The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a 172.4-mile (277-km) limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York state line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at the southern tip of the state. Its name refers to the state nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer to it as simply the Parkway. The Parkway's official (unsigned) designation is State Route 444. The highway connects to a short segment of the New York State Thruway known as the Parkway Extension, which is officially designated (but unsigned) as New York State Reference Route 982L. That 2.4 mile segment connects to the Thruway mainline. The Parkway has been ranked as the busiest toll highway in the country based on number of toll transactions.

Route description

The Garden State Parkway begins in Lower Township at a traffic light with Route 109. For the first three and a half miles, the Parkway crosses over streams. At , the Parkway crosses over Taylor Creek and enters Middle Township. Exit 4 is for Route 47 to Wildwood. At , Parkway Exit 6, which is for Route 147 and Wildwood, leaves to the right. The first traffic light exit, Exit 9, is for Shellbay Avenue. The second traffic light intersection, Exit 10, is for County Route 657, also known as Stone Harbor Blvd, at Cape Regional Medical Center, the county's only hospital. Exit 11 is for U.S. Route 9 at the Cape May County Park & Zoo. In May of 2009, guardrails were installed in between the northbound and southbound lanes between mile markers 7 and 11.5. This was due to the numerous fatal accidents that occurred in the past year where a driver lost on control of the car (or in more extreme circumstances, a drunk driver), and inadvertently ending up facing head on traffic. Exit 13 is for Avalon Boulevard. At , the Parkway enters Dennis Township after crossing Uncle Aaron's Creek. At , Exit 17 leaves to the right for County Route 625. At milepost 19.38, the Parkway enters its first toll, the Cape May Toll Plaza. A little more than in, Exit 20 leaves for Route 50. In Upper Township, Exit 25 leaves for County Route 623. At , the Parkway enters Atlantic County.

Just before Exit 29(NORTH BOUND ONLY) for U.S. Route 9, the Parkway enters the Great Egg Toll Plaza. Exit 30 (SOUTH BOUND ONLY) leaves to the right at milepost 30 for Laurel Road in Somers Point which leads to Ocean City via a circle and, past that, the Route 52 causeway. Now in Egg Harbor Township, Exit 36 opens onto local roads. Exit 37 is the Parkway's interchange with the Black Horse Pike (US 40/322). Exit 38 is for the Atlantic City Expressway. Now entering Galloway Township, U.S. Route 30 interchanges with the Parkway at Exit 40. Exit 44 is next, leading to County Route 561 Alternate. Just after Exit 48 for U.S. Route 9 near the Mullica River and Bass River State Forest, the Parkway enters Burlington County. Exit 50 is for Route 9 as well, while Exit 52 is for Burlington County Route 654.

in Ocean County, Exit 58 is for County Route 539, Exit 63 is for Route 72, and Exit 67 is for County Route 554. Exit 69 leaves to the right in both directions at milepost 70.45. Exit 74 leaves to the right, which heads to Forked River. Exit 77 is for Bayville. Exits 80 and 81 are for county roads and U.S. Route 9. Route 9 then merges in for a few miles.

Between Exits 80 and 83, the Parkway has a concurrency with U.S. Route 9 just south of the Toms River Toll Plaza. It was from here that the Driscoll Expressway was to start (south of Exit 83) and run to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Route 37 interchanges with the Parkway at exits 82 and 82A in Toms River. At Exit 83, U.S. Route 9 leaves the Parkway and heads north. Exit 88 comes at for Route 70. In Brick Township, Exit 90 (northbound) and Exit 91 (southbound), leave for County Route 549. Exit 98 leads to Interstate 195, Route 34 and Route 138. Exit 100 leaves southbound for Route 33. Route 66 also exits northbound. Exit 102, a southbound only exit leaves for Neptune Township. this point the road is in Monmouth County. Exit 105 for Route 18 and Route 36 leading to Long Branch is the point at which all trucks are forced to leave the Parkway. The Parkway has become local and express lanes are now provided. The express lanes have no direct access to any exits, except for Exit 105 in Tinton Falls (southbound only) and Exit 117 in Hazlet. Exits 109 and 114 are for Middletown and Holmdel. The next exit, Exit 116, is for the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. Exit 117 is for Routes 35 and 36. Exit 117A (southbound only) is for Lloyd Road in Aberdeen. Exit 120 is for Laurence Harbor Road and Cheesequake State Park.

At this point, you have entered Middlesex County and are in Old Bridge Township. Southbound Exits 123 and 124 leave to the right, but only on the local lanes. The express and local lanes merge and become one highway again shortly after. Northbound Exit 125 makes a sudden exit for Route 35. Afterwards, you cross the Driscoll Bridge over the Raritan River. After the bridge, Exit 127 leaves for Routes 9, 440 and Interstate 287. At milepost 129.5, the New Jersey Turnpike leaves to the right at Exit 129. Southbound Exits 127 and 129 are merged into one exit, which is marked as Exit 129. A southbound only exit, Exit 130 is for U.S. Route 1. The next three exits are marked 131, 131A and 131B. The lettered ones are for Metropark, while Exit 131 is for Route 27.

Exit 135 is for Clark Township in Union County. Exits 136 and 137 are for Cranford Township and Route 28. Exit 138 is in Kenilworth for County Route 509. Exits 139A and 139B are northbound exits only for a local road (Chestnut Street) and U.S. Route 22. Exit 140 and 140A are for U.S. Route 22 and NJ Route 82. Exit 141 is for Vauxhall Road and Exit 142 is for Interstate 78. The 143s are for Lyons Avenue, Exit 144 is for Irvington and 145 is for Interstate 280. Exit 147 is for Renshaw Avenue in East Orange, and Exit 148 is for Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield. Exits 149, 150, and 151 are for Essex County roads. Exits 153A and 153B are for Route 3 and U.S. Route 46 in Passaic County.

Saddle Brook to NY State Line

As the Parkway leaves Clifton, it heads into Elmwood Park by crossing the Passaic River. Exit 156, which comes before the river, is for U.S. Route 46 and New Jersey Route 20. There is also access to New Jersey Route 21 just south of the interchange. Cedar Lawn Cemetery is also located northbound along 20 from Exit 156. As the Parkway continues to the northeast, it interchanges with Route 46 again in Garfield. Riverside Cemetery is accessible off Exit 157 by going east along 46. At Exit 159, the Parkway interchanges with Interstate 80 in Saddle Brook. Going southbound, there is also access to Bergen County Route 67 (Midland Avenue). The Bergen Toll Plaza is next, before crossing over Saddle River County Park.

Exit 160 comes next, as the Parkway enters Paramus and interchanges with West Passaic Street, which heads to New Jersey Route 208. Not far afterwards, at Exit 161 is New Jersey Route 4. Westfield Garden State Plaza is visible from the Parkway and is off Exit 161. Exit 163 is for New Jersey Route 17 in Paramus, which heads north to Ridgewood, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Ramsey and Mahwah before entering Rockland County, New York (on the southbound side of the Parkway, the exit is for New Jersey Route 17 south toward the Meadowlands area and Hudson County). The Parkway goes between Paramus Park Mall and Bergen Regional Medical Center as it heads north. Just after, Exit 165 intersects for Bergen County Route 80 (Oradell Avenue and East Ridgewood Avenue) in Paramus. The Parkway turns to the northwest and heads into the Pascack Valley Toll Plaza going northbound. There is a plaza southbound along the Parkway as well as Exit 166 for Bergen County Route 110 (Linwood Avenue).

As the Parkway inches closer and closer to New York, Exit 168 comes along, interchanging for County Route 502, which heads towards Ho-Ho-Kus and Alpine. later, at Exit 171, the Parkway interchanges with Glen Road, which terminates soon after at Chestnut Ridge Road (CR 73). The Parkway's Montvale Service Area comes at milepost 171 after Exit 172 which is for Bergen County Route 94. There is also access to CR 94 from the Montvale Service Area's service road. At , the Parkway crosses the New York state line and enters Rockland County.

Parkway Extension

The Parkway becomes the Parkway Extension and gains the designation of New York State Reference Route 982L. The road heads to the northeast and interchanges with Schoolhouse Road (Rockland CR 41) at . As the Parkway Extension continues northeastward, it interchanges for Rockland CR 35 in Nanuet and comes to an end at a jughandle for the New York State Thruway northbound at Exit 14A, with exit from the northbound Extension also possible onto New York State Highway 59.

Spur routes

Two short spurs are given numbers by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Route 444R is the connector at Exit 117 (in Hazlet) to Route 35 at the north end of Route 36 in Keyport. Route 444S is the connector at Exit 105 to the south end of Route 36 at Hope Road (CR 51) near Eatontown.

History

The Parkway was originally designated as the Route 4 Parkway when it was started in 1947 in Union County, but, due to lack of funds, only were completed by 1950. The solution was for the state to establish the New Jersey Highway Authority in 1952 to oversee construction and operation as a self-liquidating toll road. Much of the original section, between exits 129 and 140, was long administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and has always been untolled. The segment can be distinguished by the stone facing on the overpasses.

The Parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban northern New Jersey with resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north-south routes running through each town center, such as U.S. 1, U.S. 9, and Route 35. Unofficially, it has two sections: the "metropolitan section" north of the Raritan River and the "shore section" between the Raritan River and Cape May. Only had been constructed by 1950, but taking a cue from the successful New York State Thruway, on April 14, 1952, the New Jersey Legislature created the New Jersey Highway Authority, empowered to construct, operate, and maintain a self-sufficient toll parkway from Paramus to Cape May.

The landscape architect and engineer in charge of the newly-named "Garden State Parkway" was Gilmore David Clarke, of the architectural firm of Parsons, Brinkerhof, Hall and MacDonald, who had worked with Robert Moses on the parkway systems around New York City. Clarke's design prototypes for the Parkway combined the example of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a model of efficiency with parallels in the German Autobahn routes of the 1930s, with the Merritt Parkway model that stressed a planted "green belt" for beauty. Both design models featured wide planted medians to prevent head-on collisions and mask the glare of on-coming headlights. The Parkway, especially the "shore section", was designed to have a natural feel. Many trees were planted, and the only signs were those for exits—there were no distracting billboards. Most of the signs were constructed from wood, or a dark-brown metal, instead of the chrome bars used in the "metropolitan section". The guardrails were also made from wood and dark metal. Most early overpasses were stone, but then changed to concrete, with green rails and retro etchings, popular around the 50s and 60s. These are now in decay and being replaced by sleek, new bridges.

The Parkway was designed to gently curve throughout its length, so that drivers would remain alert and not fall asleep at the wheel.

Most of the metropolitan section is like any expressway built in the 1950s through heavily populated areas. The shore section parallels U.S. Route 9 and runs through unspoiled wilderness in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. In Cape May County, the Parkway has three traffic lights (at exits 8, 10, and 11 respectively), but these will be eliminated in the future, with construction of an overpass at Exit 10 in Cape May Court House and Stone Harbor scheduled to begin in 2009.

The Parkway had an old alignment before the Great Egg Harbor Bridge was completed. It was detoured onto U.S. Route 9 and over the Beesley's Point Bridge. This old alignment still exists today and is slowly being consumed by nature.

The Garden State Parkway was off limits to motorcycles, until Malcolm Forbes pushed successfully for legislation to allow them.

On July 9, 2003, Governor of New Jersey Jim McGreevey's plan to merge the operating organizations of the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike into one agency was completed.

Literature from the time of the Parkway's construction indicates that the Parkway would become toll-free once bonds used for its construction were paid off. However, additional construction projects, plus the expectation that the Parkway will pay for its own maintenance and policing (and the massive E-ZPass project) make it unlikely it will become toll-free in the foreseeable future.

Later construction

• In the first half of the 1980s, Exit 171 was added in Woodcliff Lake, serving the mushrooming office complexes replacing farmland along nearby Chestnut Ridge Road.
• On May 1, 1993, a travel center was opened at the Montvale Service Area, replacing one that burned to the ground in 1991.
• In 2003, the Lakewood section received a brand-new northbound entrance and southbound exit, Exit 89. In order to expand the Parkway for the interchange, the Cedar Bridge Road bridge had to be torn down and rebuilt. The whole project was completed in November 2003 and cost about $16.23 million.
• In Waretown, a $16.4 million project was completed for new bridges at exit 69. The construction was completed in March of 2007. Along with the new interchange came two new toll plazas. The Parkway was widened at the location it goes under County Route 532.
• The same company who did the Exits 69 and 89 construction had also done work on Exit 100, 20 years before the Exit 69 construction. That project included demolishing all then-current bridges and building new ones along the newly-rerouted Route 66 and Route 33. This project, in Tinton Falls, cost $21.67 million to complete.
• Installation of Variable Message Signs along the Parkway began 1992 with the installation of approximately 25 Daktronics signs. Some VM signs were installed on new sign structures while others were added to existing GO signs. Initially, the signs were provided with telephone service. A controller with a modem was installed in a cabinet near the signs. Messages on the signs were changed manually using software on personal computers in the GSP headquarters building in Woodbridge.

Usage

The speed limit on the Parkway is 65 mph (102 km/h) with the following exceptions: 55 mph (90 km/h) between Mileposts 123.5 and 163.3, between Mileposts 80.0 and 100.0, 50 mph (80 km/h) between Mileposts 8.0 and 11.5, and 45 mph (70 km/h) between Mileposts 27 and Milepost 29, approaching and traversing the Great Egg Harbor Bridge, and between Milepost 126.7 and 127.7, approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge.

Commercial trucks with a registered weight of over 7,000 pounds (3.18 tons) are not allowed to use the northern parts of the Parkway . All trucks must exit at Exit 105, just past the Asbury Park Toll Plaza. From Tinton Falls to the southern end of the Parkway at Cape May, trucks are allowed, but must pay additional tolls. Buses are allowed for the entire length of the Parkway. The "truck" ban includes all vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (the vehicle's maximum fully-loaded weight including fuel, passengers and cargo) over 7000 pounds, which encompasses dozens of large passenger vehicles, such as the Chevy Suburban, which can weigh in at 8,500 pounds, though in practice police do not ticket such vehicles.

Toll collection

Whereas the New Jersey Turnpike uses a system of long-distance tickets, obtained once by a motorist upon entering and surrendered upon exiting at toll gates (a "closed" system), the Garden State Parkway uses no tickets but collects tolls at toll plazas at semi-regular intervals along its length and at certain exits (an "open" system). The standard car toll is 50 cents on the main road at two-way toll plazas and $1.00 at one-way toll plazas. Some individual exits require a toll of either 35 cents, 50 cents, or $1.00. The Parkway has implemented the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system, with the first plaza opening in December 1999, and the entire system completed September 19, 2000. Parkway tokens continued to be available until January 1, 2002, and were invalidated effective January 1, 2009. All customers using exact-change lanes will now be required to pay with coins only in all toll baskets.

Tokens originally cost $10 for a roll of 40 tokens (the toll, when tokens were introduced, was 25 cents), but when the toll was increased to 35 cents, rolls were 30 tokens for $10. Before invalidating the tokens, the NJHA gave several months' warning and gave motorists the opportunity to redeem tokens. Tokens were originally brass, but were changed to a bimetallic composition, with an outer silver-colored ring and a brass core. There were also larger bus tokens that existed in each composition, primarily for the use of Atlantic City-bound buses. These were sold in rolls of 20 for $20.

To reduce congestion, some toll plazas on the roadway were converted into one-way plazas between 2004 and 2007, dubbed "one-way tolling". Under this program, a $1.00 toll (70 cents or two tokens when first implemented from 2004 to 2007) is collected in one direction, and the other direction is toll-free. As of March 10, 2007, the Cape May (in Upper Township), Great Egg (in Somers Point), New Gretna (in Bass River Township), Barnegat (in Barnegat Township), Asbury Park (in Tinton Falls), Raritan (in Sayreville), Union (in Hillside Township), Essex (in Bloomfield Township), and Bergen (in Saddle Brook Township) Toll Plazas had been converted to one-way toll plazas.

Beginning on November 19, 2001, E-Z Pass customers were charged the approximate token rate, that is 33 cents (peak travel) or 30 cents (off-peak travel), instead of 35 cents. Due to tremendous cost overruns in implementing the E-ZPass system on New Jersey's toll highways, the discount was eliminated the next year. In addition, NJHA E-ZPass customers were charged a $1 per month account fee into the statement, causing many customers to turn in their NJHA E-ZPass transponders in favor of a transponder from an out-of-state authority which did not charge a monthly fee.

toll plazas have dedicated lanes of three varieties: E-ZPass only (at some in addition to Express E-ZPass), Exact Change (coins are deposited in a toll basket which mechanically counts the deposit), or Cash Receipts / E-ZPass (manned lanes at which change is available). The manned lanes will also accept E-ZPass, the exact change lanes will not.

Tolls at entrances or exits may not have all three varieties, depending upon the number of lanes available. The location of similarly-marked lanes is not identical at each plaza. To assist drivers in seeking the proper lanes, the lanes are numbered both on the booth and on the pavement leading up to them. Some lanes leading up to plazas are dedicated for E-ZPass holders only.

Signs on many of the toll baskets warn against throwing paper currency into them, which jams them.

On January 8, 2008, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine proposed increases of fifty percent in tolls on the Parkway and Turnpike effective in 2010, to be followed by similar fifty percent increases every four years through 2022. Each time tolls increased, there would be an additional increase for inflation since the last toll increase (for the first, since 2006). This increase in tolls, which would take place on all three of New Jersey's toll roads, would, according to Corzine, help pay the state's debt. The roads would be maintained by a nonprofit "public benefit corporation" which would pay back bonds to the state. Without considering inflation, the proposal would have increased the standard 35-cent toll on the Garden State Parkway to approximately $1.80 by 2022, with tolls for the entire length of the northbound Garden State Parkway rising from $4.55 to $30.10 in 2022. It was considered possible that commuters will receive discounts from the higher toll rates. However, the proposal was not enacted due to fierce opposition from the state of New Jersey. On September 5, 2008, a proposal to increase Parkway tolls substantially was reported. Starting on December 1, 2008, the new toll rates took effect on the Garden State Parkway, with the $.25 tolls increased to $.35, the $.35 tolls increased to $.50 and the $.70 tolls increased to $1.00.

Toll Plazas

• MilePost 166.1 - Pascack Valley (formerly Hillsdale, long a misnomer as it is actually located in Washington Township) - Both Directions / Express E-ZPass (2 lanes)
• MP 160.5 - Bergen - Northbound Only
• MP 150.7 - Essex - Southbound Only
• MP 142.7 - Union - Northbound Only
• MP 125.4 - Raritan - Southbound Only / Express E-ZPass (5 lanes)
• MP 104.0 - Asbury Park - Northbound Only / Express E-ZPass (3 lanes)
• MP 84.7 - Toms River - Both Directions / Express E-ZPass (2 lanes)
• MP 68.9 - Barnegat - Southbound Only / (One-Way and Express E-ZPass with Parkway Widening)
• MP 53.5 - New Gretna - Northbound Only / (One-Way and Express E-ZPass with Parkway Widening)
• MP 28.8 - Great Egg - Southbound Only
• MP 19.4 - Cape May - Northbound Only / Express E-ZPass (2 lanes)

The Cape May, Toms River, Asbury Park, Raritan, and Pascack Valley plazas also feature Express E-ZPass lanes, a form of open road tolling that allows motorists with E-ZPass to maintain highway speeds of up to 65 mph (100 km/h) through the toll plaza. Officials have already converted the Barnegat (in Barnegat Township) Toll Plaza to one-way tolling and will build it with Express E-ZPass for southbound drivers, which began on March 10, 2007. As of September 2009, this project has yet to be completed.

Picnic Areas

One of the objectives of the Parkway was to become a State Park its entire length and its users would enjoy parklike aesthetics with minimal intrusion of urban scenery. Along the ride, users were permitted to stop and picnic along the roadway to further enjoy the relaxation qualitites the Parkway had to offer. All picnic areas had tall trees that provided shade and visual isolation from the roadway. Grills, benches, running water and restrooms were provided. Over time as the Parkway transformed into a road of commerce, the picnic areas were being closed for a variety of reasons. Their ramp terminals became insufficient to accomodate the high speed mainline traffic and in addition to the decreasing amount of users, the picnic areas were becoming more effective as maintenance yards and were converted as so or closed altogether.

As an unfortunate caviat of the history of the picnic areas, arguably the most famous story is the murder of Maria Marshall orchestrated by her husband Robert O. Marshall in the Oyster Creek picnic area on the night of Sept. 7, 1984. The story was made into a novel and television movie on NBC.

The three remaining picnic areas are closed from dusk to dawn. Posted signs within the picnic area prohibit fires and camping.

There were a total of 10 operational picnic areas:

• Tall Oaks (Closed) - Southbound only formerly at milepost 137
• Madison Hill (Closed) - Northbound only formerly at milepost 134.9
• Glenside (Closed) - Southbound only formerly at milepost 130.2
• Telegraph Hill (Open) - Exit 116
• Herbertsville (Closed) - Southbound only; converted to a maintenance yard of the same name and heavy vehicle weigh station
• Polhemus Creek (Closed) - Northbound only formerly at milepost 87.2
• Double Trouble (Closed) - Southbound only formerly at milepost 79.0
• Oyster Creek - located in the median in Lacey Township. The facility is not signed from the mainline Parkway, but there are signs located within the picnic area that state the facility is closed from dusk to dawn and that fires and camping are prohibited similar to the signs posted at the other two picnic areas currently open. The official Garden State Parkway website does not list Oyster Creek as a picnic area. It is possible that this picnic area has for all intents and purposes closed since this section of the Parkway is currently experiencing a major widening construction project and access to it is blocked and most likely will not reopen since the land used for widening the mainline was taken from the picnic area.
• Stafford Forge (Closed) - located in the median at milepost 61.1
• John B. Townsend Shoemaker Holly (Open) - located in the median at milepost 22.7.

John B. Townsend was a physician from Ocean City who became the New Jersey Highway Authority's second Vice Chairman in 1955. The word Shoemaker comes from the last name of the landowner in the way of the Parkway's alignment during its initial construction. The term Holly comes from the Shoemaker's holly tree that was on his property. The tree is presumed to be 300 years old and one of, if not, the oldest holly tree in the United States.

Recent developments

• Exit 67 received a newly constructed southbound entrance ramp, and a northbound exit ramp. On March 27th, 2008, it was revealed that the new ramps would not have toll gates. Construction began in the summer of 2008 and opened on May 20, 2009.
• Exit 69 (in Ocean Twp) was completely reconstructed. The old ramps were demolished, and a partial cloverleaf was constructed in its place. It now features a northbound entrance ramp, and a southbound exit ramp. Toll gates were constructed at the northbound entrance and southbound exit ramp. This was finished in March 2007.
• A new diamond interchange, Exit 77 (in Berkeley Township) was constructed in 2006. Toll gates exist at the northbound entrance ramp, and the southbound exit ramp. To avoid destroying part of the Double Trouble State Park, the southbound interchange was constructed approximately ½ mile north of the northbound interchange.
• In November 2003, Exit 89 (in Lakewood Twp) was opened to traffic. Toll gates were constructed at both ramps.
• At Exit 98 in Wall Township, the overpasses carrying NJ 138 and I-195 over the Parkway have been replaced with newly constructed ones. This project was finished in late 2006. However, this project did not improve 195's Exit 35 for NJ 34.
• The Driscoll Bridge received a new southbound parallel span just west of the original span. This new southbound bridge boasts seven southbound lanes and emergency shoulders (currently the seventh lane is used as a northbound lane during rehab of the old spans). By 2010, a new northbound span will be constructed, consisting of eight northbound lanes and emergency shoulders. On May 20, 2009, the Driscoll Bridge project was completed.
• New overpasses and ramps were built at Exit 145 in the City of East Orange to connect to I-280. New EZ-Pass lanes were also built at the interchange toll gate.
• The Parkway was widened in Wall Township from 3 to 4 lanes in the vicinity of Interchange 98 in both directions.

Future developments

• In Cape May County, the Parkway will be grade separated from interchanges 9, 10 and 11 and the existing traffic lights are to be removed. Construction is estimated for late 2010/early 2011.
• A proposed interchange for Jimmie Leeds Road north of the Atlantic City service area near mile marker 41.7 in Galloway Twp would be constructed. An alternative would be to make Exit 44 or Exit 40 into full interchanges. Plans have yet to be created.
• In May 2005, then Governor Codey announced a widening of the Parkway between Exit 63 in Stafford Township to Exit 80 in the Boro of South Toms River. The new Parkway setup would have 3 lanes in each direction as opposed to the current 2. However, the Turnpike Authority is now planning to widen the parkway from Exit 80 all the way south to Exit 30 in the City of Somers Point.
• There are new bridges that have been proposed to be constructed across the Mullica River from the City of Port Republic to Bass River Township. No dates have been set for construction.
• Exit 83 (in Toms River Twp) will see improvements, notably a southbound exit ramp and all other improvements to make it a full interchange.
• Exit 88 (in Lakewood Twp) will see construction around 2014 or 2015. Interchange 88 will close and all traffic will exit at Exit 89 in the southbound direction and travel on a new frontage road to Route 70. This frontage road would continue south of Route 70 to permit traffic to enter the Parkway that entered from Airport Road and State Route 70 eastbound and westbound. In the northbound direction, traffic would exit on a new frontage road in the vicinity south of the current on ramp from State Route 70 eastbound and be directed first to State Route 70 eastbound and then to State Route 70 westbound through a new ramp that would terminate with the traffic signal at Shorrock Street. Entering traffic to the north collected from State Route 70 would be sent through the Interchange 89 satellite plaza. Plazas currently at Interchange 88 would be demolished.
• Exits 89/90 in Lakewood Township will construct continuous auxiliary lanes in the first quarter of 2010. In the northbound direction, the on ramp from Interchange 89 will be continuous to the off ramp at Interchange 90 and in the southbound direction, the on ramp from Interchange 90 will be continuous to the off ramp at Interchange 89. Overhead signing will be installed and the ground mounted signing will be removed.
• Exit 91 (in Brick Twp) will also be upgraded to a full interchange starting sometime around 2009 or 2010.
• Exit 131A in Woodbridge Township will have newly built ramps.
• Exit 142 (in Union Twp and Hillside Twp) will be upgraded with new ramps that will supply missing movements between the Parkway and I-78 since I-278 was cancelled between US 1-9 in Linden and the interchange for NJ 24/I-78. On September 17, 2009, a new exit ramp (from the Parkway north to Interstate 78 west) was opened. The entire project will be completed by January 2012.
• Exit 151 in Bloomfield Township will completely replace the Watchung Avenue bridge overpass structure and the Parkway will receive full shoulders underneath the new structure.
• Exit 166 in Washington Township will remove the Pascack Valley toll plaza on the mainline Parkway in the northbound direction in 2010. The toll in the southbound direction would remain and be reset to $1.00 and there will be no toll in the northbound direction where currently tolled.

Exit list

Car Tolls are $0.35, $0.50 or $1.00 unless otherwise noted for entrance/exit ramps.Car Tolls are $0.50 on the toll barriers on a two-way toll plazas and $1.00 on a one-way toll plazas.

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Cape May	Lower Twp	0.00	0		Begin/end Parkway; Exit number made official with signage in 2009.
	Middle Twp	3.90	4		Toll plaza for northbound exit, southbound entrance directions only; other directions are toll-free. Signed as exits 4A (north) and 4B (south) southbound.
		6.54	6		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		8.40	9		at-grade intersection
		9.90	10		at-grade intersection
		11.04	11	– Cape May County Park & Zoo	at-grade intersection
		13.60	13	(Avalon Blvd) – Avalon, Swainton
	Dennis Twp	17.50	17	(Sea Isle Blvd) – Sea Isle City	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
	Upper Twp	19.38		Cape May Toll Plaza (Northbound only) with 2 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.00
		20.25	20		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		25.34	25		Begin/end US 9 detour concurrency with Parkway (temporary measure from closure of Beesley's Point Bridge)
Atlantic	City of Somers Point	28.78		Great Egg Toll Plaza (Southbound only) - Cars $1.00
		28.90	29		Northbound exit, southbound entrance Begin/end US 9 detour concurrency with Parkway (temporary measure from closure of Beesley's Point Bridge)
		30.00	30		(TOLL $1) Toll plaza at exit; northbound entrance, southbound exit
	Egg Harbor Twp	35.82	36
		36.59	37		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		37.23	38
	Galloway Twp	40.04	40		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		41.50	42	, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Division	Unsigned entrance and exit through Atlantic City Service Area
		43.98	44	– Smithville, Pomona, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
	City of Port Republic	48.29	48		Northbound entrance, southbound exit; begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
Burlington	Bass River Twp	50.67	50		Northbound exit, southbound entrance; begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
		52.70	52	East Greenbush Road – New Gretna	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		53.54		New Gretna Toll Plaza (Northbound only) - Express E-Z Pass coming soon - Cars $1.00
Ocean	Little Egg Harbor Twp	58.69	58
	Stafford Twp	64.11	63
	Barnegat Twp	67.81	67		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		68.61		Barnegat Toll Plaza (Southbound only) - Express E-Z Pass coming soon - Cars $1.00
	Ocean Twp	70.45	69		Toll plaza at exit
	Lacey Twp	75.34	74		Toll plaza at exit
	Berkeley Township	77.40	77		Toll plaza at exit
	Borough of South Toms River	80.85	80		Begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
	Toms River Twp	81.85	81
		82.35	82		Full cloverleaf interchange
		84.10	83		Begin/end US 9 concurrency with Parkway
		84.72		Toms River Toll Plaza (Both Directions) with 2 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $0.50
	Lakewood Twp	89.36	88		Northbound entrance, southbound exit; toll plaza at exit
		90.18	89		Northbound entrance, southbound exit; toll plaza at exit
	Brick Twp	91.10	90		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		92.62	91		Northbound entrance, southbound exit; toll plaza at exit
Monmouth	Wall Twp	98.23	98		Cloverleaf interchange with additional ramps; to access Parkway southbound from I-195, motorists must use NJ 34 southbound; to access I-195 from Parkway southbound, motorists must use NJ 34 northbound; toll plaza at exit
	Borough of Tinton Falls	101.24 & 101.60	100		Cloverleaf interchange with additional ramps; no direct access from NJ 33 westbound to Parkway southbound or from Parkway southbound to NJ 66 eastbound
		103.15	102	Asbury Ave – Neptune Township, Asbury Park	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		103.96		Asbury Park Toll Plaza (Northbound only) with 3 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.00
		104.2		Parkway splits into express and local roadways/merges
		106.12, 106.18, 106.39	105		(TOLL $1) Toll plaza for northbound entrance only; Express Lane accessible; all trucks must exit here northbound, trucks may enter here southbound
	Middletown Twp	110.14	109		Toll plaza at exit
	Middletown Twp / Holmdel Twp	113.88	114		Toll plaza at exit
	Holmdel Twp	115.85	116	PNC Bank Arts Center
		~117		Crossover ramps between express and local lanes
	Hazlet Twp	118.50	117		Toll plaza at exit (no toll for traffic from Parkway northbound); Express Lane accessible
	Hazlet Twp / Aberdeen Twp	118.79	117A		Soutbound exit and entrance; toll plaza at exit
Middlesex	Old Bridge Twp	121.13	120	, Cheesequake State Park
	Boro of Sayreville	124.64	123		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		124.99	124		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		125.28	North end of local/express split
		125.68	Raritan Toll Plaza (Southbound only) with 5 lanes of Express E-ZPass - Cars $1.00
		126.36	125		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
	Woodbridge Twp	128.0	127	– Outerbridge Crossing, Staten Island	Signed as exit 129 southbound; southbound exit to NJ 440 north is via New Brunswick Avenue
			129		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
			129	New Brunswick Avenue – Fords, Perth Amboy	Signed as exit 127 northbound
			129		Signed as exit 127 northbound
			129		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		129.50	129	, New York
		130.63	130		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		131.33	131A	Metropark
		131.83	131B		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		131.97	131
Union	Clark Twp	136.22	135	Clark-Westfield Ave - Clark, Westfield
	Cranford Twp	137.59	136
		138.74	137
	Boro of Kenilworth	140.34	138
	Union Twp	141.10	139A	Chestnut Street	Northbound exit and entrance
			139B	, Union	Signed as exit 140 southbound
		141.70	140A		Signed as exit 140 northbound
		142.10	141	– Union	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
	Hillside Twp	142.66	Union Toll Plaza (Northbound only) - Cars $1.00
		142.80	142		(TOLL $1) Toll station at northbound exit & northbound entrance ($1, effectively part of Union Toll plaza)
		142.90	142A		Opened September 16th 2009
		143.00	142B	North Union Ave − Hillside, Maplewood	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
Essex	Irvington Twp	144.0	143	Springfield Avenue, Lyons Avenue – Hillside, Maplewood
	City of Newark	145.98	144A	14th Avenue − Irvington	Toll plaza at exit
		146.12	144
	City of East Orange	146.93, 146.99 & 147.15	145		Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance
		148.44	147	Renshaw Avenue	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
	Bloomfield Twp	149.2	148	Bloomfield Avenue	Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance
		149.17	149	Belleville Avenue - Bloomfield, Belleville	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		150.66		Essex Toll Plaza (Southbound only) - Cars $1.00
		151.1	150		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		152.45	151	Watchung Avenue – Nutley, Montclair	Toll plaza at northbound entrance and southbound exit
Passaic	City of Clifton	154.06, 154.18, 154.45	153	– New York City, Passaic, Little Falls	Toll plaza at northbound entrance from 3-WB and southbound exit to 3-EB - No connections from 3-EB to Parkway North or Parkway South to 3-WB (use Route 46/Exit 154 instead).
		155.91	154		Toll plaza at exit southbound
		~156.4	155P		Northbound exit, southbound entrance; use this exit for I-80 westbound
		156.68	155	Hazel Street	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		158.19	156	River Drive	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
Bergen	Borough of Elmwood Park	158.87	157
	Saddle Brook Twp	160, 160.23, 160.35	159	, George Washington Bridge	(TOLL $1) Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance; no direct access from Parkway northbound to I-80 westbound
		160.46		Bergen Toll Plaza (Northbound only) - Cars $1.00
	Borough of Paramus	161.53	160		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		161.88	161	, George Washington Bridge, Fort Lee	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		163.06, 163.15 & 163.29	163	- George Washington Bridge, Meadowlands Sports Complex, Mahwah	Northbound to northbound, southbound to southbound movements only
		164.94	165	East Ridgewood Avenue – Ridgewood, Oradell	Toll plaza at northbound exit and southbound entrance
		165.93	166	Linwood Avenue, Highland Avenue, Pascack Rd – Washington Twp, Westwood	Northbound entrance, southbound exit
	Washington Township	166.25		Pascack Valley Toll Plaza (Both Directions) with 2 lanes of Express E-Z Pass - Cars $0.50
		167.46	168		Northbound exit, southbound entrance
	Borough of Woodcliff Lake	170.15	171	Glen Road – Saddle River	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
	Borough of Montvale	171.52	172		Northbound exit, southbound entrance. Missing movements can be completed via a service road in the Montvale service area.
New Jersey/New York State Line (end of Parkway, start of Parkway Extension)
Rockland	Village of Chestnut Ridge	172.71 (2.09)	173		Northbound entrance, southbound exit
		174.80 (0.00)			Begin/end Parkway Extension
					Exit off ramp from Parkway Extension northbound to Thruway south/eastbound; no entrance

Service Areas

All service areas are located in the center median, unless otherwise noted.

• Montvale (Mile Post 171)
• Brookdale North - Fuel only. Right side exit northbound.
• Brookdale South (Mile Post 153.3) Right side exit southbound.
• Vaux Hall (Mile Post 142) Right side exit northbound.
• Colonia North - Fuel, convenience store and restrooms only. Right side exit northbound.
• Colonia South - Fuel, convenience store and restrooms only. Right side exit southbound.
• Cheesequake (Mile Post 123)
• Monmouth - formerly Manasquan (Mile Post 100.4)
• Forked River (Mile Post 76)
• Atlantic City - formerly Absecon (Mile Post 41.4)
• Ocean View - formerly Seaville (Mile Post 18.3) Restrooms, vending machines and Tourist Information only 8am - 5pm year round. Fuel from 6am - 10pm except from Memorial Day to Labor Day when 24 hours.

The first service area to open was Cheesequake on May 1, 1955. Prior to that grand opening, the New Jersey Highway Authority had constructed and operated two temporary service areas that offered only gasoline and other vehicular essentials.

• New Gretna. Located in the median at milepost 53 that has since been converted to a State Police substation.
• New Shrewsbury. Located in the median at milepost 107.

Park-ettes

In the 1950's four petroleum companies were hired to provide gasoline and vehicular neccesities - Esso, Texaco, Atlantic and Cities Service. The Cities Service company was the petroleum provider at Monmouth, Forked River, Atlantic City (Absecon at the time) and Ocean View (Seaville at the time) and offered a service where female employees were hired for those service area showrooms, wore uniforms and were known as the Park-ettes. Their duties included providing directions and other information to motorists as well as rendering odd bits of service such as sewing a missing button on a patron's coat.

See also

• State highways in New Jersey
• New Jersey Turnpike
• Atlantic City Expressway
• New York State Thruway

References

1. "The Garden State Parkway is America's busiest single tollroad in terms of toll transaction numbers - 609m in 2001 or 1.67m/day average."
2. [1]
3. TRAVEL CENTER OPENS ON PARKWAY
4. Garden State Parkway Interchange 89
5. Garden State Parkway Interchange 69
6. Garden State Parkway Interchange 100
7. GARDEN STATE PARKWAY REGULATIONS, State of New Jersey, dated October 23, 1987. Accessed October 17, 2007. "19:8-1.9(b)15: All vehicles except cars, campers, omnibuses, and vehicles entitled to toll-free passage under N.J.A.C. 19:8-3.2 (Toll-free passage) are prohibited from the Parkway north of Interchange 105."
8. Biederman, Marcia. " MOTORING; Behind the Beauty of the Parkways Is a Maze of Rules", the New York Times, October 7, 2007. Accessed October 17, 2007. "In New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway has different rules depending on where you are. There are no truck restrictions south of Exit 105 because trucks need to use the parkway to service the commercial needs of the area. North of the exit, vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings (including passengers and cargo) more than 7,000 pounds are banned.... He said officers who patrolled the area had presented to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority a list of 70 passenger vehicles that exceed the weight limit, hoping the agency would update the rules. He said most troopers applied the rules mainly to commercial vehicles."
9. One-Way Tolling and Express E-ZPass Comes to the Garden State Parkway. Retrieved June 5, 2006.
10. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956649,00.html
11. http://www.cmccofc.com/visitor/points-of-interest.htm
12. Barnegat's interchange to open Wednesday May 20, 2009
13. Driscoll Bridge opening May 20, 2009
14. accessed June 18, 2007
15. NJTPA Online Transportation Information System -- Project Detail
16. "The First Five Years of the Garden State Parkway" published by the New Jersey Highway Authority, page 29.

External links

• New Jersey Turnpike Authority & Garden State Parkway Official Website
• History of the Garden State Parkway
• Straight Line Diagram
• Photos of the Garden State Parkway
• New Jersey Expressways and Tollways