New Jersey Route 94 - History

History

In the 1927 renumbering of state highways, Route 8 was defined to run along present-day Route 94 from Route 6 (current US 46) at the Delaware Bridge north to Columbia before turning northeast to Route 31 (now U.S. Route 206) in Newton. Past Newton, Route 31 continued northeast to the New York state line (current US 206 north of here was Route S31). In the original version of the renumbering bill, Route 31 was to reach the border via Sussex, incorporating pre-1927 Route 8 (now Route 284) from Sussex to the state line. However, in the final version, Route 31 ran via Hamburg, using the same alignment as a planned spur of pre-1927 Route 8 from Lafayette to North Church. Route 8 was eventually taken over by the state. On the other hand, by 1949, only one section of Route 31 north of the Route S31 split had been taken between North Church to Hamburg.

In the 1953 renumbering, Route 8 was renumbered to Route 94, which was extended northeast past Newton along former Route 31 to the New York state line, matching NY 94 across the border. It was initially only marked south of Hamburg, as none of the route north of Hamburg was state-maintained. Originally, Route 94 began at the now razed Delaware Bridge, where US 46 would cross into Pennsylvania. Route 94 would wind right and north-east a few to Columbia, where it joined its current route. In December 1953, both the Portland–Columbia Toll Bridge and Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge opened. That year a section of Old Mine Road was rebuilt and aligned as a four lane freeway between Columbia and the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge. At this time, US 46 was rerouted over the first several miles of Route 94 between the Delaware Bridge and Columbia, and Route 94 was cut back to Columbia, near the Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge. Here, US 46 would end and US 611, would cross the Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge from Pennsylvania and follow the freeway north to the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge. The freeway portion that US 611 followed became a part of I-80 in 1959. When US 611 was removed from New Jersey by 1969, Route 94 was extended to the state line on the Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge. Also by this time, the unsigned portions of Route 94 north of Newton were signed. In 1973, this whole area was realigned into a complex interchange as the New Jersey portion of Interstate 80 was completed.

In 1964, a Route 94 freeway was proposed to run from I-80 in Netcong north to the planned Route 23 freeway in Hamburg, following US 206 north to Newton and current Route 94 to Hamburg. In the late 1960s, the NJDOT planned for the Route 94 freeway to run from I-80/US 46 in Columbia northeast to the New York border near Wawayanda State Park. The NJDOT hoped to get funding for the freeway in 1970 for it to become an Interstate highway as it was planned to serve the proposed Tocks Island recreation area. This proposed Interstate, which was to run from I-80 in Hope Township to I-84 in Port Jervis and continue northeast along US 209, was denied funding. After reviewing the proposal again in 1972, the NJDOT determined that the freeway would cost $96 million. It was eventually canceled due to environmental concerns and financial constraints.