New Jersey Roads - NJ 172




Commercial Ave. NB in New Brunswick at George St., courtesy Lou Corsaro. NJ 172 begins to the right (east), and CR 672 heads to the west. Coincidence? I think not. The sign post for this old green sign once held a much older white sign, back when this was the junction of US 130 and NJ 18.


Before construction, Ryder's Lane NB only could head southbound on NJ 172, having to use the next jughandle to U-turn or be forced onto NJ 18 SB. Now, with the temporarily and permanently signed roundabout, finally all of the connections here are complete. There are also brand-new Begin and End signs, a rarity for a county route.


Behold one of the first roundabouts on a NJ state highway. Expect more.


New shield for when the interchange opens, but it's wrong - you're better off using NJ 18 NB to get to I-287 instead of heading south to US 1. It's also wrong because while the shield blank is perfect, the paint job is just horrible - check the outline.


Back before construction began, the SB onramp from George Street, and the end of NJ 172 SB (should really be EB, but since NJ 18 was changed over to N-S from originally being E-W, so was 172 I guess).
Construction photos 9/14/08


The divergence of the 172 SB-18 SB ramp from the rest of the roadway. The reconstruction adds a 172 SB-18 NB ramp to what was once a purely directional interchange, probably to help traffic exit this area of Rutgers. Traffic from 18 SB-172 NB still has to use the prior exit at Commercial Ave., which finally is now an exit instead of a traffic signal.


The decorative railing on the 18 NB-172 NB ramp is one panel from completion, while steel rebar awaits the pour of the concrete bridge side.


The garbage bin (remember, Dumpster is a brand name) I can excuse for now, but I sure hope all of those important large PVC pipes get buried somewhere safe before the interchange opens. Notice that the decorative approach sidewalk has been finished before the pavement or the bridge. It's up to the contractor and his subcontractors as to when certain materials or skilled craftsmen are available for the lowest price.


Some of the nice details - seeing the Raritan River through stone arches, replica antique lamppost instead of NJDOT cookie-cutter standard, faux stonework that's just painted concrete.


The concrete bridge deck is completed, but the approaches have a few inches of pavement to go. Looking south (east) on NJ 18, there is a reconstructed median still to go, perhaps some sidewalk (are they really letting people walk along NJ 18?), and finalizing the ramp gores.


Looking back north on NJ 172, which is open from this normally-signalized intersection northward (westward). The sign atop this page hangs from that intersection, and will be replaced before everything is open.


From the far side of the bridge, steel stacked on the bridge deck and a look at the bridge joint before it gets built up to the finished grade.


For the first time ever, the NJ 172 SB-NJ 18 NB ramp, with New Brunswick rising in the background. Well, it's not quite a ramp; what will happen is that there will be an 18 NB ramp coming off of the mainline where all traffic now exits, joining the roadway from NJ 172 as a frontage road serving Commercial Ave. It's also possible the wall will be completed and there would be no ramp here at all.


In the distance, the NJ 27 and Northeast Corridor bridges. Way back when, NJDOT did a nice job making its bridge mimic the rail viaduct.


The 18 NB-172 NB ramp is the least complete of all of the roadways. Part of it is dirt, and part of it is rebar awaiting concrete. Very little of it is paved, but the NJ 18 mainline is hungry for this to open so it can expand to three lanes a little farther from the Paulus Boulevard intersection.


The handicapped-accessible sidewalk ramp awaits... a sidewalk. And then the pedestrians that probably will never walk out this way.
Onto NJ 18
To I-287
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