New Jersey Route 4

Route 4
Mackay Highway
Route 4 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT
Length	10.83 mi[1] (17.43 km)
Existed	1927 (1934 on present alignment)–present
Major junctions
West end	Route 20 in Paterson
Major intersections	Route 208 / CR 79 in Fair Lawn G.S. Parkway / Route 17 in Paramus CR 503 in Hackensack Route 93 / CR 501 in Englewood
East end	I-95 / US 1-9 / US 46 / US 9W in Fort Lee
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Passaic, Bergen
Highway system
New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate US State Scenic Byways
← Route 3 → Route 5

Route 4 is an east-west arterial road in Bergen County and Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The highway stretches 10.83 mi (17.43 km) from Route 20 (McLean Boulevard) in Paterson east to an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95), U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9), US 46, and US 9W at the George Washington Bridge approach in Fort Lee.

The route is a four- to six-lane divided highway for its entire length, with the portion east of the Route 208 interchange in Fair Lawn consisting entirely of interchanges and right-in/right-out intersections with many businesses along the road, particularly in Paramus, where the route passes through a major shopping area consisting of numerous malls, Hackensack, Englewood, and Fort Lee. Route 4 intersects many important roads, including Route 208 in Fair Lawn and the Garden State Parkway and Route 17 in Paramus. It also serves as a northern alternative to Interstate 80 between Paterson and the George Washington Bridge. The highway is officially named the Mackay Highway,^[2] but is rarely referred to as such.

Originally legislated to traverse the state from Cape May to the George Washington Bridge, Route 4 was heavily reduced to its current alignment in 1953. Today's stretch of the route was completed by 1934; the state planned to upgrade it to a freeway, but plans never materialized. Despite this, the route has seen improvements, such as to the interchanges with Route 17 in 1999 and with Route 208 in 2002.

Route 4 is a heavily used commuter, retail, and long-distance artery. As well as providing a critical commuter route from the Hudson Valley and Bergen County into New York City via the George Washington Bridge, it gives New Yorkers access to popular shopping areas such as Garden State Plaza and Bergen Town Center, and forms part of the straightest route from New York City and Long Island to Upstate and Western New York destinations. Locally, especially west of the Hackensack River, it is seen as a socioeconomic dividing line between wealthier, more affluent suburbs like Ridgewood and Oradell to the north, and more urbanized, industrialized, working-class areas like Hackensack to the south.