Editing New Jersey Route 37 (section)

==History==
[[File:2020-09-13 09 16 45 View west along New Jersey State Route 37 at the exit for U.S. Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway SOUTH (Atlantic City) in Toms River Township, Ocean County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|View west along Route 37 at the Garden State Parkway and US 9 in Toms River Township]]
The road from Toms River to Seaside Heights was part of the Jersey Coast Way, which stretched from Cape May to the Staten Island Ferry.<ref>Rand McNally and Co. "Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, South East Michigan, Southern Ontario, Western New York: District No. 4". ''Rand McNally Official Auto Trails Map'', 3rd ed., 1924, pp. 168-169. ''David Rumsey Historical Map Collection'', David Rumsey (curator), Cartography Associates, Accessed Nov 4, 2019, www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~201570~3000600:Auto-Trails-Map--Pennsylvania,-New-.</ref> Prior to 1927, the route between present-day [[New Jersey Route 70|Route 70]] in [[Lakehurst, New Jersey|Lakehurst]] and present-day [[County Route 527 (New Jersey)|CR 527]] in [[Toms River, New Jersey|Toms River]] was a part of [[Pre-1927 Route 18 (New Jersey)|Pre-1927 Route 18]], which was legislated in 1923 to run from [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]] to Toms River.<ref name="1920r18">State of New Jersey, Laws of 1923, Chapter 184.</ref> In the [[1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], Route 37 was legislated to run from [[New Jersey Route 27|Route 27]] and [[New Jersey Route 30|Route 30]] (now [[U.S. Route 1 Business (Trenton, New Jersey)|Business US 1]], [[U.S. Route 206|US 206]], and [[New Jersey Route 31|Route 31]]) in [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]] to [[New Jersey Route 35|Route 35]] (now [[New Jersey Route 88|Route 88]]) in [[Point Pleasant, New Jersey|Point Pleasant]], passing through [[White Horse, New Jersey|White Horse]], [[Allentown, New Jersey|Allentown]], Lakehurst, Toms River, and [[Seaside Heights, New Jersey|Seaside Heights]].<ref name=nj1927>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.</ref><ref name="Map">{{cite map|url=http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|title=1927 New Jersey Road Map|publisher=State of New Jersey|access-date=2008-10-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313112746/http://jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|archive-date=2016-03-13}}</ref> The portion between Trenton and White Horse replaced part of [[Pre-1927 Route 2 (New Jersey)|Pre-1927 Route 2]], while the portion between Lakehurst and Toms River replaced part of Pre-1927 Route 18.<ref name="1920r18 " /><ref name="Map2">{{cite map |url=http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/maps/1922rm1.jpg|title=Official Auto Trail Map - District 7|publisher=[[Rand McNally]]|year=1922|access-date=2008-10-20}}</ref>

[[File:CR 539 NJ 37 bridge closeup 1.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Bridge stamp for former alignment of Route 37 along CR 539 in Monmouth County]]
Following the 1927 renumbering, Route 37 existed in multiple separate sections: one running from the Trenton–[[Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey|Hamilton]] line to the [[White Horse, New Jersey#White Horse Circle|White Horse Circle]] ([[Concurrency (road)|concurrently]] with US&nbsp;206), the crossing of Gropp Lake in Hamilton (currently a state-maintained section of [[County Route 524 (New Jersey)|CR&nbsp;524]]), a {{convert|1/2|mi|km|adj=on}} segment between Hamilton and [[Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey|Upper Freehold]] west of [[Allentown, New Jersey|Allentown]] (also current CR&nbsp;524), a section of current [[County Route 539 (New Jersey)|CR&nbsp;539]] between Burlington Path Road in Upper Freehold and Hornerstown Road in [[Plumsted Township, New Jersey|Plumsted Township]], and one running from [[New Jersey Route 40|Route 40]] (now [[New Jersey Route 70|Route 70]]) in Lakehurst to Point Pleasant.<ref name=1939MerCo>{{cite map |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/23853286 |sheet=2 |title=General Highway Map - Mercer County, New Jersey |publisher=New Jersey State Highway Department |year=1939 |access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref><ref name=1939MonCo>{{cite map |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/23853353 |sheet=3 |title=General Highway Map - Monmouth County, New Jersey |publisher=New Jersey State Highway Department |year=1939 |access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref><ref name=1939OcCo>{{cite map |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/23853409 |sheets=6-9 |title=General Highway Map - Ocean County, New Jersey |publisher=New Jersey State Highway Department |year=1939 |access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref>  The remainder of the route between White Horse and Lakehurst remained incomplete.<ref name="mwm">{{cite map|publisher=Mid-West Map Co.|title= Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey |year=1941|cartography=[[H.M. Gousha]]|url=http://www.mapsofpa.com/roadcart/1941_1467m.jpg|access-date=2009-03-29}}</ref> In the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], Route 37 was legislated to run along its current alignment from Route 70 in Lakehurst to Route 35 in Seaside Heights. The number was dropped between Trenton and White Horse in favor of US&nbsp;206, while the section between Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant became a realignment of Route 35.<ref name="nj1953">{{Cite journal|title=1953 renumbering|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering|publisher=New Jersey Department of Highways|access-date=July 31, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183145/http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering|archive-date=June 28, 2011}}</ref>

[[File:2021-09-21 13 45 08 View west along New Jersey State Route 37 from the overpass for U.S. Route 9 and New Jersey State Route 444 (Garden State Parkway in Toms River Township, Ocean County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|View westbound along Route 37 from the Garden State Parkway and US 9 in Toms River]]
Route 37 was proposed in the late 1960s as a [[freeway]] that was to run from [[New Jersey Route 29|Route 29]] in the [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]] area to [[Seaside Heights, New Jersey|Seaside Heights]]. It was suggested that this freeway be completed by 1975 in order to handle a rapid growth of population in Central New Jersey.<ref name=NJSHD1965>{{cite book|title=Plans for a Central Jersey Expressway System|publisher=New Jersey State Highway Department|year=1965}}</ref> In 1967, this proposal was altered to build a road that compromised with the proposed [[New Jersey Route 38|Route 38]] freeway between [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]] and [[Wall Township, New Jersey|Wall Township]]. It soon received federal funding and was built as [[Interstate 195 (New Jersey)|I-195]], running from Trenton to Wall Township.<ref name=NJDOT1967>{{cite book|title=Route 37 Freeway Relocation Study|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=1967}}</ref><ref name=NJDOT1967ii>{{cite book|title=New Jersey Highway Facts|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=1967}}</ref>

The portion of Route 37 within [[Toms River, New Jersey|Toms River]] was officially named Little League World Champions Boulevard in 1998 following [[1998 Little League World Series Champions|Toms River East Little League's]] victory in the [[1998 Little League World Series]].<ref name=nyt2>{{cite news |last=Sucato|first=Kirsty|access-date=2008-10-20|title=GOVERNMENT; Trenton Takes On Impact Fees, Licenses and Little League|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 20, 1998 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9E07E2D91630F933A1575AC0A96E958260}}</ref><ref name=ocl>{{cite web|url=http://theoceancountylibrary.org/Branches/TR/trcomprofile.htm|title=Dover Township Community Profile|publisher=[[Ocean County Library]]|access-date=2008-10-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828120355/http://theoceancountylibrary.org/Branches/TR/trcomprofile.htm|archive-date=2008-08-28}}</ref>