Really, this is just George Street, leading to NJ 27. If NJDOT cared, they could make George from here on eastward NJ 172, rather than arbitrarily truncating it at Commercial Avenue. But like NJ 26, 91, and 171, 172 is unloved in New Brunswick. Click on the second photo for a larger version of the sign on the left, because the one on the right is gone.


Under a park and the old rail viaduct over the Raritan River, and in the last photo you can see it gives way to stone arches to the south, before NJ 18 meets with the original freeway end at NJ 27. This deck represents years of engineering to find a way to extend NJ 18 toward I-287. Site contributor Lou Corsaro's great-great-grandfather helped build this viaduct, among many along the Northeast Corridor rail line in New Jersey, coming from Italy just for the construction and then returning.


The latter two photos are of the Commercial Ave. terminus reconstruction. There used to be a traffic signal here, but in the interest of better flow, NJ 18 is being converted to a full freeway northwest of NJ 172 (George St.), and until the new interchange is complete, Commercial Ave. traffic has to seek alternate access routes to or from the northbound side. This appears to be the new 172 interchange under construction with the retaining wall, but it may be a construction driveway to facilitate building the wall. See more construction photos at this interchange via the NJ 172 link below.


SB at US 1, just before you hit the New Jersey Turnpike. NJ 18 NB has a very uneven split, with two lanes for NB US 1 and two for both NB 18 and SB 1 - Exit 9 on the Turnpike is giving NB 1 all that traffic, with a terrible merge that puts Turnpike traffic into the two exit lanes (meaning all the New Brunswick traffic is crossing over all the truly northbound traffic) just a few hundred feet before they leave. Click on the first photo to see an older version with the same signs separated on the gantry. What changed from 2003-2013 that pushed them together?


At the Turnpike, we see that the advance BGS either had or will have a lot of company. Or NJDOT is wasteful.


Three old LGS's, or in the case of the mall entrance, an LBS (don't get to use that abbreviation much). All nonreflective, and all have yellowed once-white lettering.


Old curve sign on the SB loop ramp to CR 516 EB, courtesy Lou Corsaro.


In Old Bridge, NJ 18 reverts to a lesser-seen creature in New Jersey: divided highway with unsignalized crossings and left turns without jughandles. This sign is on the overpass connecting CR 516 and CR 527 (which multiplexes with NJ 18 on occasion).


All of the signage at NJ 79 is new in both directions, except this one - and even the exit tab is new!


What happened to Exit 14? 13 and 15 are too close together to have two miles between them. Also, the Wayside Road BGS's in both directions should replace "South" and "North" with small-caps "SOUTH" and "NORTH".


On the Exit 15A ramp, courtesy Scott Colbert.


These start from the NJ 36 ramp and continue southward along NJ 18 to NJ 33, and most of them are upside-down. I don't know when the 36 ramp to GSP SB was closed during toll plaza reconstruction, but it hasn't been for awhile as far as I know.




As you can see, at Exit 6A the FREEWAY ENDS, with flashing right arrows. You might also see that exits 15A and 6B are both for the Garden State Parkway; the southern 8 or so miles of the existing freeway were intended to be part of a NJ 35 freeway paralleling the GSP, and then NJ 18 would branch from there in a northwesterly direction. The 35 freeway was cancelled due to environmental issues and the fact that it would take traffic away from a toll road.

Over to the NB lanes
North to new NJ 18
Along NJ 18 (non-directional)
New Brunswick construction
Onto CR 527 alone
NJ 172/CR 527 and interchange construction
Back to NJ 18 main page

Into Monmouth Co.
Exit 6 to NJ 138
Exit 6B to I-195
Exit 8 to NJ 33
Exit 13B to NJ 36
Exit 15A to the Garden State Parkway
Exit 15 to Monmouth CR 38, Wayside Rd.
Exit 22 to CR 537
Exit 25 to NJ 79
Exit 30 to US 9
Around the loop to CR 516
Onto I-95, the N.J. Turnpike
Onto US 1
Onto NJ 27
Back to NJ Roads
Back to Roads