Editing New Jersey Route 53 (section)

==History==
{{infobox road small
|state=NJ
|type=NJ 1926
|county=
|route=5N
|location= [[Morris Plains, New Jersey|Morris Plains]]&ndash;[[Denville, New Jersey|Denville]]
|length_mi=
|length_round=
|length_ref=
|formed=1927
|deleted=1953
}}
What is now Route 53 was once part of a Lenape Trail running from Morristown to Denville.<ref>Snyder, John (1969). "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968"</ref> In 1916,  present-day Route 53 was designated as part of [[Pre-1927 Route 5 (New Jersey)|pre-1927 Route 5]], which ran from [[Delaware, Warren County, New Jersey|Delaware]] in [[Warren County, New Jersey|Warren County]] east to [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]].<ref name="1920r5">{{cite report|title=1916 Annual Report|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|date=1916}}</ref> In the [[1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], this route became [[New Jersey Route 6|Route 6]] (now U.S. Route 46) between Delaware and Denville, [[New Jersey Route 32 (pre-1953)|Route 32]] (now U.S. Route 202) between Morris Plains and [[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]], and [[New Jersey Route 24|Route 24]] (now [[New Jersey Route 124|Route 124]]) between Morristown and Newark. The portion of pre-1927 Route 5 between Morris Plains and Denville, however, was not replaced by a different route and became Route 5N to distinguish it from a newly created [[New Jersey Route 5|Route 5]].<ref name=nj1927>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.</ref> The northern terminus of Route 5N was at U.S. Route 46/Route 6 (Bloomfield Avenue) in Denville; when those routes were moved to a bypass, Route 5N's northern terminus remained at Bloomfield Avenue.<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=2009-03-28}}</ref> In the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], Route 5N was renumbered to Route 53.<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:Morris Plains electrical post.jpg|left|thumb|Route 178 right-of-way in Morris Plains behind the namesake [[Morris Plains (NJT station)|train station]]]]
In 1966, a [[freeway]] was planned for the Route 53 corridor, intended to reduce traffic congestion. The freeway was intended to run from a planned Route 24 freeway in Morris Plains and continue north, crossing Interstate 80 and [[New Jersey Route 23|Route 23]] before ending at a planned [[New Jersey Route 208|Route 208]] freeway near [[Greenwood Lake]] in [[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic County]] that would connect to the [[New York State Route 208]] freeway that was to continue north into [[Orange County, New York]].<ref name="1985trans">{{cite book|title=Transportation 1985: A Regional Plan|publisher=Tri-State Transportation Commission|year=1966}}</ref> In 1967, the northern terminus of the Route 53 freeway was cut back to Interstate 80. This freeway was designated Route 178 in 1969.<ref name="facts69">{{cite book|title=New Jersey Highway Facts|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=1969}}</ref> Right-of-way acquisition began for the freeway but was stopped in 1971 due to lack of funds. The freeway was officially cancelled in 1975 when NJDOT did not include it in the five-year highway program. Despite the cancellation of the proposed freeway, several large corporations in Morris County pushed for the freeway to be built as it would reduce commuter traffic on Route 53 and US 202 in the area.<ref name="nyt178">{{cite news|title=Companies Press for Rte. 178|date=May 4, 1975|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>