County Route 501 (New Jersey) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
County Route 501 |
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CR 501 highlighted in red
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Route information | ||||
Length | 40.24 mi (64.76 km) | |||
Existed | January 1, 1953–present | |||
Middlesex County section | ||||
Length | 10.12 mi (16.29 km) | |||
West end | CR 529 in South Plainfield | |||
Major junctions |
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East end | NY 440 in Richmond Valley, NY | |||
Hudson / Bergen County section | ||||
Length | 30.12 mi (48.47 km) | |||
South end | NY 440 in Elm Park, NY | |||
Major junctions |
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North end | NY 340 in Rockleigh | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Middlesex, Hudson, Bergen | |||
Highway system | ||||
County routes in New Jersey 500-series
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County Route 501 (CR 501) is a county highway in New Jersey in two segments spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440 (NY 440) across Staten Island.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation lists CR 501 as a single highway with a length of 53.07 miles (85.41 km), which includes both road sections as well as the connection along NY 440.
Contents
Route description
Middlesex County
County Route 501 is signed east-west in Middlesex County. The western (southern) terminus of County Route 501 is at CR 529 in South Plainfield. From there, the route heads east to Metuchen, where it has a short concurrency with Route 27. It then continues east, crossing the Garden State Parkway between Exits 127 and 129 in Woodbridge, following concurrencies with Route 184 and Route 440 to the southern section's eastern terminus at the Outerbridge Crossing.
Hudson County (John F. Kennedy Boulevard)
The northern section of CR 501 starts at the Route 440/Bayonne Bridge junction in Bayonne, making its way north to Route 63 in North Bergen. The highway crosses Route 139 to the Holland Tunnel and Route 495 to the Lincoln Tunnel.
At its junction with Route 63 in North Bergen, CR 501 begins a concurrency with Route 63 into Bergen County, while John F. Kennedy Boulevard loops around the northern end and heads south to Guttenberg, West New York and Weehawken.
Major points on CR 501/Kennedy Boulevard include Marist High School, New Jersey City University, Saint Dominic Academy, Saint Peter's University, Journal Square, Union City High School, North Bergen High School, and four County parks: Stephen R. Gregg (Bayonne) Park and Mercer Park in Bayonne, Lincoln Park in Jersey City and James J. Braddock (North Hudson) Park in North Bergen.
Immediately northeast of Journal Square, CR 501/Kennedy Boulevard crosses over Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) railroad tracks on an open-spandrel concrete arch bridge completed in 1926. The bridge is a pared-down version of a more ambitious elevated plaza scheme proposed by consulting engineer Abraham Burton Cohen. Cohen's office constructed a model using slot cars to demonstrate traffic flow through the plaza.
Bergen County
In Bergen County, CR 501 leaves its concurrency with Route 63 in Palisades Park, using Central Boulevard to connect to the US 1/9/46 concurrency and Route 93. It is then concurrent with Route 93 until it reaches that route's northern terminus at Route 4 in Englewood. CR 501 continues north from this junction through Rockleigh, crossing the New York State Line and becoming New York State Route 340.
History
In 1808, the Perth Amboy Turnpike was legislated to run from Perth Amboy to Bound Brook. The company struggled to complete their road, having petitioned in 1820 to the state legislature to extend the time to complete the road. They were unsuccessful, as the road was only completed as far as Piscataway.
Prior to being renamed in honor of John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, the John F. Kennedy Boulevard was known as Hudson Boulevard. While there was discussion of building a county long road as early as the 1870s, parts of Hudson County Boulevard were officially opened in 1896. By 1913 it was completed, and considered to be fine for "motoring", and included the road's eastern section, Boulevard East, into which Kennedy Boulevard forks at 91st Street. (The fork that continues north merges with Bergen Boulevard.) Taken as a single road, the circuitous route of west and east sections of the entire boulevard runs from the southern tip of the county at Bergen Point to its northern border with Bergen County and south again to the Hoboken city line.
The Boulevard was named the fifth most dangerous road for pedestrians in New Jersey, and the most dangerous road in Hudson County for pedestrians in a February 2011 report by the non-profit Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The road was the location of six pedestrian fatalities between 2007 and 2009, which account for a little more than a fifth of Hudson County's 29 pedestrian deaths in the three-year period. In November 2017 county officials launched a safety campaign for Kennedy Boulevard's five most dangerous intersections, based on accident data:
- 25th Street in Bayonne
- Lexington Avenue in Jersey City
- 36th Street in Union City
- 51st Street in West New York
- 91st Street in North Bergen
County officials had expressed interest in building a pedestrian bridge that crosses Kennedy Boulevard at 32nd Street, at the Union City-North Bergen border since at least. The two cities contracted a company to build the bridge for just over $4 million in November 2010. Construction plans began in May 2011, and field work began later that August.
Major intersections
County | Location | Mile | Roads intersected | Notes | |
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Middlesex | South Plainfield | 0.00 | 0.00 | CR 529 (Stelton Road) | Western terminus of Middlesex County segment |
Edison | 2.03 | 3.27 | I-287 north | Exit 3 on I-287 | |
Metuchen | 3.36 | 5.41 | Route 27 north (Middlesex Avenue) – Rahway | Western terminus of concurrency with Route 27 | |
3.61 | 5.81 | Route 27 south (Lake Avenue) – Highland Park | Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 27 | ||
3.81 | 6.13 | CR 531 (Main Street) | |||
Edison | 4.68 | 7.53 | US 1 to N.J. Turnpike – Newark, New Brunswick | Interchange | |
5.70 | 9.17 | CR 514 (Woodbridge Avenue) to N.J. Turnpike | |||
6.23 | 10.03 | CR 616 east (New Brunswick Avenue) | Western terminus of CR 616 | ||
Woodbridge Township | 6.99 | 11.25 | Route 184 | Western terminus of Route 184 | |
7.10 | 11.43 | G.S. Parkway north | Exit 129 on Garden State Parkway | ||
7.33 | 11.80 | US 9 – Rahway, South Amboy | Interchange | ||
Perth Amboy | 7.74 | 12.46 | CR 655 (Florida Grove Road) | ||
8.22 | 13.23 | Route 184 east to Route 35 / Amboy Avenue (CR 653) | Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 184 | ||
Western terminus of freeway section | |||||
Route 440 south to US 9 south / G.S. Parkway south / N.J. Turnpike | Western terminus of concurrency with Route 440 | ||||
8.38 | 13.49 | Route 35 south | Westbound exit only | ||
8.65 | 13.92 | Amboy Avenue (CR 653) | Northbound exit is via Route 440 exit | ||
9.23 | 14.85 | State Street (CR 611) / High Street – Perth Amboy | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Arthur Kill | 9.45 | 15.21 | Outerbridge Crossing (toll plaza on Staten Island) | ||
10.12 | 16.29 | NY 440 north – Staten Island | Eastern terminus of Middlesex County segment; continuation into New York at the river's center | ||
Connection made via NY 440 (12.73 miles or 20.49 kilometres) | |||||
22.85 | NY 440 south – Staten Island | Southern terminus of Hudson/Bergen County segment; continuation from New York at river's center | |||
23.24 | 37.40 | Bayonne Bridge (toll plaza on Staten Island) | |||
Hudson | Bayonne | 23.71 | 38.16 | Avenue A | Southbound exit and entrance |
23.73 | 38.19 | Route 440 north to N.J. Turnpike – Jersey City | Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 440 | ||
Northern terminus of freeway section | |||||
27.12 | 43.65 | West 63rd Street to Route 440 | |||
Jersey City | 29.37 | 47.27 | Communipaw Avenue (CR 612) to N.J. Turnpike | ||
31.11 | 50.07 | US 1-9 (Tonnele Circle) | One-way ramp to Tonnele Circle | ||
31.15 | 50.13 | Route 139 east – Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel | Western terminus of the upper level of Route 139 | ||
North Bergen | 34.03 | 54.77 | Route 495 to N.J. Turnpike – Lincoln Tunnel | Interchange | |
Union City | 34.35– 34.39 |
55.28– 55.35 |
CR 505 north (37th / 38th Streets) | Southern terminus of CR 505 | |
North Bergen | 37.21 | 59.88 | Route 63 | Southern terminus of Route 63 | |
Bergen | Fort Lee | 39.13 | 62.97 | Route 5 – Ridgefield, Edgewater | Interchange via local roads |
Palisades Park | 39.62 | 63.76 | Route 63 north / Central Avenue east – George Washington Bridge | Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 63 | |
39.90 | 64.21 | US 1-9 / US 46 | Interchange via 5th and 6th Streets | ||
40.52 | 65.21 | Route 93 south (Grand Avenue) – Ridgefield, Fairview | Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 93 | ||
Englewood | 42.78 | 68.85 | Route 4 – New York, Paterson | Interchange | |
42.86 | 68.98 | Route 93 / CR 501 south (Van Nostrand Avenue) | Northern terminus of Route 93; one-way pair begins | ||
43.86 | 70.59 | CR 505 (Palisades Avenue) – Teaneck, Bergenfield | |||
45.05 | 72.50 | CR 501 south (Hudson Avenue) | Northern terminus of one-way pair | ||
Closter | 49.61 | 79.84 | Old Closter Dock Road (CR 502) to US 9W – Westwood, Alpine | ||
Rockleigh | 53.07 | 85.41 | NY 340 north – Sparkill | Northern terminus of Hudson/Bergen County segment; continuation into New York | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |