Editing New Jersey Route 56

{{Short description|State highway in southern New Jersey, US}}
{{about|the current New Jersey Route 56|the former Route 56 in Atlantic County|U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox road
|state=NJ
|type=NJ
|route=56
|alternate_name=Landis Avenue
|maint=[[NJDOT]] and [[Vineland, New Jersey|City of Vineland]]
|length_mi=9.19
|length_ref=<ref name=SLD>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/pdf/00000056__-.pdf|format=PDF|title=Route 56 straight line diagram|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=March 17, 2020}}
</ref>

|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|77}} in [[Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey|Upper Deerfield Township]]
|junction={{jct|state=NJ|CR|553}} in Upper Deerfield Township<br />{{jct|state=NJ|NJ|55}} in [[Vineland, New Jersey|Vineland]]
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|47}} in Vineland
|established=October 1983<ref name="nj56est" />
|map={{maplink-road}}
|map_custom=yes
|counties=[[Cumberland County, New Jersey|Cumberland]], [[Salem County, New Jersey|Salem]]
|previous_type=NJ
|previous_route=55
|next_type=NJ
|next_route=57
}}
'''Route 56''' is a [[state highway]] in the southern part of the U.S. state of [[New Jersey]]. Also known as '''Landis Avenue''', it runs {{convert|9.19|mi|km|2|abbr=on}} from an intersection with [[New Jersey Route 77|Route 77]] and County Route&nbsp;622 (CR&nbsp;622) in [[Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey|Upper Deerfield Township]], [[Cumberland County, New Jersey|Cumberland County]], to an intersection with [[New Jersey Route 47|Route 47]] (Delsea Drive) in [[Vineland, New Jersey|Vineland]], Cumberland County. The route serves as a connector between [[Bridgeton, New Jersey|Bridgeton]] and Vineland. West of the interchange with [[New Jersey Route 55|Route 55]] in Vineland, Route 56 is a two-lane undivided road that passes through rural areas of Cumberland County, also entering a corner of [[Salem County, New Jersey|Salem County]]. East of Route 55, the route is a four-lane locally maintained road that runs through commercial areas of Vineland.

The portion of current Route 56 in Vineland was built as a 100-foot (30 m) wide road when Vineland was planned in the 1860s, serving as the main east–west road through the community. In the past, the Route 56 number was used twice for a never-built road between the [[Laurelton Circle]] and [[Mantoloking, New Jersey|Mantoloking]] in [[Ocean County, New Jersey|Ocean County]] legislated in 1938 and for the portion of [[U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 30]] between current [[New Jersey Route 157|Route 157]] and [[Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City]] between 1938 and 1953. The current iteration of Route 56 was legislated in 1977 to run from Route 77 north of Bridgeton to Route 47 in Vineland, replacing County Route 22 between Route 77 and the Salem County border, County Route 6 within Salem County, and County Route 23 between the Salem County border and Route 47. This portion of road was designated as Route 56 in October&nbsp;1983. In 2007, two bridges along the route were replaced. The Rainbow Lake Bridge in [[Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey|Pittsgrove Township]] was rebuilt after it was washed out by the [[April 2007 Nor'easter]] while the [[Maurice River]] bridge was reconstructed to make it wider and higher.

==Route description==
[[File:2018-08-08 10 15 52 View west along New Jersey State Route 56 (Vineland-Bridgeton Pike-Landis Avenue) at Cumberland County Route 553 (Woodruff Road-Finley Road) in Upper Deerfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|View west along Route 56 at CR 553 in Upper Deerfield Township]]
Route 56 begins at [[New Jersey Route 77|Route 77]] and CR 622 in [[Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey|Upper Deerfield Township]], [[Cumberland County, New Jersey|Cumberland County]], a short distance north of [[Bridgeton, New Jersey|Bridgeton]].<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google">{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=from:+Landis%20Ave/RT-56%20@39.460230,%20-75.207798+to:+CR-622/W%20Landis%20Ave/RT-56%20@39.486973,%20-75.043096 |title=overview of New Jersey Route 56 |access-date=2008-02-08}}</ref> From this intersection, the route heads to the northeast as two-lane undivided Landis Avenue.<ref name=SLD/> Shortly after it begins, it passes businesses and intersects CR 611.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> From here, Route 56 turns to the east-northeast and passes a mix of residences and farm fields.<ref name="google"/> The route comes to a five-way junction with [[County Route 553 (New Jersey)|CR 553]] and CR 687 before intersecting County Route 645.<ref name=SLD/> The road heads into [[Deerfield Township, New Jersey|Deerfield Township]], coming to a junction with CR 686.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> Past this intersection, Route 56 continues toward the community of [[Rosenhayn, New Jersey|Rosenhayn]].<ref name="google"/> Here, the road intersects CR 737 before running past homes and crossing CR 634, where there are some businesses along the road.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> A short distance later, the route intersects CR 717, where it crosses into [[Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey|Pittsgrove Township]] in [[Salem County, New Jersey|Salem County]].<ref name=SLD/>

[[File:2018-08-08 11 45 25 View west along New Jersey State Route 56 (Vineland-Bridgeton Pike-Landis Avenue) at Cumberland County Route 634 (Morton Avenue) in Deerfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|Route 56 westbound past the CR 634 intersection in Deerfield Township]]
Route 56 heads through a mix of farms and woodland, passing to the south of Rainbow Lake.<ref name="google"/> Past the lake, the road turns to the east and continues into agricultural areas and intersects CR 655.<ref name=SLD/> Traveling eastward, the road crosses CR 638 and a [[Winchester and Western Railroad]] line. The route heads into forested areas, where it passes over the [[Maurice River]] into [[Vineland, New Jersey|Vineland]] in Cumberland County.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> Here, it widens into a four-lane [[divided highway]] and comes to a [[cloverleaf interchange]] with [[New Jersey Route 55|Route 55]]. Past this interchange, Route 56 becomes a four-lane undivided road that is locally maintained.<ref name=SLD/> The route heads through commercial sectors of Vineland before coming to a crossroads with CR 628. The route continues past more inhabited areas and businesses before reaching its end at [[New Jersey Route 47|Route 47]] (Delsea Drive).<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> From here, Landis Avenue continues to the east toward the downtown area of Vineland.<ref name="google"/>

==History==
The portion of Route 56 in Vineland was built as a {{convert|100|ft|m|-1|adj=on}} wide road when Vineland was planned in the 1860s, serving as the main east–west road through the community.<ref name=wjsjh>{{cite web|url=http://www.westjersey.org/vland.htm |title=The founding of Vineland and its growthas an agricultural center|publisher=West Jersey and South Jersey Heritage|access-date=2009-08-03}}</ref> In 1938, two separate roads numbered Route 56 were legislated. One was located in [[Ocean County, New Jersey|Ocean County]] and was to run from the [[Laurelton Circle]] east to [[Mantoloking, New Jersey|Mantoloking]]; this road was never built.<ref name=nj1938>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 177, Page 387, Section 1.</ref> The other was located in the [[Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City]] area along [[U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 30]] (Absecon Boulevard) east of current [[New Jersey Route 157|Route 157]]; the Route 56 designation on this road was dropped in the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering]].<ref name=nj1938ii>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 84, Page 203, Section 1.</ref>  What is modern-day Route 56 was originally designated as County Route 22 between Route 77 and the Salem County border, County Route 6 in Salem County, and County Route 23 between the Salem County border and Route 47.<ref>{{cite map|publisher=[[Cumberland County, New Jersey]]|title=Road Map County of Cumberland New Jersey|year=1954|url=http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/CUMBERLAND_COUNTY/CumberlandCo_1954.jpg|access-date=2009-08-03}}</ref><ref name=nj1977>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1977, Chapter 405, Section 1.</ref> In 1977, Route 56 was legislated onto its current alignment between Route 77 in Upper Deerfield Township and Route 47 in Vineland, replacing County Routes 6, 22, and 23.<ref name=nj1977/> The route was designated in October&nbsp;1983.<ref name="nj56est">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15755413/nj_56_october_5_1983/|title=Vineland&ndash;Bridgeton Pike to Become N.J. Route 56|last=Wagner|first=Dodie Murphy|access-date=December 13, 2017|date=October 5, 1983|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref>

Due to the [[April 2007 Nor'easter]], the Rainbow Lake Bridge in Pittsgrove Township was washed out and the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] had to replace it with a new bridge. This closure led to detours for traffic traveling between Vineland and Bridgeton.<ref name=njdot>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/newsletter/2007/aug/route56.shtm|title=Route 56 Rainbow Lake Dam repairs are underway|date=August 2007|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=2009-08-03}}</ref> The new Rainbow Lake Bridge was opened in November 2007.<ref name=sjno>{{cite web|access-date=2009-08-03|title=NJDOT to open new Route 56 Bridge over Rainbow Lake |publisher=South Jersey News Online |date=November 1, 2007 |url=http://www.nj.com/south/index.ssf/2007/11/njdot_to_open_new_route_56_bri.html }}</ref> The bridge spanning the Maurice River, which connects Vineland and Pittsgrove Township, was closed in July 2007 for planned repairs. This bridge replacement, which was completed in December 2007, cost $5 million and provided a wider and higher crossing of the river.<ref name=njdot2>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2007/121807.shtm|title=NJDOT replaces Route 56 Maurice River Bridge in Pittsgrove|date=December 18, 2007|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=2009-08-03}}</ref>

==Major intersections==
{{Jcttop|length_ref=<ref name=SLD/>}}
{{NJint
|county=Cumberland
|cspan=2
|mile=0.00
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|77|city1=Bridgeton|city2=Mullica Hill}}
|location=Upper Deerfield Township
|lspan=2
|notes=Western terminus
}}
{{NJint
|mile=1.25
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|553|name1=Finley Road/South Woodruff Road|city1=Centerton|countydab1=Salem|city2=Port Norris}}
|notes=
}}
{{jctco|state=NJ|county=Salem}}
{{NJint
|mile=7.69
|county=Cumberland
|cspan=2
|location=Vineland
|lspan=2
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|55}}
|notes=Route 55 exit 32
}}
{{NJint
|mile=9.19
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|47|name1=Delsea Drive}}
|notes=Eastern terminus
}}
{{jctbtm}}

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

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|New Jersey Route 56}}
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
*[http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/nj_56/ New Jersey Roads: Route 56]
*[http://www.njroads.org/ends/56/nj56.htm New Jersey Highway Ends: 56]
*[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/traffic_orders/speed/rt56.shtm Speed Limits for Route 56]

{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jersey Route 056}}
[[Category:Transportation in Salem County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:State highways in New Jersey|056]]
[[Category:Transportation in Cumberland County, New Jersey]]