New Jersey Route 48

New Jersey Route 48

Route 48 is an east–west state highway in Salem County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a 4.26-mile (6.86 km) route running from U.S. Route 130 (Virginia Avenue) and County Route 675 (Main Street) in Penns Grove to U.S. Route 40 (Wiley Road) in Carneys Point Township. It is known as East Main Street from U.S. Route 130 to DuPont Road, and as the Harding Highway from DuPont Road to its terminus at U.S. Route 40. Route 48 is signed east–west, although it travels more northwest-southeast throughout its route. It is a two-lane, undivided road through its entire length that intersects with Interstate 295 and County Route 551.

The road was originally created as Route 18S, running from Penns Grove to Atlantic City, in 1923, before becoming Route 48 in 1927. In Penns Grove, the route ended at a ferry which crossed the Delaware River to Wilmington, Delaware, connecting with Delaware Route 48 until the ferry service was terminated in 1951, when the Delaware Memorial Bridge opened. U.S. Route 40 was also designated to run along the entire length of the route between Penns Grove and Atlantic City. On two occasions, U.S. Route 40 has been relocated off portions of Route 48: once following a realignment to a ferry between New Castle, Delaware and Pennsville and again after the Delaware Memorial Bridge and New Jersey Turnpike opened in 1951. Route 48 was designated onto its current alignment in 1953, eliminating the concurrency it shared with U.S. Route 40 from Carneys Point Township to Atlantic City.