New Jersey Route 45

New Jersey Route 45

Route 45 is a state highway in the southern part of New Jersey, United States. It runs 28.51 mi (45.88 km) from Route 49 in Salem, Salem County, northeast to U.S. Route 130 in Westville, Gloucester County. Much of the southern part of the route runs through rural areas of Salem and Gloucester counties, passing through the communities of Woodstown and Mullica Hill. North of Mullica Hill, Route 45 runs through suburban areas, with the portion of the route between the northern border of Mantua Township and the southern border of Woodbury a four-lane divided highway. The route intersects many highways, including U.S. Route 40 in Woodstown, Route 77 and U.S. Route 322 in Mullica Hill, and Interstate 295 in West Deptford Township.

The current route was originally a segment of pre-1927 Route 6 that was created in 1917, running from Salem to Camden. Route 45 was designated in 1927 to replace the Salem-Camden branch of pre-1927 Route 6 and was eventually realigned to follow U.S. Route 130 (Crescent Boulevard) to the Airport Circle in Pennsauken Township. The northern terminus of Route 45 was moved to its current location in 1953 in order to avoid the concurrency with U.S. Route 130. A freeway for Route 45 between Interstate 295 in Woodbury and U.S. Route 322 in Mullica Hill was recommended by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission in the 1960s. It was never built, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation proposed widening all of Route 45 into a four-lane divided highway; only a small portion in northern Gloucester County was widened.