New Jersey Roads - NJ 17 NB




First shield, on Ridge Rd. NB, seen from NJ 7, in Kearny.


Starting off at the beginning of the divided highway, where NJ 17 curves north from the old NJ 3 alignment to interchange with the NJ 3 freeway. The missing shield on the first sign was a 3. Notice the white "NORTH" on the NB BGS - I haven't seen this style before, but clearly it hasn't been used in a long time; if you go way to the bottom of the page you'll see screwy SB BGS's as well. Click on this link to see a closer view of that BGS with the white NORTH, and click on this other link to see the other (blue) sign from the second photo up close. Follow the NJ 3 link at the bottom of this page for more pictures from the service road (which was created with the interchange).


North of US 46, NJ 17 has not one traffic light; they were removed in the 1980's and 1990's. Also, as you can see, up to US 46 signage is non-reflective button copy, whereas it's one generation newer (reflective but still button copy) north of 46. At 46, there is only a partial interchange, with all ramps pointing to the east (i.e. no EB offramps or WB onramps), probably because of property issues. You can sorta make out the old shield below the NJ 120 in the second photo, leaving a paler scar on the dark green background - it was NJ 20 until 1988. Go to the NJ 120 page (linked at bottom) to find out why it was 20 and why it was replaced.


This is very close to the town of Teterboro, which is close to the smallest in NJ in both size and population. Its entirety is about 20 people who work at the eponymous airport. Due to the layout of the 17-80 interchange, traffic going NB-EB must use a surface connection (or EB-NB, or in fact SB-WB or WB-SB). I-80 was constructed straight through a half-mile section of NJ 17, so NB 17 runs right alongside WB 80 and SB 17 is next to EB 80 - unfortunately there's no easy on-off for the roadside businesses on the south (original roadway) side, though smart travelers can use the previous exit and still get to SB 17. Go to the I-80 page for more, link at bottom of page.


And then things get cool. The last BGS is fairly normal, with some pretty cool older state-name and yellow-background shields. But the two before it? You may notice that the 17 has no black square, and that both the 17 and 80 look a little funny. Well, they are a little funny. They have button copy numbers, and in the case of I-80, button copy outline as well. Other than the N.J. Turnpike, the only other road I've seen with one of these shields in NJ is US 46. Click on the third photo for a closeup of them.


Essex St. is the first junction north of I-80, and is what EB-NB and SB-WB traffic uses (or EB traffic to the SB businesses alongside 80). It gets quite crowded; there is usually a left-turn queue twice as long as the overpass to turn onto the NB onramp.


Note the narrow-style GSP LGS that was also once present as a ground-mounted SB LGS.


This is the only example I've seen in NJ of a CT-style outlined shield - the only other button-copy shields on NJ BGS's have the proper color backgrounds (scroll up to I-80). Van Emburgh Avenue makes NJ 17 have some crazy ramps in this area, and is responsible for both this ramp between Linwood Avenue EB and WB, and the only other (?) truly original sign on this part of 17, which is southbound (link at bottom).

Dig that crazy curve, man.


The first instance where a town substitutes for a street name. Why must you get to the exit itself to know what road you might be taking?


Again, this is Allendale Road, not just a collection of towns.


If you can figure out how to travel at a positive velocity without covering any distance, then you can probably discover time travel fairly easily. NJDOT seems to have the first part down pat, as two consecutive advance signs for Island Road are ostensibly the same distance from the exit. Let's do the Distance Warp again... Of historical note, Lake St. was the last signal removed on NJ 17, in the 1980s.


Actually, trucks for US 202 are supposed to stay on 17, not exit... if they're going NB. They once followed CR 507, the Franklin Turnpike, which meets US 202 at the NY border, but there are absolutely no other Truck 202 signs anywhere in the area because Bergen County doesn't like trucks on its roads, including 202 which is county-maintained.


The opening of I-287 through northern NJ resulted in a massive reconfiguration of the NJ 17/NY 17/I-287 interchange - I-287 is now a through route, and NY 17 was taken off the Hillburn Bypass and put onto the Thruway (I-87) for one exit. The 17 NB-287 SB ramp takes a loop that just grazes the NY border, which once was just an NJ 17 turnaround to stay in the state (or to get you SB from the small office complex just to the east). Notice that only one of the I-287 shields has the NJ state name, and it's for the NB direction that's about to enter New York.

Over to the SB lanes
Back to NJ 17 main page

Onto Polifly Rd./Terrace Ave., Bergen CR 55/old NJ 17
Onto Franklin Turnpike, CR 507/old NJ 17

Onto NJ 7
Onto NJ 3
Onto NJ 120
Onto US 46
Onto Summit Ave., CR 57
Onto I-80
Onto Essex St., CR 12/56
Onto NJ 4
Onto the Garden State Parkway
Toward Washington Twp. on Van Emburgh Ave., CR 71
Onto Paramus Rd., CR 62
Onto Racetrack Rd., CR 112
Onto Hollywood Ave., CR 502
Onto Lake St., CR 2
Onto US 202
Onto I-287
Into New York on NY 17
Into New York on I-87 (and I-287)
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