New Jersey Route 88

Route 88
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT
Length:	10.02 mi[1] (16.13 km)
Existed:	1953 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 9 / CR 547 in Lakewood Township
	CR 549 in Lakewood Township Route 70 in Brick Township CR 549 Spur in Point Pleasant
East end:	Route 35 in Point Pleasant
Highway system
New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate and US ← Route 87 Route 90 →

Route 88 is a state highway in the northern part of Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. It runs 10.02 mi (16.13 km) from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 and County Route 547 in Lakewood Township to an intersection with Route 35 in Point Pleasant. It is a two-lane undivided road that passes through mostly residential and commercial areas. The route intersects County Route 549 in Lakewood, Route 70 in Brick Township at the former Laurelton Circle, and County Route 549 Spur in Point Pleasant. The road is mentioned in the lyrics of the 1973 song "Spirit in the Night" by Bruce Springsteen.

The route was built as a gravel county road in 1903 and became part of pre-1927 Route 4, a route that was to run from Absecon to Rahway, in 1916. U.S. Route 9 was designated along this stretch of road in 1926 when the U.S. Highway System was created. A year later, in 1927, this portion of pre-1927 Route 4 became a part of Route 35, a route that was to from Lakewood to South Amboy. By the 1940s, U.S. Route 9 was moved off this road to follow its current alignment between Lakewood and South Amboy. In 1953, Route 35 was realigned to follow a portion of Route 37 between Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights, and Route 88 was designated along the former alignment of Route 35 between Lakewood and Point Pleasant. The Laurelton Circle at Route 70, built in 1937, was replaced with the current intersection by the 1990s.

Route description

The beginning of westbound Route 88 from southbound Route 35 in Point Pleasant.

Route 88 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 9 and County Route 547 (Madison Avenue) in Lakewood Township, and heads eastward on Main Street, a two-lane undivided road with a 25 mph (40 km/h) speed limit.^[1] The road heads through the commercial downtown before heading into wooded residential areas, where it becomes Ocean Avenue at the Pearl Street intersection before coming to a junction with County Route 20 (Clover Street). Past this intersection, the speed limit becomes 35 mph (56 km/h) and then 40 mph (64 km/h) as the route heads through a mix of residences and businesses with some rural woodland. Route 88 crosses County Route 623 (New Hampshire Avenue), where it heads through a commercial district, crossing County Route 549 (Lanes Mill Road/Chambers Bridge Road).^[1][2] A short distance later, the route passes under the Garden State Parkway without an interchange before crossing the Metedeconk River into Brick Township.^[1] Here, the road heads through a mix of residential and commercial areas, intersecting County Route 64 (Jack Martin Boulevard), County Route 44 (Forge Pond Road), County Route 40 (West Princeton Avenue), and County Route 16 (Burrsville Road).^[1][2] It turns south and intersects County Route 40 (Olden Street) before crossing Route 70.^[1]

Past this intersection, Route 88 briefly splits into a one-way pair. Here, the eastbound direction follows Princeton Avenue southeast before turning north onto Post Road, with County Route 630 continuing along Princeton Avenue, while westbound Route 88 follows Princeton Post Road.^[1] Past the one-way pair, the route continues northeast on 35 mph (56 km/h) Princeton Post Road, which passes by numerous businesses.^[1][2] Along this stretch of road Route 88 intersects several county routes, including County Route 64 again, County Route 42 (Van Zile Road), County Route 10 (Old Squan Road), and County Route 54 (Coolidge Road/Midstreams Road). The route heads into Point Pleasant, where it intersects County Route 56 (Jordan Road) before crossing Beaver Dam Creek and becoming Sea Avenue.^[1] From here, the road continues through commercial areas, crossing County Route 632 (Bridge Avenue) before heading east and intersecting County Route 549 Spur (Herbertsville Road) and County Route 630 (Beaver Dam Road). After this intersection, Route 88 crosses the Point Pleasant Canal (part of the Intracoastal Waterway) on a lift bridge before heading east through residential areas with some businesses.^[1][2] Here, the road intersects County Route 633 (Arnold Avenue)/County Route 10 (Johnson Avenue), County Route 6 (Rue Avenue), and County Route 604 (Bay Avenue). A short distance later, Route 88 ends at an intersection with Route 35 on the border of Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach.^[1]

History

A sign warning of road work on Route 88, with a nonstandard orange state route marker.

What is modern-day Route 88 was first built as a hard gravel county road back in 1903, the first such road in Ocean County.^[3] In 1916, this road was designated as a part of pre-1927 Route 4, a state road that was to run from Absecon north to Rahway.^[4] With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, U.S. Route 9 was also designated along this route, running concurrent with Route 4.^[5][6] In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering a year later, Route 35 replaced this portion of pre-1927 Route 4 as part of its route from Lakewood to South Amboy.^[7][8] By the 1940s, U.S. Route 9 was moved off this portion of Route 35 to follow its current alignment along Route 4 between Lakewood and South Amboy.^[9] In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 35 was realigned to follow what was a part of Route 37 between Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights, and Route 88 was designated along the former alignment of Route 35 between Lakewood and Point Pleasant.^[10][11] A traffic circle called the Laurelton Circle, built in 1937, once existed at the intersection with Route 70; it was replaced with its current configuration by the 1990s.^[12]

Route 88 was referred to in the 1973 song "Spirit in the Night" by Bruce Springsteen on his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J..^[13][14]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Ocean County.

Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Lakewood Township	0.00	US 9 / CR 547 (Madison Avenue)	Western terminus
	3.24	CR 549 (Lanes Mill Road/Chambers Bridge Road)
Brick Township	5.20	Route 70	Former Laurelton Circle
Point Pleasant	8.88	CR 549 Spur north (Herbertsville Road) / CR 630 south (Beaver Dam Road)
	10.02	Route 35	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• New Jersey portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} "Route 88 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000088__-.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Google, Inc. Google Maps – overview of New Jersey Route 88 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=route+9+and+main+street+lakewood,+nj&daddr=route+35+and+route+88+point+pleasant,+nj&geocode=&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=40.08523,-74.215479&sspn=0.029025,0.055017&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
3. ^ "Timelines of History". Point Pleasant Historical Society. http://mysite.verizon.net/ppbhistory/timelines.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
4. ^ Williams, Jimmy and Sharon. "NJ 1920s Route 4". 1920s New Jersey Highways. http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/route04.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
5. ^ Bureau of Public Roads (1926). United States System of Highways (Map). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1926us.jpg. Retrieved 2009-04-27. 
6. ^ Williams, Jimmy and Sharon. "1927 Tydol Trails Map - South". 1920s New Jersey Highways. http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/maps/1927tt2.jpg. Retrieved 2009-03-30. 
7. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
8. ^ Williams, Jimmy and Sharon. "1927 New Jersey Road Map". 1920s New Jersey Highways. http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
9. ^ Mid-West Map Co. (1941). Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Map). Cartography by H.M. Gousha. http://www.mapsofpa.com/roadcart/1941_1467m.jpg. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 
10. ^ 1953 renumbering. New Jersey Department of Highways. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering. Retrieved July 31, 2009. 
11. ^ "New Road Signs Ready in New Jersey". The New York Times. December 16, 1952. http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/6933/19521216newroadsignsreaiu6.jpg. Retrieved 2009-07-20. 
12. ^ Donatiello, Eugene E. and John G. Leavey (1999). Brick Township. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738503320. http://books.google.com/?id=R1j2SAoX2JkC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=%22laurelton+circle%22+-wikipedia. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
13. ^ Marsh, D. (1981). Born to Run. p. 66–74. ISBN 0-440-10694-X. 
14. ^ Sawyers, J. (2006). Tougher Than the Rest. p. 9–10. ISBN 978-0-8256-3470-3. 

External links

• New Jersey Roads: Route 88
• New Jersey Highway Ends: Route 88
• Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 88