 Route 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of northeast New Jersey with NJ 3 in red and former NJ 153 in pink | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byNJDOT | ||||
| Length | 10.84 mi[1] (17.45 km) | |||
| Existed | 1927–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   US 46 /CR 621 inClifton | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| East end |   US 1-9 /Route 495 inNorth Bergen | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New Jersey | |||
| Counties | Passaic,Bergen,Hudson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 3 is astate highway in the northeastern part ofNew Jersey. The route runs 10.84 miles (17.45 km) fromU.S. Route 46 (US 46) inClifton,Passaic County, toUS 1/9 inNorth Bergen,Hudson County. The route intersects many major roads, including US 46, which takes travelers toInterstate 80 (I-80) west for commuting out of the city-area, theGarden State Parkway andRoute 21 inClifton,Route 17 and the Western Spur of theNew Jersey Turnpike (I-95) inEast Rutherford, the Eastern Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (also I-95) in Secaucus, andRoute 495 in North Bergen, for traffic going to theLincoln Tunnel intoNew York City. Route 3 serves as the main artery to the Lincoln Tunnel from I-80, in conjunction with a portion of US 46 and Route 495. Portions of the route are not up tofreeway standards; with driveways serving businesses and bus stops. Despite this, many construction projects have been underway over the years to alleviate this issue. Route 3 also provided access toHoffmann La Roche's former American headquarters inNutley, theMeadowlands Sports Complex andAmerican Dream in East Rutherford. The road inspired a story inThe New Yorker in 2004 byIan Frazier due to its views of theManhattan skyline. Route 3 was originally theLincoln Tunnel Approach and ended at the state line in theHudson River, though it was scaled back following the construction of I-495; which is now Route 495 due to also not meeting interstate highway standards.
Route 3 was originally established in 1927 to run from theNew York state line on the west shore ofGreenwood Lake to Secaucus. In 1929, the western terminus was cut back toPaterson when the alignment west of there was planned to become part ofRoute S4B. Route 3 originally followed present-dayRoute 20 through Paterson and ran along local streets to East Rutherford, where it followed present-dayRoute 120 andPaterson Plank Road to Secaucus. It was extended east to the Lincoln Tunnel in 1939. The section of Route 3 between US 46 in Clifton and East Rutherford was completed in the 1940s asRoute S3 as well as the Secaucus Bypass, which was designated a bypass of Route 3. Route 3 was moved to the Route S3 freeway and the Secaucus Bypass in 1953 and was truncated to US 1/9 in North Bergen in 1959 when the Lincoln Tunnel approach was designated asI-495. The Route 3 freeway has seen many improvements over the years, such as widening and interchange reconstructions. It underwent a major reconstruction, completed in 2016, to modern highway standards with bridge replacements, including a newPassaic River bridge betweenClifton andRoute 17 inRutherford.
_in_Clifton%2c_Passaic_County%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
Route 3 heads to the southeast, from an interchange withUS 46 and Valley Road (County Route 621 [CR 621]) as a six-lanearterial road with ajersey barrier. It is not up tofreeway standards, as it contains a few businesses withright-in/right-out access.[2] The route intersects Grove Street (CR 623) and Broad Street (CR 509), then theGarden State Parkway, where it passes south of the Allwood Road Park & Ride, apark and ride lot servingNJ Transit buses. All interchange movements are present between Route 3 and the Garden State Parkway, except from the southbound Garden State Parkway to westbound Route 3 and from eastbound Route 3 to the northbound Garden State Parkway.[1]
Past the Garden State Parkway, Route 3 intersects Bloomfield Avenue (CR 622), before it passes overNorfolk Southern's Newark Industrial Track line and intersects Passaic Avenue (CR 603), which heads south intoNutley to becomeRoute 7. The next interchange is for Main Avenue (CR 601). Past that interchange, Route 3 passes over NJ Transit'sMain Line and comes to an interchange withRoute 21 before passing over the route and becoming a six-lane freeway.[1]
_just_east_of_New_Jersey_State_Route_17_in_Rutherford%2c_Bergen_County%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
Route 3 crosses thePassaic River on afixed bridge, which replaced a double-leaf trunnionbascule bridge in 2013, intoRutherford,Bergen County.[1][2][3] Just after crossing the river, the route intersects Riverside Avenue (CR 507). The freeway continues through a residential area and comes to an exit that provides access to southboundRoute 17. Past this interchange, Route 3 is closely paralleled by Route 17 to the south until Route 3 intersects Route 17 again, which continues to the north of Route 3.[1]
The route widens to eight lanes and enters theMeadowlands, crossing intoEast Rutherford and then passing over NJ Transit'sBergen County Line andBerrys Creek. Route 3 passes to the south of theMeadowlands Sports Complex, which containsMetLife Stadium (the home stadium of theNew York Giants and theNew York Jets of theNational Football League), and theMeadowlands Racetrack.[1][2] The route narrows back to six lanes and comes to a ramp which provides access to the Western Spur of theNew Jersey Turnpike (I-95). Route 3 intersectsRoute 120 and thecarriageways separate. The route passes under the Western Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) and becomes eight lanes again.[1]
_at_the_exit_for_North_Bergen%2c_Kennedy_Boulevard%2c_and_Interstate_95-New_Jersey_Turnpike_NORTH_in_Secaucus%2c_Hudson_County%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
TheRoute 3 Bridge crosses theHackensack River intoSecaucus,Hudson County. It intersects the Meadowlands Parkway and continues southeast into a residential area with the carriageways joining back together.[1][2] At the interchange withPaterson Plank Road (CR 681), Route 3 widens into alocal-express lane configuration with three express lanes and three local lanes each in the eastbound direction and two express lanes and three local lanes in the westbound direction. The route passes by theMill Creek Mall and crosses under the Eastern Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95).[1][2] Route 3 comes to an eastbound exit and entrance with Harmon Meadow Boulevard and features acloverleaf interchange with Paterson Plank Road. The route crosses the Penhorn Creek intoNorth Bergen. In North Bergen, the route comes to a truck-restricted eastbound ramp for eastboundRoute 495. Route 3 then intersects Route 495, which provides access to the New Jersey Turnpike and theLincoln Tunnel. Past this interchange, the local-express lane configuration ends and Route 3 heads southeast as a four-lane highway. The route meets a westbound exit and entrance for the North Bergen Park & Ride serving NJ Transit buses and passes overNew York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's New Jersey Subdivision line andConrail Shared Assets Operations'Northern Branch line before it comes to its terminus at a traffic light withUS 1/9 south, with no direct access from Route 3 east to US 1/9 north.[1]
Route 3 roughly follows the course of the Paterson and New York Plank Road (more commonly known as thePaterson Plank Road) legislated in 1851 to run from Paterson to a ferry at Hoboken. The portion of this road running east from Passaic was legislated as an unnumbered state route in 1926. In the1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 3 was legislated to run from theNew York line on the west shore ofGreenwood Lake toRoute 1 (nowUS 1/9) inSecaucus.[4][5] In 1929, the route west of Paterson was designated to become part ofRoute S4B, a spur ofRoute 4, and Route 3 was modified to end at Route S4B north of Paterson. Route S4B was never built west of Paterson while the portion that was built becameRoute 208 in 1953.[6][7]
Following the 1929 amendments, Route 3 ran fromPaterson along today'sRoute 20, throughClifton,Passaic,Wallington,Carlstadt, and East Rutherford along local streets, and finally downPaterson Plank Road (part of which is today'sRoute 120) to Secaucus.[8][9] Before 1938, a bypass around the original Paterson Plank Road bridge over the Hackensack River was built, parts of which were later incorporated into today'sRoute 120. As of this point, plans were in place to bypass the Plank Road to the north, going north of Wood Ridge and Wallington and replacing River Road up to Route 6, where it would rejoin the old alignment.[10] In 1939, Route 3 was extended east along present-dayRoute 495 to theLincoln Tunnel intoManhattan.[11]
.svg) Route S3 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Clifton–East Rutherford |
| Existed | 1929[6]–1953[7] |
The section of what is now Route 3 fromUS 46 in Clifton to Route 120 inEast Rutherford was planned to be built as afreeway in the mid-1930s designated as Route S3, a spur of Route 3. Construction started in 1940, but it was interrupted byWorld War II.[12] It would resume, with the first section of freeway opening betweenRoute 17 to Route 3 (now Route 120) in 1942. The freeway was completed by 1949, including a bypass of Secaucus that was designated as a bypass of Route 3. The freeway had cost a total of $10 million to build and cut commuting times between Northern New Jersey and Manhattan.[13] Before the freeway was completed, Route S3 was designated to follow Allwood Road between Hepburn Road and Bloomfield Avenue in Clifton; the road was later returned to Passaic County and is currently CR 602.[12] In 1942, a spur of Route S3 in Clifton was commissioned; this becameRoute S3 Spur in 1948 andRoute 161 in 1953.[7][14][15]
In the1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 3 was realigned to follow the entire length of the Route S3 freeway. In addition, Route 3 in Secaucus was shifted off the Paterson Plank Road to the newly built Secaucus Bypass. The original alignment of Route 3 through Secaucus (partly now known as Flanagan Way) becameRoute 153; the entire route was eliminated by the late 1980s.[16][17] The remaining sections under state maintenance were designated asRoute 20, still under the assumption that they would be joined in the future. In the mid-1950s, Route 3 was planned as one of the original routes of theInterstate Highway System; however, theNew Jersey State Highway Department had deemed it too expensive to bring it up toInterstate Highway standards andI-280 was favored instead.[18] In 1959, the Lincoln Tunnel approach was designated asI-495 and Route 3 was truncated back to US 1/9 inNorth Bergen.[19][20]
_at_the_exit_for_New_Jersey_Route_3_WEST_(TO_New_Jersey_Turnpike-New_Jersey_Route_495_EAST%2c_Clifton%2c_Lincoln_Tunnel)_in_North_Bergen_Township%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
Many improvements have been made to the Route 3 freeway. In the 1970s, the interchanges withRoute 17, theNew Jersey Turnpike Western Spur, and Route 120 were improved with the construction of theMeadowlands Sports Complex in the area. The bridge over theBerrys Creek, originally built in 1948, was reconstructed in the mid-1990s and Route 3 was widened to eight lanes in the area near the bridge.[21] In 2003, the interchange with Route 495 and the intersection with US 1/9 was improved at a cost of $16 million.[22]
Plans were made to improve Route 3 near the Meadowlands Sports Complex with the construction of theAmerican Dream shopping and entertainment complex. An overpass between eastbound Route 3 and northboundRoute 120 was completed in May 2009 at a cost of $38.1 million, a flyover from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 was completed in early 2010 at a cost of $13 million, and improvements to the New Jersey Turnpike interchange was completed in the later part of 2010 at a cost of $49 million.[23][24]
Route 3 underwent a major reconstruction to modern highway standards with noise walls installed and bridge replacements, including the newPassaic River bridge that is now functional, between Main Avenue in Clifton and Route 17 inRutherford. All work was completed by 2016.[25] In a separate project, the roadway was resurfaced in 2013 from just west of the Route 17 north interchange toUS 1/9 inNorth Bergen.[26]
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is rebuilding the interchange at US 46 and Valley Road inClifton. This project will reconfigure ramps, bring bridges up to standard, and will provide for three-lane connections between Route 3 and US 46. It is projected to cost more than $250 million. Construction on the first contract began in December 2015 with completion by October 2019. Construction on the second contract began in February 2020.[27][28] In January 2022, the officials announced funding of a project to replace the 1934 eastbound bridge over the Hackensack River. The new bridge structure will be able to support addinglight rail over the bridge in the future. The plan is to have a new light rail line fromSecaucus Junction toMetLife Stadium andAmerican Dream, but funding for the light rail is not immediately available.[29]
_in_East_Rutherford%2c_Bergen_County%2c_New_Jersey.jpg)
Route 3 was the inspiration for a story inThe New Yorker in 2004 byIan Frazier, for its iconic views of theManhattan skyline.[30] In this story, Frazier describes a bus journey along the route, mentioning scenes along the road such as traffic congestion, theMeadowlands Sports Complex, and the Tick Tock Diner off Route 3 inClifton. He also described a walking journey he once took intoNew York City along Route 3, encountering heavy, noisy traffic speeding by anddebris along the side of the road.[30]
In aSaturday Night Livesketch featuringHoratio Sanz andDerek Jeter, the fictional business "Derek Jeter's Taco Hole" is on Route 3 inNutley, New Jersey betweenKinko's and "El Duque's Shoe Repair".[31][32] (Route 3 does not actually pass through Nutley.)
All exits are unnumbered.
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passaic | Clifton | 0.00 | 0.00 |  US 46 west | Western terminus |
| CR 621 (Valley Road) –Montclair,Paterson | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||||
| 0.51 | 0.82 |  CR 623 (Grove Street) –Montclair,Paterson | |||
| 1.26 | 2.03 |  CR 509 (Broad Street) –Bloomfield,Paterson | |||
| 1.44– 1.53 | 2.32– 2.46 |   G.S. Parkway | No eastbound access to GSP north; exits 153A-B on G.S. Parkway | ||
| 2.64 | 4.25 |  CR 622 (Bloomfield Avenue) –Bloomfield,Passaic | |||
| 3.41 | 5.49 |   Route 7 /CR 603 (Passaic Avenue) –Nutley,Passaic | |||
| 3.82 | 6.15 |  CR 601 (Main Avenue) –Nutley,Passaic | |||
| 4.70 | 7.56 | Western end of freeway section | |||
 Route 21 –Newark,Paterson | Exit 9 on Route 21 | ||||
| Bergen | Rutherford | 5.01 | 8.06 |  CR 507 –Rutherford,Lyndhurst | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 5.67 | 9.12 |  ToCR 507 (Riverside Avenue) –Rutherford,Lyndhurst | Westbound exit and entrance; access to CR 507 via Marginal Road; access to Rutherford/Lyndhurst via Ridge Road | ||
| 6.36– 6.39 | 10.24– 10.28 |  Route 17 / Service Road –Lyndhurst,Rutherford | Service Road not signed eastbound | ||
| East Rutherford | 7.21 | 11.60 |    ToRoute 120 north –East Rutherford,Sports Complex,American Dream | Eastbound exit only | |
| 7.27 | 11.70 |   I-95 Toll /N.J. Turnpike | I-95 not signed westbound; exit 16W of the Western Spur | ||
| 7.58– 7.96 | 12.20– 12.81 | Route 120 north –East Rutherford,Sports Complex,American Dream | No eastbound exit; southern terminus of Route 120 | ||
| Hackensack River | Route 3 Bridge | ||||
| Hudson | Secaucus | 8.60 | 13.84 | Meadowlands Parkway | |
| 9.12 | 14.68 |   I-95 Toll south /N.J. Turnpike south –Secaucus | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; access to Secaucus viaCR 681 | ||
| 9.6 | 15.4 |     ToI-95 north /N.J. Turnpike north / Kennedy Boulevard (CR 501) –North Bergen | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| 9.9 | 15.9 | Service Road –Secaucus | Westbound exit only | ||
| North Bergen | 10.33– 10.46 | 16.62– 16.83 | Route 495 toI-95 /N.J. Turnpike –Lincoln Tunnel | No westbound access to Route 495 east; Route 495 west not signed; former I-495 | |
| 10.50 | 16.90 |  Route 495 east to Kennedy Boulevard (CR 501) –Lincoln Tunnel,New York City | Eastbound exit only; former I-495 | ||
| 10.70 | 17.22 | Route 495 east –Lincoln Tunnel,Park & Ride | Westbound exit and entrance | ||
| 10.84 | 17.45 |  US 1-9 south –Jersey City | Eastern terminus | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
