Editing New Jersey Route 18 (section)

==History and future==

=== Designation and southern freeway construction ===
{{infobox road small
|state=NJ
|type=NJ 1926
|county=
|route=S28
|location= [[Middlesex, New Jersey|Middlesex]]&ndash;[[Matawan, New Jersey|Matawan]]
|length_mi=
|length_round=
|length_ref=
|formed=1927<ref name=1927law />
|deleted=1953<ref name="nj1953" />
}}
[[File:2021-07-30 11 18 33 View north along New Jersey State Route 18 from the overpass for Obre Road in Colts Neck Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|Route 18 northbound in Colts Neck Township]]
Route 18 partly follows the course of the Middlesex and Matawan Turnpike (commonly called the Old Bridge Turnpike), legislated in 1863 to run from the south branch of the Raritan River to Matawan. The alignment of Route 18 through Middlesex County from Middlesex to Highland Park was first designated in the 1927 designing of a new highway system as State Highway Route S-29, a prefixed spur of [[New Jersey Route 29]] ([[U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey|US&nbsp;22]]) through Middlesex County. The route followed Washington Avenue in Middlesex and the River Road in Piscataway until terminating at State Highway Route 27 near the [[Albany Street Bridge]] in Highland Park.<ref name="1926bill">
ROUTE NO. S-29. Following Washington Avenue in the borough of Middlesex and the River road in township of Piscataway and borough of Highland Park from Route No. 29 in the borough of Middlesex to Route No. 27 in borough of Highland Park.</ref> By the time of the [[1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], the route was re-designated as State Highway Route S-28. This route was a prefixed spur of State Highway Route 28 in Middlesex, following Raritan Avenue and River Road through Piscataway and Highland Park, joining State Highway Route 27 on a concurrency into New Brunswick, and onto George Street in New Brunswick southward. After New Brunswick, Route S-28 continued southward through East Brunswick, Old Bridge and Browntown before terminating at State Highway Route 4 (US 9) in Matawan.<ref name="1927law">ROUTE NO. S-28. Beginning at Route No. 28 in the borough of Middlesex, thence via Raritan Avenue and River Road to Route No. 27 Highland Park, thence via Route No. 27 to New Brunswick, thence via Westons Mills, Tanners Corner, Old Bridge and Browntown to Route No. 4 in Matawan. L. 1927, c. 319.</ref>

The route was originally designated as an east–west highway, whereas it is now signed north–south.<ref>[http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/nj/nj0100/nj0114/photos/107933pr.jpg A photo] taken in March 1960 ([http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/nj/nj0100/nj0114/photos/107933pu.tif larger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060725175728/http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/nj/nj0100/nj0114/photos/107933pu.tif#|date=July 25, 2006}} [[TIFF]]) from [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hh:@field(DOCID+@lit(NJ0114))]</ref> Although Route S-28 was used for the alignment for nearly three decades, [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering|the second state highway renumbering]] in 1953 eliminated the designation, and Route 18 was designated in place.<ref name="nj1953">{{citation|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|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[File:2020-09-14 17 36 55 View south along New Jersey State Route 18 at Exit 6 (New Jersey State Route 138, TO New Jersey State Route 34-Garden State Parkway-Interstate 195, Belmar, Point Pleasant) in Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey.jpg|right|thumb|Route 18's southern terminus at Route 138 in Wall Township]]
During the 1950s, as the [[New Jersey State Highway Department]] was drawing out plans for an extensive freeway system, freeways were proposed for Route 18 and nearby Route 35. Route 18's freeway was to begin in Eatontown and head westward to [[Old Bridge Township, New Jersey|e]] along the former alignment of State Highway Route 18 prior to the 1953 renumbering, while Route 35 was to be rerouted from its surface alignment and head northward from [[Seaside Heights, New Jersey|Seaside Heights]] to [[Long Branch, New Jersey|Long Branch]] on a new freeway. Both plans were endorsed by the Tri-State Transportation Committee in 1962, and the acquisition for the right-of-ways began almost immediately. The freeways combined were to cost $50 million (1962 USD) and be {{convert|30|mi|km}} in total.<ref name="1962rep">{{cite book|title=Regional Highways: Status Report|publisher=Tri-State Transportation Commission|year=1962}}</ref> Both freeways were designed to handle 30,000–50,000 vehicles daily.<ref name="1965plan">{{cite book|title=Location of State Route 18: Engineering Report|publisher=New Jersey State Highway Department|year=1965}}</ref>

The freeway was completed between Route 138 and Route 33 in 1967 and Route 33 and Deal Road in 1969. Following this, the Route 35 freeway was cancelled and it became the part of Route 18 south of Eatontown. In 1974, Route 18 was completed between just south of Normandy Road in [[Colts Neck Township, New Jersey|Colts Neck]] and US 9. A small portion of the freeway between Obre Road and Normandy Road in [[Colts Neck Township, New Jersey|Colts Neck]] was finished in 1977. Route 18 was built between Wayside Road and Obre Road in 1978. The final portion of the Route 18 between Deal Road and Wayside Road was finished in 1988.<ref name="sld 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000018__-.pdf |title=Route 18 Straight Line Diagram|work=Internet Archives WayBack Machine|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=2006|access-date=May 16, 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060322204547/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000018__-.pdf|archive-date = March 22, 2006}}</ref>

=== Freeway around New Brunswick ===
[[File:Route 18 east.jpg|left|thumb|Old 1960 photo of Route 18 sign on Route 27 through New Brunswick. Route 18 is no longer signed east–west]]
The proposals for a freeway bypassing [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]] began in 1962, when the New Jersey State Highway Department made plans to construct a new freeway from US 1 through [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]] to [[U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey|US 22]] in [[Bound Brook, New Jersey|Bound Brook]]. The price tag for construction was $44 million (about ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|44000000|1962}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) and was to head for {{convert|8.3|mi|km}}, accessing the [[Interstate 95 in New Jersey#Routing through Central New Jersey: Somerset Freeway|Somerset Freeway]], [[Interstate 287|I-287]] and [[New Jersey Route 28|Route 28]] before terminating at US 22.<ref name="1962rep" /> The extension to Bound Brook, however, was canceled in the 1970s because of tight funding.<ref name="history">{{cite web|author=Rutgers University|url=http://osd.rutgers.edu/gs/Route18.pdf|title=Route 18 Reconstruction Analysis|publisher=Rutgers University|access-date=December 11, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071031111034/http://osd.rutgers.edu/gs/Route18.pdf |archive-date = October 31, 2007|author-link=Rutgers University}}</ref>

Construction of a new four-lane bridge across the [[Raritan River]] (now the John A. Lynch Memorial Bridge) began in the 1960s, but in 1970, when the environment impact laws came out, construction froze with only three massive piers standing out of the river. Outside of the bridge, there was significant controversy over the abandoned [[Delaware and Raritan Canal]] heading through New Brunswick. The new freeway was to supplant the former canal and its thirteenth lock in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]], abandoned in 1932.<ref name="barth">{{cite book|last=Barth|first=Linda J.|title=Images of America: The Delaware and Raritan Canal|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|date=August 11, 2004|isbn=978-0-7385-1081-1}}</ref> The environmentalists and the historic preservationists opposed the freeway extension because of the fears of losing the canal, while companies like [[Johnson & Johnson]] supported the new highway for redeveloping New Brunswick.<ref name="1977canal">{{cite news|title=Old Raritan Canal Is Focus of a Classic Dispute|date=April 16, 1977|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
[[File:Route S-28 bridge on Route 18 NB.jpg|right|thumb|Route S-28 stamp on the side of Route 18 over [[Westons Mill Pond]]]]
In 1977, the newly formed [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] received a federal grant to construct the Route 18 from New Street in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]], across the Raritan and terminating at [[List of county routes in Middlesex County, New Jersey#622|CR&nbsp;514 Spur]] in [[Piscataway, New Jersey|Piscataway]].<ref name="news1977">{{cite news|title=Two Long-Disputed Projects To Begin|last=Waggoner|first=Walter H.|date=May 9, 1977|work=The New York Times}}</ref> This {{convert|2.3|mi|km|adj=on}} portion was completed in 1983 at a cost of $40 million (about ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|40000000|1983}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}), with a finished bridge and freeway through New Brunswick.<ref name="1984report">{{cite book|title=Route 18 Freeway Extension Project, Administrative Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Statement|publisher=Federal Highway Administration / New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=1984}}</ref>

In 2005, construction began on a revamped Route 18 freeway through New Brunswick. The rebuild includes local and express lanes from George Street ([[New Jersey Route 172|Route 172]]) to the interchange with Albany Street ([[New Jersey Route 27|Route 27]]). Conti Enterprises was hired for the project, which was announced complete in August 2009 at a ceremony by governor [[Jon Corzine]] and [[Stephen Dilts]], the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation.<ref name="news2009">{{cite news|url=http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/reconstruction-of-route-18-in-new-brunswick-completed|title=Reconstruction of Route 18 in New Brunswick completed|last=Hester Sr.|first=Tom|date=August 19, 2009|work=Newsroom Jersey|publisher=Newsroom Jersey|access-date=December 13, 2009|location=New Jersey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822145310/http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/reconstruction-of-route-18-in-new-brunswick-completed|archive-date=August 22, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the construction, the New Street interchange and bridge were demolished and replaced. The area of the Paulus Boulevard intersection was upgraded for accessibility, and a bus stop was installed, but the roadway southbound is still three lanes at the traffic light. In adjacent Elmer Boyd Park a new entranceway and amphitheatre were added.<ref name="Route18recon">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/roads/route18/|title=Route 18 Reconstruction Overview|year=2009|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|access-date=December 13, 2009|location=Ewing, New Jersey}}</ref>

=== Extension through Piscataway and to Brielle ===
====Piscataway====
{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | total_width = 400
 | image1 = NJ 18 end at Centennial Ave.jpg
 |width1=2141 |height1=1191
 | caption1 = End Route 18 signage along Centennial Avenue at Knightsbridge Road and the southbound I-287 on and off ramps
 | image2 = NJ 18 end at Possumtown Rd.jpg
 |width2=1878 |height2=1240
 | caption2 = End Route 18 signage along Possumtown Road at the northbound I-287 on and off ramps
 | footer = Two branches of Route 18 ending at I-287's exit 8
}}

In 2001, the New Jersey Department of Transportation approved construction of extending the Route 18 Freeway northward from River Road (CR&nbsp;622, former CR&nbsp;514 Spur) in [[Piscataway, New Jersey|Piscataway]] to a new arterial on the existing Hoes Lane in the Rutgers University campuses. Construction of this segment, designated as Section 2A, built a partial cloverleaf interchange to River Road (CR&nbsp;622), a trumpet interchange to Frelinghuysen Avenue (the access to Busch Campus) and a partial cloverleaf interchange to Metlars Lane ([[List of county routes in Middlesex County, New Jersey#609|CR&nbsp;609]]) and Davidson Road. The state acquired 12 homes along the existing Metlars Lane and {{convert|30|acre|m2}} of land from Rutgers to build the extension. The project cost the state $85 million (2004 USD).<ref name="18ext">{{cite news|title=Rutgers OK's Extension for Route 18|last=Greenblatt|first=Sarah|work=The Home News Tribune|publisher=Gannett Newspapers|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey}}</ref>

The [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] planned the extension to I-287 in Piscataway, by upgrading Hoes Lane's arterial boulevard and its 20 intersections to standards, eliminating and upgrading several traffic lights. On February 15, 2012, the New Jersey Department of Transportation broke ground on the project, which was completed in mid-2016. Following the completion of the project, Route 18 turns off Hoes Lane at Centennial Avenue, follows Centennial Avenue to Possumtown Road, and terminates at I-287 exit 8.<ref name="sld" /><ref name="18extmap">{{cite map|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt18_i287connect/pdf/route183Amap.pdf|title=Route 18 Extension: Section 3A Project Map|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|cartography=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=2009|access-date=December 13, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:2020-09-13 10 10 00 View north along New Jersey State Route 35 just south of the south end of New Jersey State Route 34 and the exit for New Jersey State Route 70 WEST (Lakehurst, Camden) in Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A six-lane divided highway approaching an intersection with a set of three green signs over the roadway. The left sign reads Route 70 west Lakehurst Camden keep left, the middle sign reads north Route 34 to Garden State Parkway Matawan, and the right sign reads Route 35 north Belmar next right.|[[New Jersey Route 35|Route 35]] northbound approaching the former [[Traffic circles in New Jersey|Brielle Circle]], which was to be the southern terminus of Route 18]]

====Brielle====
There has been scrutiny about the [[Unused Highway|stub end]] at Exit 6A for Route 138 that was to be a part of an extension of the freeway for its final five miles (8&nbsp;km) from Route 138 to the Brielle Circle. Some of the right-of-way that was acquired in the 1960s for the Route 35 freeway were transformed into a [[multi-use trail]] for bicycles and other vehicles to link the [[Wall Township, New Jersey|Wall Township]] Municipal Complex to the existing [[Edgar Felix Bikeway]] that runs from [[Manasquan, New Jersey|Manasquan]] to [[Allaire State Park]].<ref name="Trail">{{cite web|author=New Jersey Department of Transportation|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/press/2003releases/051603.htm|title=Lettiere presents $1 million to Wall Township for multi-use bike trail|access-date=December 15, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061206153131/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/press/2003releases/051603.htm |archive-date = December 6, 2006}}</ref> In 2001, the Brielle Circle was replaced with a new four-approach interchange between Route 35, [[New Jersey Route 34|Route 34]] and [[New Jersey Route 70|Route 70]], but the project included no hint of the Route 18 Extension.<ref name="crossings">{{cite news|title=3 crossings make N.J. hit list|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}</ref> NJDOT is in planning to create a Park & Ride at the southern terminus of the Route 18 freeway. It will be placed along the four lane right of way just south of [[New Jersey Route 138|Route 138]]. Residents are in opposition to this proposal for fear of loitering and vandalism that may accompany the parking lot.<ref>{{cite news|title=Park-and-ride proposal faces battle in Wall|publisher=Gannett Newspapers|work=[[Asbury Park Press]]|date=November 7, 2006}}</ref>

===New exit ramp in Old Bridge Township===
Construction was slated for the interchange with County Routes 516 and 527 in [[Old Bridge Township, New Jersey|Old Bridge]] as there is no way to access either of them without driving through a residential area off Route 18. The traffic flow along CR&nbsp;516 (Old Bridge into [[Matawan, New Jersey|Matawan]]) and 527 (Old Bridge into [[Englishtown, New Jersey|Englishtown]]/[[Manalapan Township, New Jersey|Manalapan]]) has increased significantly in the past ten years which called for the exit ramp off Route 18. The Old Bridge improvements include adding inside shoulders and widening County Routes 516 and 527. A signalized ramp is to be added for access to County Routes 516 and 527. Subsequently, CR&nbsp;516's intersection with Old Matawan Road is to be relocated. The project would cost over $28 million and was slated to begin in 2009 and to end in 2010. As of the end of 2009 the large project was put on hold because of the lack of funds and the economic situation. Demolition was completed in 2009 on Marlboro Road, taking down several residential houses and along Old Matawan Road and CR&nbsp;516 and taking down an old gas station in preparing for the project. There is no new date released by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in when construction will begin.<ref name="cr516/527">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/capital/tcp09/sec3/route/rt18.pdf|title=2009 Capital Improvement Programs|year=2008|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|pages=1|access-date=December 13, 2009|location=Ewing, New Jersey}}</ref> The CR&nbsp;516 bridge over Route 18 had since been replaced in 2016 with no interchange improvements.<ref name="cr516bridge">{{cite web |title=CR&nbsp;516(MATAWAN RD) over NJ 18 |url=http://bridgereports.com/1366255 |website=BridgeReports.com |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref>