New Jersey Route 15

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Route 15
Maintained by NJDOT
Length:	19.53 mi[1] (31.43 km)
Formed:	1953
South end:	US 46 in Dover
Major junctions:	I-80 in Wharton NJ 181 in Sparta NJ 94 in Lafayette
North end:	US 206/CR 565 in Frankford Twp
New Jersey State Highway Routes < NJ 14 NJ 17 >

Route 15 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs from East McFarland Street (U.S. Route 46) in Dover to an intersection with U.S. Route 206 in Frankford Township. From the section starting in Jefferson Township until Sparta, Route 15 is a freeway known as the Sparta Bypass. The speed limit along Route 15 is as high as 55 miles per hour.^[2]

There is an ongoing local grassroots movement to honor the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan by renaming Route 15 after him. Most recently on January 8, 2008, a bill was introduced in the New Jersey General Assembly by Assemblymen Michael Patrick Carroll and Richard A. Merkt to designate Route 15 as the "Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway".^[3]

Contents 1 Route description 2 History 3 Future 4 Major intersections 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Route description

State Route 15 begins at an intersection with US 46, only a few blocks from the US 46 underpass.^[1] Route 15 crosses U.S. Route 46 under a bridge and winds through Dover concurrent with several streets. The road remains two lanes past the Rockaway Townsquare Mall entrance, in the township of Rockaway. For a very short distance Route 15 becomes a freeway as it crosses the Interstate 80 interchange. A mile north, the road becomes a typical four lane divided highway with a couple businesses and a Picatinny Arsenal exit/entrance. At that point, Route 15 leaves Rockaway Township and enters Jefferson Township. The lanes come farther apart on a rather hilly terrain.^[1] as it climbs up a steep mountain. The northbound lanes is more like a freeway with limited access to businesses. The southbound lane, however has businesses on both sides. The northbound and southbound lanes are an eighth of a mile apart.

Originally, in the Jefferson Township area, the 2 southbound lanes were the original Route 15, and until the late 1960's this section was a two-lane road going both ways. Businesses and even a few homes lined this road. As traffic became congested it was decided to widen Route 15, but the problem was businesses were too close to the road to make simple widening to four lanes feasible. So in an unusual move, the original two-lane road was made into a one way southbound road. At the same time, two, and even three, north-bound lanes would be built behind the businesses. As a result, the northbound and southbound lanes are about an eighth of a mile apart with businesses in the middle. Businesses are easily accessible from the southbound lanes but have limited access from the northbound side with two exits available to access them.

Slightly farther north, Route 15 becomes a freeway and the northbound and southbound lanes come closer together again. At that point, the original two-lane Route 15 breaks off into Route 181, heading through Jefferson Township and into downtown Sparta. Several miles north, the freeway leaves Morris County in Jefferson Township and enters Sussex County and Sparta Township, bypassing downtown Sparta.^[1]. After bypassing downtown Sparta, the original route 15, known as route 181 ends and merges into route 15. At that point, the freeway ends and route 15 becomes a two-lane road. After route 15 leaves Sparta and enters Lafayette Township, route 15 merges with state highway route 94. Routes 15 and 94 run as a concurrency, until Route 94 turns off to the southeast while Route 15 heads northwest. It continues into Frankford Township and comes to an end at U.S. Route 206 and County Route 565.^[1]

[edit] History

Before the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 15 was Route 6A.^[4]

In Sparta, New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner Jack Lettire and state senator Robert Littell announced the completion of a project of restructuring the NJ 15-Houses Corner Road intersection.^[5] The project began with ground breaking by James E. McGreevey, then-governor of New Jersey. The project was completed in August 2004. The original intersection was a signalized intersection with a blinking light and no left turn-off lanes from NJ 15. Because of heavy traffic, turning left onto Houses Corner Road became dangerous for motorists. The intersection has a full traffic light. The project cost a total of $15.5 million.

[edit] Future

This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

Wilson Drive and White Lake Road will be realigned to form one signalized intersection, completion expected in 2008. The terminus of Route 15 with U.S. Route 46 will be reconstructed to an "at grade" intersection, completion expected 2009.^[6] Studies are being made to improve the Route 15 corridor from I-80 to U.S. Route 206. Concepts include widening, the addition of climbing lanes, and a potential bypass of Lafayette.^[7] The residents of the small rural village are widely in favor of the bypass, instead of a road widening through their town. If the bypass is constructed it would be a Super 2 freeway (the second so far in New Jersey), and run from the current northern freeway terminus to an interchange with U.S. Route 206.

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile[1]	Roads intersected	Notes
Morris	Dover Township	0.00	US 46
		0.37	US 46
	Wharton	2.06	I-80	Exit 34 (I-80 EB), Exits 34A-B (WB)
Sussex	Sparta Township	12.52	CR 517
		14.13	NJ 181
	Lafayette Township	16.61	NJ 94	Begin/end concurrency
		16.89	NJ 94	Begin/end concurrency
	Frankford Township	19.53	US 206/CR 565

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• NYCRoads.com NJ 15 Freeway
• New Jersey Roads: Route 15