New Jersey Route 38
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Route 38 is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey serving the Philadelphia metro area. It extends Template:Convert from the Airport Circle junction with US 30 and US 130 in Pennsauken, Camden County, east to an intersection of US 206 and South Pemberton Road (CR 530) in Southampton, Burlington County. The entire route is closely parallel to CR 537 located to the north, being only one block away at places. The route is a multilane divided highway for most of its length and passes through commercial development, residential development, and some farmland.
Route 38 was signed in 1927, replacing part of Pre-1927 Route 18, which had run from Camden east to Toms River. Route 38 was originally planned to be a freeway crossing the state of New Jersey, running from Camden east to Wall Township, Monmouth County. The eastern part of this freeway would become part of I-195 in the late 1960s. The freeway routing was then modified to head north of I-195 to Route 18 in Colts Neck but was ultimately canceled by the late 1970s due to environmental and financial concerns. Route 138 was originally numbered as a segment of Route 38, but was renumbered by the 1990s when it became apparent the freeway would not be completed.
Route description
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Route 38 begins at the Airport Circle intersection of US 30, US 130, and Kaighns Avenue (CR 607) in Pennsauken, Camden County, heading east on Kaighns Avenue.<ref name="njsld" /> It comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with the western terminus of Route 70 that also connects to CR 601 (Marlton Pike) and CR 659 (Browning Road), which replaced the Browning Road Traffic Circle.<ref name="chevron">Template:Cite map</ref> A six–lane divided highway separated by a jersey barrier, it proceeds eastward, crossing into Cherry Hill, where it heads through commercial development.<ref name="njsld" /><ref name="google">Template:Google maps</ref> Route 38 features cloverleaf interchanges with Cuthbert Boulevard (CR 636) and Haddonfield Road (CR 644), passing under NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line between the two interchanges.<ref name="njsld" /> Past the interchange with Haddonfield Road (CR 644), Route 38 heads past the Cherry Hill Mall, located on the north side of the road.<ref name="google" /> It proceeds through the Church Road Circle, where it crosses the intersection of Church Road (CR 616) and Coles Avenue/Cooper Landing Road (CR 627).<ref name="njsld" />
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Route 38 crosses the South Branch of the Pennsauken Creek into Maple Shade, Burlington County. The route reaches a cloverleaf interchange with Route 41 before it has an interchange with Route 73 that also has access to Old Kings Highway.<ref name="njsld" /> The Route 38-41-73 interchange complex replaced a dangerous and congested 6-way traffic circle.<ref name="chevron" /> The route then crosses the intersection of Lenola Road (CR 608) into Moorestown, where it becomes unnamed. Route 38 travels by the Moorestown Mall located to the south before passing by the Strawbridge Lake Park located to the north, where it crosses the intersection of Church Street (CR 607) and then Mount Laurel Road (CR 603).<ref name="google" /> It enters Mount Laurel, where it intersects with Marter Avenue (CR 615) before meeting I-295 at a partial cloverleaf interchange and passing over the New Jersey Turnpike without access.<ref name="njsld" />
It then continues east, heading into more residential areas and passing south of Rowan College at Burlington County.<ref name="google" /> Route 38 intersects many roads with jughandles, including Hartford Road (CR 686), Ark Road (CR 635), and Masonville-Fostertown Road (CR 636) crossing into Hainesport, where it further intersects with Hainesport-Mount Laurel Road (CR 674), Creek Road (CR 636) without a traffic light, and Lumberton Avenue (CR 641).<ref name="njsld" /> The route then crosses the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek before entering Lumberton, where the road intersects with Mount Holly Bypass (CR 541).<ref name="njsld" /> Route 38 runs through the southern part of the Mount Holly area, intersecting with Madison Avenue/Main Street (CR 691), the former alignment of CR 541. It crosses into Mount Holly at the intersection of Pine Street/Eayrestown Road (CR 612).<ref name="njsld" /> Past this intersection, Route 38 eventually becomes an undivided highway and then reenters Lumberton.<ref name="njsld" /> The route then heads into farmland and crosses into Southampton at the intersection of Smithville Road (CR 684).<ref name="njsld" /><ref name="google" /> Route 38 ends at the intersection of US 206, where the road continues east on South Pemberton Road (CR 530).<ref name="njsld" />
History
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Prior to 1927, the route was a part of Pre-1927 Route 18, which was legislated in 1923 to run from 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 38 was legislated to run along the route from Route 25 (now U.S. Route 130) in Pennsauken east to Route 39 (now US 206) in Eastampton.<ref name=nj1927>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.</ref><ref name="Map">Template:Cite map</ref>
In 1938, Route 38 was legislated to extend from East Hampton to Route 4N (now Route 71) in Wall Township, Monmouth County.<ref name=nj1938>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 51.</ref> A section of this was built, running between Route 34 and Route 35 in Wall Township.<ref name="chevron" /> The Route 38 freeway was then planned in 1961 to connect these two sections of Route 38. It was to run from I-680 (now I-676) in Camden east to the planned Route 35 freeway (now Route 18) in Wall Township, providing a direct freeway connection between the Philadelphia metro area and the northern portions of the Jersey Shore. The route of the freeway was to run east from the Ben Franklin Bridge, paralleling US 30 and then Route 70. It would then have run parallel to the current alignment of Route 38 through the Mount Holly area and then travel along the northern border of the Fort Dix Military Reservation to Jackson, Ocean County, where it would then follow the present alignment of I-195 to Wall Township.<ref name=NJDOT1961>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=NJSHD1965>Template:Cite book</ref> In the late 1960s, the eastern part of the Route 38 freeway became part of the proposed I-195.<ref name=NJDOT1967>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=NJDOT1967ii>Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1969, it was estimated the Route 38 freeway between I-295 in Cherry Hill and I-195 in Jackson would cost $60 million and be completed by 1985.<ref name=dvrpc>Template:Cite book</ref> The route of the freeway was revised in 1972 to head north of I-195 to Route 18 in Colts Neck, intersecting with Route 33 in Freehold Township. The western terminus was also moved to Mount Laurel, where it was to connect to the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 90, which was projected to extend to the New Jersey Turnpike. It was estimated that this routing of the Route 38 freeway would cost $101 million.<ref name=NJDOT1972>Template:Cite book</ref> However, due to environmental concerns of the route passing through the Pine Barrens and financial troubles, the freeway was canceled by the end of the 1970s.<ref name=inq>Template:Cite news</ref> The orphaned eastern section of Route 38 in Monmouth County was renumbered to Route 138 on July 29, 1988.<ref name=July1988Ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major intersections
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