Route 139 (New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
Route 139 is a state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, extending the Pulaski Skyway
Pulaski Skyway
The General Pulaski Skyway is a four-lane freeway composed of connected bridges in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, carrying the designation of U.S. Route 1/9 for most of its length. The landmark structure has a total length of with the longest bridge spanning...

 east to the Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...

. The western portion of the route is a two level highway that is charted by the New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...

 as two separate roadways: The 1.45 miles (2.3 km) lower roadway between U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 9 is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to the Canadian border near Champlain, New York...

 at the Tonnele Circle
Tonnele Circle
The Tonnele Circle is an intersection in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. It is named after Tonnele Avenue, the north-south road that runs through it. Entrances and exits are, listed clockwise from north:*Tonnele Avenue north...

 and Interstate 78
Interstate 78 in New Jersey
Interstate 78 is an east–west route stretching from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania to New York City. In New Jersey, I-78 is called the Phillipsburg–Newark Expressway and the Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike...

, and the 0.83 miles (1.3 km) upper roadway running from County Route 501
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections 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...

 (Kennedy Boulevard) to Interstate 78. The eastern 1.32 mi (2.1 km) of the route, the Holland Tunnel approach, runs concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with Interstate 78 on the one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....

 of 12th Street eastbound and 14th Street westbound. Including the concurrency, the total length of Route 139 is 2.77 mi (4.5 km).

What is now the upper level of Route 139 became an extension of pre-1927 Route 1 in 1922. U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 1 is a United States highway which parallels the East Coast of the United States, running from Key West, Florida in the south to Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border in the north. Of the entire length of the route, of it runs through New Jersey...

 was also designated along the road in 1926 and a year later Route 25 replaced pre-1927 Route 1. After U.S. Route 1 was rerouted to cross the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...

, the former routing to the Holland Tunnel along Route 25 became U.S. Route 1/9 Business. In 1953, Route 25 was removed from the road in favor of the business route. By the 1990s, U.S. Route 1/9 Business was replaced by Route 139. A new freeway for Route 139 called the Bergen Arches Expressway was proposed in 1989 to connect the Jersey City Waterfront with the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...

. This four-lane freeway, which was to follow an abandoned railroad line known as the Bergen Arches
Bergen Arches
Bergen Arches is an abandoned railroad right of way through Bergen Hill in Jersey City, New Jersey.-History:...

, was strongly supported by Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler
Bret Schundler
Bret D. Schundler is an American politician from New Jersey. He served in the Cabinet of Governor Chris Christie as New Jersey Commissioner of Education until he was dismissed on August 27, 2010....

 and received funding from the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century was enacted June 9, 1998, as Public Law 105-178. TEA-21 authorized the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003...

. However, the highway plan was dropped by 2002 after Schundler left office and his successors in the city government felt a mass transit proposal would work better. The 12th and 14th Street Viaducts connecting Route 139 and Interstate 78 are currently being reconstructed at a cost of $225 million; this project is expected to be complete in 2010.

Route description

Route 139 is essentially three distinct but connected highways: the upper level, the lower level, and the Holland Tunnel approach (the Interstate 78
Interstate 78 in New Jersey
Interstate 78 is an east–west route stretching from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania to New York City. In New Jersey, I-78 is called the Phillipsburg–Newark Expressway and the Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike...

 concurrency). NJDOT officially charts the lower and upper levels as independent highways, with the lower level considered Route 139 and the upper level considered Route 139U and a notation that the highway coincides with I-78.

Lower level

The lower level of Route 139 is a four-lane freeway under Jersey City that begins at U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 9 is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to the Canadian border near Champlain, New York...

 at the Tonnele Circle
Tonnele Circle
The Tonnele Circle is an intersection in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. It is named after Tonnele Avenue, the north-south road that runs through it. Entrances and exits are, listed clockwise from north:*Tonnele Avenue north...

. At the Tonnele Circle, the route has ramps to both directions of U.S. Route 1/9 as well as to U.S. Route 1/9 Truck, which connects to Route 7 and Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (New Jersey)
Interstate 280 is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It provides a spur from I-80 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, Morris County to Newark, and I-95 Interstate 280 (abbreviated I-280) is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It provides a spur from I-80 in...

. From here, it heads east through urban neighborhoods before passing under County Route 501
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections 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...

 (Kennedy Boulevard). Past this bridge, the road turns to the southeast and runs under the upper level of Route 139. Past Palisade Avenue, the lower level of Route 139 emerges from underground and, along with the upper level, merges into Interstate 78 at an interchange.

Upper level

The upper level of Route 139 (also known as State Highway and Hoboken Avenue) begins at an intersection with County Route 501 (Kennedy Boulevard), which connects to Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...

 and Union City
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...

. The road heads to the southeast through urban residential and commercial areas as a four-lane undivided road, coming to an intersection with Collard Street. Here, the route becomes a four-lane divided road that runs above the lower level of Route 139, heading between the Heights
The Heights, Jersey City
The Heights or Jersey City Heights is a district in the north end of Jersey City, New Jersey atop the New Jersey Palisades overlooking Hoboken to the east and Croxton in the Meadowlands to the west....

 district to the north and the Journal Square
Journal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...

 district to the south. It crosses several streets, including County Route 646 (St. Pauls Avenue), County Route 617 (Summit Avenue), County Route 663 (Central Avenue), and County Route 644 (Oakland Street). After intersecting a few more streets, the road meets Concord Street, where there is an eastbound left lane exit and a westbound intersection. After the intersection with Palisade Avenue and a westbound entrance from Hoboken Avenue, an upward road from Coles Street and 18th Street in Downtown Jersey City, the upper level of Route 139 merges with the lower level at an interchange with Interstate 78.

I-78 concurrency

The lower and upper levels of Route 139 merge at an interchange with Interstate 78, which has two viaducts along Route 139, the easbound 12th Street Viaduct and the westbound 14th Street Viaduct. From here, Route 139 continues east concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with that route and passes through business areas as a one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....

 that follows six-lane 12th Street eastbound and six-lane 14th Street westbound. This segment of the route is under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...

 and is also known as Boyle Plaza. The first intersection is with Jersey Avenue, which heads to Downtown Jersey City
Downtown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey that includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza...

 and Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...

. It intersects with the one-way northbound County Route 633 (Erie Street) next before crossing one-way southbound County Route 635 (Grove Street). After Grove Street, the road crosses County Route 637 (Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

 Boulevard) near the Newport Centre Mall
Newport Centre Mall
Newport Centre is a shopping mall in Jersey City, New Jersey that opened in 1987. It is a major component of the enormous Newport, Jersey City mixed-use community on the Hudson River waterfront across from lower Manhattan, New York...

. Past this intersection, the eastbound direction comes to the toll plaza for the Holland Tunnel. From here, the concurrency enters the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

, which carries two lanes in each direction. Route 139 ends at the New Jersey/New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 state line within the tunnel and Interstate 78 continues into New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

History

What is now the upper level of Route 139 was originally designated as the northernmost part of pre-1927 Route 1 in 1922, a route that was to run from Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

 to Jersey City. When the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926, this road was also designated as a part of U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 1 is a United States highway which parallels the East Coast of the United States, running from Key West, Florida in the south to Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border in the north. Of the entire length of the route, of it runs through New Jersey...

. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering
1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering
In 1927, New Jersey's state highways were renumbered. The old system, which had been defined in sequence by the legislature, was growing badly, as several routes shared the same number, and many unnumbered state highways had been defined...

 this portion of route became a part of Route 25, a route that was to run from the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

 to the Holland Tunnel. In 1928, the two-level portion of the road was constructed to provide a high-speed connection between the Holland Tunnel and Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

. After the opening of the George Washington Bridge, U.S. Route 1 was realigned to head north along U.S. Route 9 from the Tonnele Circle to the bridge, and the former U.S. Route 1 between the Tonnele Circle and the Holland Tunnel along Route 25 became U.S. Route 1/9 Business. At the Holland Tunnel, this route connected to New York State Route 1A
New York State Route 1A
New York State Route 1A was a state highway in New York City, running from the Holland Tunnel to U.S. Route 1 . It existed from 1934, when routes were first marked in New York City, until the 1960s.-History:...

 and New York State Route 9A
New York State Route 9A
New York State Route 9A is a state highway in the vicinity of New York City, New York, United States. Its southern terminus is at the northern end of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel in New York City, where it intersects with both Interstate 478 and FDR Drive. The northern terminus of...

. In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering
1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering
On January 1, 1953, the New Jersey Department of Transportation renumbered many of the State Routes. A few rules were followed in deciding what to renumber:...

, the Route 25 designation was dropped from the route in favor of U.S. Route 1/9 Business. By the 1990s, U.S. Route 1/9 Business was renumbered to Route 139.

A freeway for Route 139 called the Bergen Arches Expressway was proposed in 1989 by Governor Thomas Kean
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Kean is best known globally, however, for his 2002 appointment as Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the...

 to connect the Jersey City waterfront with a new railroad line providing access to the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...

. This proposed road, which was to be four lanes wide, was to follow an abandoned railroad line known as the Bergen Arches
Bergen Arches
Bergen Arches is an abandoned railroad right of way through Bergen Hill in Jersey City, New Jersey.-History:...

. This proposed highway was strongly supported by Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler
Bret Schundler
Bret D. Schundler is an American politician from New Jersey. He served in the Cabinet of Governor Chris Christie as New Jersey Commissioner of Education until he was dismissed on August 27, 2010....

, who felt that the road could bring development to urban areas as well as provide traffic relief to the current Route 139. In 1998, this project was allocated $26 million in the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century was enacted June 9, 1998, as Public Law 105-178. TEA-21 authorized the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003...

. In 2001, during the race for Mayor of Jersey City, the candidates lobbied for a transit line instead of a highway along the Bergen Arches. Plans for a highway along the Bergen Arches were dropped in 2002 as leaders of Jersey City, including Mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham, favored mass transit along the right-of-way instead.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...

 is undertaking a $225 million project on the 12th and 14th Street Viaducts, built in 1927 and 1950 respectively. The 12th Street Viaduct, which underwent a renovation in 1968, is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. The reason for this project is that the current viaducts are structurally obsolete. The steel beams on the viaducts had deteriorated and the concrete was just extra weight. The project includes replacement of the concrete deck, retrofitting for earthquakes, repair of the substructure and superstructure, and construction of a shoulder on westbound 14th Street. The new viaducts are to also feature ornamental designs to recall the historical significance of the two viaducts. This project is expected to be completed in 2010.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...

.

Lower level

{| class=wikitable
|-
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|0.00
|
|rowspan=2|Western terminus of lower level
|-
|
|-
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance, to Tonnele Circle
|-
|0.10
|
|Unsigned NJ 139 Upper Level to CR 501. Splits into two highways.
|-
|1.20
|
|West end of I-78 overlap
|-
|1.45
|
|Eastern terminus of lower level, NJ 139 continues east along I-78

Upper level

{| class=wikitable
|-
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|Western terminus of upper level
|-
|0.21
|
|
|-
|0.24
|
|
|-
|0.42
|
|
|-
|0.49
|
|
|-
|0.83
|
|Eastern terminus of upper level

I-78 concurrency

{| class=wikitable
|-
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|1.45
|
|Interchange, west end of I-78 overlap
|-
|1.70
|Jersey Avenue
|
|-
|1.79
|
|
|-
|1.88
|
|-
|1.97
|
|
|-
|2.04
|colspan=2 align="center"|Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...

 toll plaza
|-
|2.77
|colspan=2 align="center"|Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...

 under the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...



See also

  • Route 1A and Route 9A, which once continued US 1-9 Business back to its parents in New York City
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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