Interstate 195 (New Jersey)

**Interstate 195** (**I-195**) is an auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western end is at I-295 and Route 29 just south of Trenton, New Jersey in Hamilton Township, Mercer County while its eastern end is at the Garden State Parkway, Route 34 and Route 138 in Wall Township, Monmouth County. I-195 is 34.17 miles (54.99 km) in length. The route is mostly a four-lane highway that runs through wooded areas in Central Jersey. It has an interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) in Robbinsville Township and serves as a main access road to the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park (which is off the CR 537 exit in Jackson Township) and the Jersey Shore. I-195 is occasionally referred to as the **Central Jersey Expressway**. On April 6, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed H.R. 4263 naming Interstate 195 in New Jersey the **James J. Howard Interstate Highway**, in honor of the late James J. Howard.

The current I-195 was initially planned as a toll road called the Trenton-Asbury Park Expressway in the 1950s. In the 1960s, it became two proposed freeways Route 37 and Route 38 that were to cross the central part of the state. A compromise was reached for a single freeway between Trenton and Belmar which would get Interstate Highway funding as I-195. It was built in several stages during the 1970s and 1980s. There once existed a plan to extend the I-195 designation west to the interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) and I-95 in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, but it was decided to extend the I-295 designation west and south, along existing I-95 instead.

## Route Description

I-195's western terminus is at a modified cloverleaf interchange with I-295 in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, located southeast of the city of Trenton. From this end, the freeway continues north into Trenton as Route 29. I-195 serves as the southern continuation of Route 29, continuing east from I-295 as a six-lane expressway, passing between suburban neighborhoods to the north and the Crosswicks Creek to the south. After the exit for US 206, the highway narrows to four lanes and turns northeast as it interchanges with CR 524 and CR 620. Following this, I-195 passes near more neighborhoods and runs to the northwest of Gropp Lake before turning more to the east. The route has a cloverleaf interchange with Yardville-Hamilton Square Road before passing near business parks and reaching a cloverleaf junction with US 130. After US 130, the road enters Robbinsville Township as the settings start to become more rural, with a few areas of suburban development. In Robbinsville Township, there is a ramp that provides access to the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95). Shortly after passing over the New Jersey Turnpike, I-195 reaches the exit for CR 526. The highway runs to the north of Allentown before briefly forming the border between Robbinsville Township to the north and Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County to the south as it reaches the interchange with CR 524/CR 539.

Upon passing under CR 524/CR 539, I-195 fully enters Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County and continues east through a mix of woodland and farmland. The next interchange the highway reaches is with CR 43. Past this exit, the highway passes through more rural areas and crosses into Millstone Township. In this area, I-195 turns to the southeast and enters more forested areas as it comes to a cloverleaf interchange with CR 537. This exit off I-195 provides access to the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park and the Jackson Premium Outlets. Due to the presence of Six Flags, this exit off I-195 can become busy during the summer months since it provides access to the park from both the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which lies just east of I-195's eastern terminus. Upon crossing CR 537, the highway enters Jackson Township in Ocean County and continues east through heavy woods. The road comes to an exit with CR 527, where there is a park and ride lot for motorists. The median of I-195 widens past the CR 527 junction before narrowing as it comes to the CR 638 interchange. The road runs through more woodland, with nearby residential development increasing.

After crossing the North Branch Metedeconk River, I-195 continues into Howell Township, Monmouth County and turns northeast, reaching a cloverleaf interchange with US 9. At this point, the road turns east again and soon heads back into dense woods, passing over Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Southern Secondary railroad line. After crossing the Manasquan River, the expressway interchanges with CR 547, which provides access to CR 524 and CR 549. Shortly after CR 547, I-195 enters Wall Township and passes through Allaire State Park. The eastern end of I-195 is located at Exit 35, its junction with Route 34 that has access to the southbound Garden State Parkway from the eastbound direction. At the exit for Route 34, I-195 ends and Route 138 begins, but the highway and exit numbering continue onto Route 138, marking the interchange with the Garden State Parkway as Exit 36.