County routes in New Jersey

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A standard pentagonal county route shield

In the U.S. state of New Jersey, county routes exist in all 21 counties, and fall into two categories. 500-series county routes, also called state secondary routes, are county highways numbered in a statewide system with three-digit numbers that begin with 5. These roads form a second network of routes that complements the State Routes. The second category, often called 600-series county routes although two counties do not use numbers in the 600s, are assigned numbers independently in each county. These route numbers are unique to each county, and are typically assigned to more local routes than the statewide 500-series county route system. In the counties that use 600-series numbers, the selection of this range was coordinated within the state^{[citation needed]}, gradually replacing older systems of mainly one- and two-digit routes.^[1]

With rare exceptions, the 500 series follows the rule of cardinal direction used for Interstate Highways and U.S. Routes: even-numbered roads run east and west, while odd-numbered roads run north and south. East-west routes tend to be numbered with the lowest numbers in the northern part of the state and the highest numbers in the southern part of the state, also like the Interstate Highways and U.S. Routes. In northern New Jersey, north-south routes range from CR 501 in the east to CR 521 in the west, although numbering in the southern part of the state tends to be more haphazard.

County route numbers have not wholly replaced the preexisting names of the local roads to which they were assigned. Street signs at major intersections will denote both the local road name and the county route number if it has one. Residents who live along county routes rarely, if ever, give their address as "123 County Route 5xx" even if the route number has been long established.

[edit] History of the 500-series

The precursor to the 500 series was a group of three roads in Bergen County which received the numbers 200, 201, and 203 in the late 1930s. 200 ran from Oakland to Alpine; 201 ran from Ridgewood to Alpine; and 203 ran from Weehawken to Alpine. U.S. Route 202 runs through Bergen County, thus the planners skipped this number.

In February 1942, a group of civil defense routes was assigned with numbers in the 500s. These roads were designed as through routes for civilian use in case the state highway system was needed by the military during World War II operations.

The current series of roads in the 500s was established by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in 1952. Some of the roads have spurs or alternate routes established; these survive today even though such designations were eliminated from the primary state system in the 1953 New Jersey State Highway renumbering.

[edit] Other county routes

An example of a route beginning with 7 in Camden County, marked with an older square shield design

A sign for Middlesex County's pre-600-series numbering

Most counties in New Jersey follow the 500-series county routes with their own county routes numbered in the 600s. Unlike the 500-series numbers, these are assigned independently within each county. Only two counties – Bergen County^[2] and Monmouth County^[3] – have not adopted 600-series numbers. Ocean County^[4] also has a number of minor one- and two-digit routes in addition to their 600-series routes. While the majority of New Jersey's counties put signs on their 600 (or secondary) routes, Hudson County apparently doesn't sign any of them, and Ocean County has chosen to sporadically sign them^{[citation needed]}. The only 600 signage to appear in Ocean County has been put up as a result of recent construction projects, which can cause confusion for those not familiar with the area.^{[citation needed]}

In some of the more populous counties, the 600-series numbers can break into the 700s and even 800s. Atlantic,^[5] Camden,^[6] Cumberland,^[7] Hudson,^[8] Hunterdon,^[9] Gloucester,^[10] and Passaic Counties^[11] continue past the 600-series into routes beginning with 7, and Middlesex County^[12] includes one route in the 800s, even though it has only three beginning with 7.

As every piece of New Jersey is part of an incorporated municipality, every road not designated a county or state route is locally maintained.

[edit] See also

• State highways in New Jersey

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• NJDOT 500-Series Straight Line Diagrams (NJDOT) (Straight line diagram)
• New Jersey 5xx Routes (Dan Moraseski)