New Jersey Route 139 - History

History

What is now the upper level of Route 139 was originally designated as the northernmost part of pre-1927 Route 1 in 1922, a route that was to run from Trenton to Jersey City. When the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926, this road was also designated as a part of U.S. Route 1. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering this portion of route became a part of Route 25, a route that was to run from the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden to the Holland Tunnel. In 1928, the two-level portion of the road was constructed to provide a high-speed connection between the Holland Tunnel and Newark. After the opening of the George Washington Bridge, U.S. Route 1 was realigned to head north along U.S. Route 9 from the Tonnele Circle to the bridge, and the former U.S. Route 1 between the Tonnele Circle and the Holland Tunnel along Route 25 became U.S. Route 1/9 Business. At the Holland Tunnel, this route connected to New York State Route 1A and New York State Route 9A. In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, the Route 25 designation was dropped from the route in favor of U.S. Route 1/9 Business. By the 1990s, U.S. Route 1/9 Business was renumbered to Route 139.

A freeway for Route 139 called the Bergen Arches Expressway was proposed in 1989 by Governor Thomas Kean to connect the Jersey City waterfront with a new railroad line providing access to the Meadowlands Sports Complex. This proposed road, which was to be four lanes wide, was to follow an abandoned railroad line known as the Bergen Arches. This proposed highway was strongly supported by Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, who felt that the road could bring development to urban areas as well as provide traffic relief to the current Route 139. In 1998, this project was allocated $26 million in the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. In 2001, during the race for Mayor of Jersey City, the candidates lobbied for a transit line instead of a highway along the Bergen Arches. Plans for a highway along the Bergen Arches were dropped in 2002 as leaders of Jersey City, including Mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham, favored mass transit along the right-of-way instead.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation is undertaking a $225 million project on the 12th and 14th Street Viaducts, built in 1927 and 1950 respectively. The 12th Street Viaduct, which underwent a renovation in 1968, is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The reason for this project is that the current viaducts are structurally obsolete. The steel beams on the viaducts had deteriorated and the concrete was just extra weight. The project includes replacement of the concrete deck, retrofitting for earthquakes, repair of the substructure and superstructure, and construction of a shoulder on westbound 14th Street. The new viaducts are to also feature ornamental designs to recall the historical significance of the two viaducts. This project is expected to be completed in 2010.