Question: The location near the Garden State Parkway that closed on February 23 , 1961 is operated and maintained by who ?

text: Garden State Parkway
Picnic areas
The John B. Townsend Shoemaker Holly picnic area One of the objectives of the parkway was to become a state park its entire length , and its users would enjoy park-like aesthetics with minimal intrusion of urban scenery . Along the ride , users were permitted to stop and picnic along the roadway to further enjoy the relaxation qualities the parkway had to offer . All picnic areas had tall trees that provided shade and visual isolation from the roadway . Grills , benches , running water and restrooms were provided . Over time as the parkway transformed into a road of commerce , the picnic areas were closed for a variety of reasons . Their ramp terminals became insufficient to accommodate the high-speed mainline traffic and in addition to the decreasing number of users , the picnic areas were becoming more effective as maintenance yards and were converted as such or closed altogether . [ 125 ] The one remaining picnic area , John B. Townsend Shoemaker Holly , is closed from dusk to dawn . Posted signs within the picnic area prohibit fires and camping . [ 125 ] There were ten operational picnic areas :
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip at Cape May to the New York line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the Garden State. The parkway's official, but unsigned, designation is Route 444. At its north end, the road becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector, a component of the New York State Thruway system that connects to the Thruway mainline in Ramapo. At a length of , the parkway is the longest highway in the state. Most of the highway has a posted speed limit of . The parkway is primarily for passenger vehicle use; trucks weighing over are prohibited north of exit 105. The parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban northern New Jersey with resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north-south routes running through each town center, such as U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 9, and Route 35. During planning, the road was originally designated as the Route 4 Parkway. Unofficially, the parkway has two sections: the metropolitan section north of the Raritan River and the shore section between the Raritan River and Cape May. Most of the metropolitan section is like any other expressway built in the 1950s through heavily populated areas. The shore section parallels US 9 and runs through unspoiled wilderness in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Name Location Milepost Direction Opened Closed Notes
John B. Townsend Shoemaker Holly Upper Township 22.7 miles ( 36.5 km ) Both October 20 , 1965 - John B. Townsend was a physician from Ocean City who became the New Jersey Highway Authority 's second Vice Chairman in 1955 . The word Shoemaker comes from the last name of the landowner in the way of the parkway 's alignment during its initial construction . The term Holly comes from the holly tree that was on Shoemaker 's property . The tree is presumed to be 300 years old and one of , if not , the oldest holly tree in the United States . The bathrooms at Shoemaker Holly were demolished in August 2014
Stafford Forge Stafford Township 61.6 miles ( 99.1 km ) Both May 27 , 1955 1990s
Oyster Creek Lacey Township 71.3 miles ( 114.7 km ) Both May 27 , 1955 1980s-1990s The murder of Maria Marshall orchestrated by her husband Robert O. Marshall occurred in the Oyster Creek picnic area on the night of September 7 , 1984 . The story was made into a novel and television movie on NBC
Double Trouble Double Trouble 79.0 miles ( 127.1 km ) Southbound  February 23 , 1961 The NJHA chose to abandon the picnic area due to the outbreak of mosquitoes from a nearby cranberry bog
Polhemus Creek Brick Township 82.0 miles ( 132.0 km ) Northbound June 4 , 1955 1980s-1990s
Herbertsville Wall Township 94.65 miles ( 152.32 km ) Southbound May 27 , 1955 1980s Converted to a maintenance yard of the same name and heavy vehicle weigh station
Telegraph Hill Holmdel Township 115.85 miles ( 186.44 km ) Both April 24 , 1957 2010s The picnic area was off exit 116 , next to the PNC Bank Arts Center
Glenside Woodbridge Township 130.2 miles ( 209.5 km ) Southbound  October 23 , 1987 Closed due to illegal use for sex and drugs
Madison Hill Woodbridge Township 134.9 miles ( 217.1 km ) Northbound November 1 , 1950 1980s-1990s Madison Hill was an overlook constructed for the Route 4 Parkway rather than the whole Garden State Parkway
Tall Oaks Cranford 137.0 miles ( 220.5 km ) Southbound  July 1988 Closed due to illegal use for sex and drugs ; converted to maintenance yard