NJ 180 was Bay Ave. in Stafford and Manahawkin, the old alignment of NJ 72 out of Long Beach Island. When NJ 72 was dualized to handle shore traffic, the alignment wouldn't fit on the old two-lane, so NJ 72 went around the south of Stafford instead. NJDOT dropped 180 when they picked up the southern piece of NJ 35 into Island Beach State Park, in 1980. It's now Ocean County Road 50 in those two towns (County Roads reset across town lines, so there are other 50's, but this is the only one in the NJDOT Straight Line Diagrams).

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Former NJ 180


You know me by now, I love finding these on old state highways, or old ones of these on state highways, some combination of those words. Anyway, NJ 180 for its twelve years of existence always had its west end at US 9, so in fact it's been almost 40 years, not just over 25, since this bridge served a state highway. It's just west of US 9 on what is now just a glorified ramp to NJ 72 WB (but still is Bay Ave.).


I daresay this sign served NJ 72 traffic in the 1960's, but it definitely served NJ 180 traffic in the 1970's, westbound on Bay Ave.

2. There's a 5 on NJ 7, but I don't believe these are related to mileposts. I would love to know what they ARE related to, and if there are any others. It's eastbound.


The one-time WB beginning and EB end of NJ 180, now just the eastern end of County Road 50.

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NJ 72


CR 532/NJ 72 westbound where the duplex breaks up, courtesy Lou Corsaro.













Westbound on 8th St. (NJ 72 WB) in Ship Bottom. Nice name. 8th St. was the original two-lane causeway that took Bay Ave. out into present-day Former NJ 180, and when a new four-lane causeway was built with wider bridges, as you can see 8th St. was dualized for the traffic. More recently, NJ 72 EB was ported onto 9th St. to make them a one-way pair, and the former eastbound lanes are now just a service road.


Long Beach Blvd. NB at the eastern beginning of NJ 72. The letters don't stick too well to the gap between the sign panels. This style of LGS wasn't around very long, for obvious reasons.

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Onto US 9
Onto CR 532
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