Exit 8A

The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA). The 117.2-mile (188.6 km) mainline's southern terminus is at the Delaware Memorial Bridge on Interstate 295 (I-295) in Pennsville Township. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 46 (US 46) in Ridgefield Park. Construction of the mainline, from concept to completion, took a total of 22 months between 1950 and 1951. It was opened to traffic on November 5, 1951, between its southern terminus and exit 10. The turnpike is a major thoroughfare providing access to various localities in New Jersey, and provides a direct bypass southeast of Philadelphia for long-distance travelers between New York City and Washington, D.C. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road, and one of the most heavily traveled highways in the nation. The northern part of the mainline turnpike, along with all its extensions and spurs, is a part of the Interstate Highway System. It is designated I-95 from exit 6 in Mansfield Township to its northern end near New York City. South of exit 6, it has the unsigned Route 700 designation. There are three extensions and two spurs, including the Newark Bay Extension at exit 14, which carries I-78; the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension, officially known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Turnpike Extension, at exit 6, which carries I-95 off the mainline turnpike; the Eastern Spur and the Western Spur, which split traffic between Newark and Ridgefield; and the Interstate 95 Extension, which continues the mainline to the George Washington Bridge approach in Fort Lee. All segments (excluding the I-95 Extension) are toll roads. The route is divided into four roadways between exit 6 and exit 14. The inner lanes are generally restricted to cars, while the outer lanes are open to cars, trucks, and buses. The turnpike has 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) lanes, 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) shoulders, and 12 of the highway's service areas are named after notable New Jersey residents. The Interstate Highway System took some of its design guidelines from those of the turnpike. The turnpike has been referenced many times in music, film, and television.