Garden State Parkway

Garden State Parkway
Garden State Parkway highlighted in green
Route information
Maintained by NJTA
Length	172.40 mi[1] (277.45 km)
Existed	1947–present
History	Completed by 1957
Component highways	Route 444 (unsigned)
Tourist routes	Pine Barrens Byway
Restrictions	No trucks north of exit 105
Major junctions
South end	Route 109 in Lower Township
Major intersections	Route 47 in Middle Township US 40 / US 322 in Egg Harbor Township A.C. Expressway in Egg Harbor Township US 30 in Galloway Township I-195 / Route 138 / Route 34 in Wall Township Route 36 / Route 18 in Titon Falls Route 35 / Route 36 in Keyport US 9 / Route 440 in Woodbridge Township I-95 / N.J. Turnpike in Woodbridge Township US 1 in Woodbridge Township I-78 in Hillside I-280 / CR 508 in East Orange I-80 in Saddle Brook
North end	I-87 / I-287 / New York Thruway in Chestnut Ridge, NY
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Cape May, Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex, Union, Essex, Passaic, Bergen
Highway system
New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate US State Scenic Byways
New Jersey Turnpike Authority
← Route 440 444 → Route 445

The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May north to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State". The parkway has an unsigned reference number of Route 444 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). At its north end, the road becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector, a component of the New York State Thruway system that connects to the Thruway mainline in Ramapo.

The Garden State Parkway is the longest highway in the state at approximately 172 miles (277 km), and, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, was the busiest toll road in the United States in 2006.^[2] Most of the highway north of the Raritan River runs through heavily populated areas. Between the Raritan River and the township of Toms River, the highway passes through lighter suburban development, while south of Toms River, the road mostly runs through unspoiled wilderness in the Pine Barrens and swampland, interspersed with small towns and Jersey Shore beach communities. The highway has a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) for most of its length and is primarily for passenger vehicle use; trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) are prohibited north of exit 105.

The parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban northern New Jersey with the Jersey Shore resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north–south routes running through each town center, such as U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 9, and Route 35. During planning and construction of the first segment, the road was to be a toll-free highway designated as the Route 4 Parkway. However, a lack of funding caused the remainder of the parkway to be built as a toll road. The highway has seen many improvements over the years, including the addition and reconstruction of interchanges, bridge replacements, widening of the roadway, and removal of at-grade intersections. Previously, the road had been maintained by an agency known as the New Jersey Highway Authority (NJHA), however in 2003, the agency merged into the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), which now maintains the parkway along with the New Jersey Turnpike.

The parkway uses an open system of toll collection with flat-fee tolls collected at 11 toll plazas along the roadway, as well as at several entrances and exits. Tolls can be paid using cash or via the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. Along the route are 11 service areas, providing food and fuel to travelers. Historically, the road had ten picnic areas along its length, but only one remains open today.