Editing New Jersey Route 20

{{Short description|State highway in Passaic County, New Jersey, US, known as McLean Boulevard}}
{{about|the current New Jersey Route 20|the Route 20 that existed before 1927|New Jersey Route 20 (pre-1927)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox road
|state=NJ
|type=NJ
|route=20
|alternate_name=McLean Boulevard
|maint=[[NJDOT]] and [[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic County]]
|length_mi=4.15
|length_ref=<ref name="sld">{{cite web|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/pdf/00000020__-.pdf|title=Route 20 straight line diagram|access-date=March 17, 2020}}</ref>
|map={{maplink-road}}
|map_custom=yes
|direction_a=South
|terminus_a={{jct|state=NJ|GSP2||US|46|NJ|21|CR|630|county4=Passaic}} in [[Clifton, New Jersey|Clifton]]
|junction={{plainlist|
*{{jct|state=NJ|I|80}} in [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]]
*{{jct|state=NJ|NJ|4}} / Broadway in Paterson
}}
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b={{jct|state=NJ|CR|504}} in Paterson
|established=1953
|counties=[[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic]]
|previous_type=NJ
|previous_route=19
|next_type=NJ
|next_route=21
}}

'''Route 20''', known locally as '''McLean Boulevard''', is a [[state highway]] that runs 4.15 miles (6.68&nbsp;km) in [[New Jersey]], [[United States]]. It runs along the east side of [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]], [[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic County]], following the west bank of the [[Passaic River]] between [[U.S. Route 46]] and River Street ([[County Route 504 (New Jersey)|County Route 504]]), at which point County Route 504 begins. It is a four- to six-lane [[divided highway]] for most of its length that runs through residential and commercial areas of Paterson, intersecting with [[Interstate 80 in New Jersey|Interstate 80]] and [[New Jersey Route 4|Route 4]] at interchanges. The northernmost part of the route is a county-maintained [[one-way pair]] that follows 1st and 2nd Avenues.

== Route description ==
[[File:2021-08-25 12 22 00 View north along New Jersey State Route 20 (McLean Boulevard) from the overpass for the ramps for Interstate 80 (Bergen-Passaic Expressway) in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|View north along Route 20 just north of I-80 in Paterson]]
Route 20 begins at an interchange with [[U.S. Route 46]] and County Route 630 (Crooks Avenue) just north of the [[Garden State Parkway]] on the border of Clifton and Paterson. The road follows the bend of the [[Passaic River]] directly north of [[Dundee Lake]], heading to the north into Paterson as McLean Boulevard, a four-lane [[controlled-access highway|freeway]].<ref name="sld"/> The route runs in between the Passaic River to the east and two large cemeteries to the west before coming to an interchange with [[Interstate 80 in New Jersey|Interstate 80]] and Market Street. Past Interstate 80, Route 20 becomes a six-lane [[arterial road]] that heads under [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway]]'s New Jersey Subdivision line and through a mix of residential and commercial areas.<ref name="sld"/><ref name=gm>{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=route+46+and+roosevelt+avenue+elmwood+park,+nj&daddr=first+avenue+and+river+street+paterson,+nj&geocode=&hl=en&mra=ls&rtol=1&sll=40.892802,-74.123769&sspn=0.007218,0.013733&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13 |title=overview of New Jersey Route 20 |access-date=2009-03-11}}</ref>

[[File:2018-07-24 16 10 44 View north along New Jersey State Route 20 (McLean Boulevard) at Fair Lawn Avenue in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|Route 20 northbound past Fair Lawn Avenue in Paterson]]
The next interchange along the route is for [[New Jersey Route 4|Route 4]] (Broadway), with access to both eastbound Route 4 and westbound Broadway from both directions.<ref name="sld"/> The road continues further north as a four-lane arterial road, heading through more urbanized areas of Paterson. It crosses County Route 651 (East 33rd Street/Morlot Avenue), which crosses the Passaic River to become County Route 78 (Morlot Avenue) in Bergen County.<ref name="sld"/><ref name=gm/>

Route 20 continues to follow the Passaic River as a {{convert|45|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} road through commercial areas, featuring an intersection with County Route 652 (5th Avenue). Past this intersection, the route proceeds through urban areas, turning west and splitting into a [[one-way pair]]. Here, the route becomes county maintained, with the northbound direction following 1st Avenue and the southbound direction following 2nd Avenue before continuing west as [[County Route 504 (New Jersey)|County Route 504]] (River Street).<ref name="sld"/><ref name=gm/>

==History==
[[File:2020-09-03 11 58 40 View south along New Jersey State Route 20 (McLean Boulevard) at the exit for Market Street (Paterson) in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|Route 20 southbound at the Market Street exit in Paterson]]
The present-day routing of Route 20 north of Market Street was legislated in 1927 as part of [[New Jersey Route 3|Route 3]], which was to run from the [[New York (state)|New York]] border at [[Greenwood Lake]] to [[Secaucus, New Jersey|Secaucus]].<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/20071031111034/http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|archive-date=2007-10-31}}</ref> In addition, the present day routing south of Route 4 was also legislated as part of that route, which was to run from the [[George Washington Bridge]] to [[Cape May, New Jersey|Cape May]].<ref name=nj1927/> In 1929, the western terminus of Route 3 was moved to Paterson as [[New Jersey Route S4B|Route S4B]] (now [[New Jersey Route 208|Route 208]]) was planned to replace the alignment of Route 3 from Paterson to the New York border.<ref name=nj1929>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1929, Chapter 126.</ref> McLean Boulevard through Paterson was built by the 1930s.<ref name=ruhc>{{cite map|publisher=[[Rutgers University]] Cartography Services|title=Map of Passaic County N.J.|year=1936|url=http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/PASSAIC_COUNTY/PassaicCo1936.gif|access-date=2009-03-28}}</ref> A new highway was to be built connecting the two, bypassing the Paterson Plank Road to the north. In the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], Route 20 was legislated to follow the former alignment of Route 3 between Paterson and [[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]] as Route 3 was moved to the [[New Jersey Route S3|Route S3]] freeway that was built between East Rutherford and Clifton.<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> By this point, the Paterson Plank Road was no longer in the state highway system.

Another [[freeway]] routing of Route 20 was planned in 1959.<ref name=nj1959>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1959, Chapter 4.</ref> This road, which was to be a six-lane freeway called the Paterson Peripheral, was to run from Clifton north to the existing Route 20 in downtown Paterson. This road was completed between the Garden State Parkway and Valley Road by 1969 and north to Interstate 80 in 1975.<ref name="sld 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000019__-.pdf |title=Route 19 Straight Line Diagram|work=Internet Archives WayBack Machine|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=2006|access-date=September 10, 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060317104624/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000019__-.pdf|archive-date = March 17, 2006}}</ref><ref name="chevron">{{cite map|publisher=[[Chevron Oil Company]]|title= Map of New Jersey |year=1969|cartography=[[H.M. Gousha]]}}</ref>  Upon completion, this road received the Route 20 designation.<ref name="sld 2006"/> In 1972, the state once again took over maintenance of the Paterson Plank Road from Route 3 to [[New Jersey Route 17|Route 17]] in East Rutherford and made it a part of the route.<ref name=nj1972>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1972, Chapter 209.</ref> As it became clear that these three sections of Route 20 would not be connected, especially after the designation of the [[Old Great Falls Historic District|Great Falls Historic District]], they received three different route designations by the 1990s. The freeway section of Route 20 from the Garden State Parkway to Interstate 80 was designated [[New Jersey Route 19|Route 19]], the section between Route 3 and Route 17 was designated [[New Jersey Route 120|Route 120]], and the Route 20 designation was retained along McLean Boulevard through Paterson.<ref name="statefarm">{{cite map|publisher=[[State Farm Insurance]]|title= State Farm Road Atlas |year=1983|cartography=[[Rand McNally]]}}</ref><ref name="rm">{{cite map|publisher=[[Rand McNally]]|title=United States-Canada-Mexico Road Atlas|year=1996}}</ref> The unfinished section of Route 20 that was to connect McLean Boulevard to Paterson Plank Road was built as a northern extension of the [[New Jersey Route 21|Route 21]] freeway in 2000.<ref name="route21">{{cite news|title=Route 21's Final Leg Is Opened Officially|last=Gohlke|first=Josh|date=December 27, 2000|publisher=The Bergen Record}}</ref><ref name="route21-2">{{cite news|title=Missing Link Is Finished After 28 Years|last=Page|first=Jeffrey|date=December 21, 2000|publisher=The Bergen Record}}</ref>

==Major intersections==
{{jcttop|state=NJ|county=Passaic|length_ref=<ref name=sld/>}}
{{NJint
|location=Clifton
|lspan=2
|mile=0.00
|road={{jct|state=NJ|US|46|dir1=west|NJ|21|dir2=south|road|Lexington Avenue|city1=Clifton|city2=Newark}}
|notes=Southern terminus; northern terminus of Route 21
}}
{{NJint
|type=incomplete
|mile=0.08
|road={{jct|state=NJ|GSP2||dir1=south|US|46|dir2=east|road|Crooks Avenue ([[County Route 630 (Passaic County, New Jersey)|CR 630]] west)}}
|notes=Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit 154 on G.S. Parkway
}}
{{NJint
|location=Paterson
|lspan=5
|mile=0.70
|road={{jct|state=NJ|I|80|city1=Delaware Water Gap|location2=[[New York City]]}}
|notes=Exit 60 on I-80
}}
{{NJint
|mile=0.81
|mspan=2
|road={{jctname|state=NJ|CR|56|county1=Bergen|noshield1=yes|name1=Market Street|city1=Elmwood Park|city2=Paterson}}
|notes=
}}
{{NJint
|mile=none
|place=Northern end of freeway section
}}
{{NJint
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.86
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|4|dir1=east|name1=Broadway|location1=[[New York City|New York]]|city2=Paterson}}
|notes=Interchange; no northbound entrance; western terminus of Route 4
}}
{{NJint
|mile=4.15
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|504|dir1=west|name1=River Street}}<!--are there any signs?-->
|notes=Continuation west
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete}}

==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}
*{{Portal-inline|New Jersey}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|New Jersey Route 20}}
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
*[http://www.njroads.org/ends/20/nj20.htm New Jersey Highway Ends: 20]
*[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/traffic_orders/speed/rt20.shtm Speed Limits for Route 20]

{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jersey Route 020}}
[[Category:State highways in New Jersey|020]]
[[Category:Transportation in Passaic County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Limited-access roads in New Jersey]]