New Jersey Route 37 - History

History

Prior to 1927, the route between present-day Route 70 in Lakehurst and present-day County Route 527 in Toms River was a part of Pre-1927 Route 18, which was legislated in 1923 to run from Camden to Toms River. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 37 was legislated to run from Route 27 and Route 30 (now U.S. Route 1 Business, U.S. Route 206, and Route 31) in Trenton to Route 35 (now Route 88) in Point Pleasant, passing through White Horse, Allentown, Lakehurst, Toms River, and Seaside Heights. The portion between Trenton and White Horse replaced part of Pre-1927 Route 2, while the portion between Lakehurst and Toms River replaced part of Pre-1927 Route 18.

Following the 1927 renumbering, Route 37 existed in two separate sections, one running from downtown Trenton to the White Horse Circle, concurrent with U.S. Route 206, and one running from Route 40 (now Route 70) in Lakehurst to Point Pleasant. The remainder of the route between White Horse and Lakehurst remained incomplete. There are, as of mid-2008, a few old concrete bridges dating from the 1930s and 1940s between the White Horse Circle and Allentown, which list sections of what is now County Route 524 as having been Route 37 at that time, as well as one or two along County Route 539 south of Allentown. In addition, some maps labeled these routes as being part of Route 37. In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 37 was legislated to run along its current alignment from Route 70 in Lakehurst to Route 35 in Seaside Heights. The number was dropped between Trenton and White Horse in favor of U.S. Route 206, while the section between Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant became a realignment of Route 35.

Route 37 was proposed in the late 1960s as a freeway that was to run from Route 29 in the Trenton area to Seaside Heights. It was suggested that this freeway be completed by 1975 in order to handle a rapid growth of population in Central New Jersey. In 1967, this proposal was altered to build a road that compromised with the proposed Route 38 freeway between Camden and Wall Township. It soon received federal funding and was built as Interstate 195, running from Trenton to Wall Township.

The portion of Route 37 within Toms River Township was officially named Little League World Champions Boulevard in 1998 following Toms River East Little League's victory in the 1998 Little League World Series.