New Jersey Route 138

State highway in New Jersey, US

Route 138

Route information
Auxiliary route of I-195
Maintained by NJDOT
Length| 3.52 mi[1] (5.66 km)
Existed| 1988–present
Major junctions
West end|

I-195 / G.S. Parkway / Route 34 in Wall Township

Major intersections|  Route 18 in Wall Township
East end|  Route 35 in Wall Township
Location
Country| United States
State| New Jersey
Counties| Monmouth
Highway system

* New Jersey State Highway Routes

* Interstate
* US
* State
* Scenic Byways

| ←  Route 133| | →  Route 139

|
|

Route 138 is a state highway located entirely in Monmouth County, New Jersey that extends for 3.52 miles (5.66 km). The route's western terminus is at the eastern end of Interstate 195 (I-195) at the interchange with Route 34 in Wall Township. Route 138's eastern terminus is at Route 35 in Wall Township. The highway is also meant to be an evacuation route in case of a disaster, where the eastbound lanes (as well as the eastbound lanes on I-195) would be reversed all the way to the New Jersey Turnpike.[2]

The highway was first built as part of the planned Route 38 freeway in 1941. The freeway was to traverse the state from Camden to Belmar. When it became clear that the gap between two sections of Route 38 would not be filled, the New Jersey Department of Transportation re-designated the eastern portion as Route 138\.

## Route description

[edit]

Route 138 westbound at Route 18 in Wall

Route 138 begins at exit 35A on I-195 at Route 34 in Wall Township. The eastern continuation of I-195, Route 138 continues as a four-lane freeway through Monmouth County. The route interchanges with Route 34 southbound at exit 35A and northbound at exit 35B. A short distance later, the highway crosses to the south of a construction site and crosses over the southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway (Route 444) and intersects with the on-ramp from the southbound lanes. The highway crosses over the northbound lanes and reaches exit 36, which serves the Parkway and a nearby park and ride. Continuing on, Route 138 becomes a four-lane arterial road and intersects with Allenwood Road in a rather dense area of Wall Township.[3]

View east along Route 138 at Route 18 in Wall

Route 138 continues further, passing to the south and to the north of commercial complexes along with several residential areas. The highway then proceeds to a small interchange with Club Drive, which serves a mix of residential homes and commercial buildings. From there, Route 138 becomes surrounded by patches of trees before interchanging with the southern terminus of Route 18 soon after. The route passes north along the interchange, where stub ramps along Route 18 can be seen to the south. After crossing Route 18, Route 138 continues on, entering a large commercial district, intersecting with New Bedford Road in the community of Wall. The highway continues as a four-lane arterial road, serving the local high school and local residential homes for a long distance. Route 138 intersects with Marconi Road and Bayshore Court before ending at a large interchange with Route 35.[3]

## History

[edit]

Route 138 eastbound at Route 34 in Wall

The current alignment of Route 138 originates as an alignment of the State Highway Route 38 assigned in 1938. At that point, Route 38 was proposed as a highway from Camden (where it would end), past its former terminus at State Highway Route 39 to an intersection with State Highway Route 4-N in the community of Wall Township east of Fort Dix.[4] A short portion of the highway was constructed from State Highway Route 34 to State Highway Route 35 was constructed as Route 38, which survived the 1953 state highway renumbering.[5] During the 1960s, the New Jersey State Highway Department began to lay out a network of limited-access state highways across the state. The Route 38 freeway was proposed as a highway from I-676 in Camden to current-day Route 18 in Wall Township, to relieve congestion off of Route 70.[6] The freeway was readopted by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission for the new Route 38 freeway from the Ben Franklin Bridge eastward (paralleling Route 70 and U.S. Route 30) to the area of Jackson Township, where it would follow current I-195's alignment.[7] The 33.5-mile-long (53.9 km) freeway was estimated by the highway department to cost $60 million (1969 USD)[8] and to be finished around 1985.[7] The proposal lasted through the 1970s, along with a cost adjustment in 1972, inflating the amount to construct the freeway at $101 million (1972 USD).[9] By the end of the 1970s, the Route 38 freeway was facing opposition and limited resources, so the project was shelved. On July 29, 1988, the portion of Route 38 from Route 34 to Route 35 was re-designated to Route 138.[10]

## Major intersections

[edit]

The entire route is in Wall Township, Monmouth County.

mi[1]| km| Exit| Destinations| Notes

|
|
|
|

0.00| 0.00| |
I-195 west – Trenton| Continuation west
35|

G.S. Parkway south / Route 34 – Matawan, Brielle, Pt. Pleasant| Signed as exits 35A (south) and 35B (north); exit nos. correspond to I-195; exit 98 on G.S. Parkway
0.28–
0.36| 0.45–
0.58| 36|

G.S. Parkway north| Exit no. corresponds to I-195; exit 98 on G.S. Parkway
0.36| 0.58| Eastern end of freeway section
1.68| 2.70| |
Route 18 north – Eatontown| Interchange; southern terminus and exits 6A-B on Route 18
| |
Route 35 south – Sea Girt| Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
3.52| 5.66|
Route 35 north – Belmar, Asbury Park| Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Incomplete access
* Tolled

## See also

[edit]

* U.S. Roads portal
* New Jersey portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Route 138 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
2. ^ DeNicola, Linda (June 29, 2006). "Red Cross urges residents to heed hurricane warnings". Tinton Falls, New Jersey: The Hub. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
3. ^ a b Overview map of Route 138 (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ Inc. Bing Maps/Microsoft Inc. 2009. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
4. ^ "ROUTE NO. 38, Extension. Beginning at the eastern terminus of Route No. 38 in the vicinity of Mount Holly and thence to Route No. 4N in Wall township, passing in the vicinity of Camp Dix". New Jersey State Legislature. 1938: 145. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
5. ^ 1953 renumbering, New Jersey Department of Highways, archived from the original on June 28, 2011, retrieved July 31, 2009
6. ^ New Jersey Builds Better Highways. New Jersey State Highway Department. 1961.
7. ^ a b "1985 Regional Transportation Plan". Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. 1969. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
8. ^ "New Jersey Highway Facts". New Jersey State Highway Department. 1969. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
9. ^ "Master Plan for Transportation". New Jersey Department of Transportation. 1972. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
10. ^ "Proposed New Rule: N.J.A.C. 16:28A-1.112" (PDF). December 7, 1992. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2013. "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."

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Jersey Route 138.

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/New Jersey Route 138

KML is from Wikidata

* Steve Alpert. "New Jersey Routes, Route 138". Retrieved February 10, 2008.
* Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 138
* Anderson, Steve (2009). "NJ 38 Freeway (unbuilt)". Eastern Roads. Retrieved November 11, 2009.

*[mi]: Miles
*[km]: Kilometers