McAfee, Great Gorge,Vernon | |||
| Wantage Township | 38.52 | 61.99 |  CR 565 north (Glenwood Road) –VernonClark Road | Southern end of CR 565 concurrency | |
| 39.18 | 63.05 | CR 565 south (Lewisburg Road) –Frankford | Northern end of CR 565 concurrency | ||
| Sussex | 39.95 | 64.29 |  Route 284 north (East Main Street) –Unionville,Middletown | Southern terminus of Route 284 | |
| Wantage Township | 45.04 | 72.48 |  CR 519 south (Colesville–Lusscroft Road) –Frankford,Beemerville | Southern end of CR 519 concurrency | |
| 47.26 | 76.06 | CR 519 north (Greenville Road) –Greenville | Northern end of CR 519 concurrency | ||
| Montague Township | 52.63 | 84.70 | I-84 /US 6 –Port Jervis,Middletown,Scranton | Northern terminus;New York state line; access via CR 15; exit 1 on I-84 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Another trail, known as the Pompton Trail, had one end at Minisink Island and the other at Hackensack. The Pompton Trail traversed the rugged northern Highlands by following the natural corridor carved out by the Pequannock River. This trail is now followed generally by Route 23.
