County Route 503 (New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
County Route 503 is a county highway
in the U.S. state
of New Jersey
. The highway extends 17.95 miles (28.89 kilometers) from Paterson Plank Road
(Route 120
) in Carlstadt
to the New York
state line at the Montvale NJ
/Pearl River NY
border, where it continues as New York State Route 304
. It parallels the Hackensack River
and New Jersey Transit
's Pascack Valley Line
for much of its route.
For the northern portion of the roadway, from River Edge
to Montvale
, it is known as Kinderkamack Road. In Hackensack
, the roadway is known as River Street.
Kinderkamack comes from the language of the Lenape
Native Americans
, meaning "place of ceremonial dance and worship." During the American Revolutionary War
, General Lafayette
's division camped in what is now Oradell
at Kinderkamack and Soldier Hill Roads.
. Traffic following NJ 120 around the MetLife Sports Complex exits (or enters) in East Rutherford
, while CR 503 traffic continues straight ahead into Carlstadt
. Through the industrial area of the borough
of Carlstadt, the four-lane highway, divided in some sections, is called Washington Avenue.
At Moonachie Avenue, CR 503 crosses into Moonachie
and becomes known as Moonachie Road. The highway continues as a two-lane road through Little Ferry
, there called Liberty Street, where it intersects US 46
. Entering South Hackensack
, the road again becomes Moonachie Road and continues into Hackensack
. At the end of Moonachie Road, CR 503 then turns left onto the four-lane River Street, which passes under Interstate 80
and the Susquehanna Railway
tracks. Near the Fairleigh Dickinson University
campus, River Street becomes Hackensack Avenue, which shortly crosses NJ 4 and then the Coles Brook into River Edge
.
Near the Steuben House
in River Edge, CR 503 turns left onto Main Street and crosses the Pascack Valley Line
at grade before turning northward onto Kinderkamack Road. CR 503 then continues north through Oradell
, Emerson
, Westwood
, Hillsdale
, Woodcliff Lake
, Park Ridge
, and Montvale
. Most of this ten-mile (16 km) stretch is two-lane road, but the northbound and southbound alignments split briefly in Montvale, where the highway again crosses the Pascack Valley Line at Grand Avenue.
At the New York
state line, Kinderkamack Road becomes four-lane NY 304
in the village of Pearl River
.
County highway
A county highway is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The highway extends 17.95 miles (28.89 kilometers) from Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey originally lain in the colonial era. The route, connecting the city Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront, still exists...
(Route 120
New Jersey Route 120
Route 120 is a state highway located in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It extends from an interchange with Route 3 in East Rutherford to another interchange with Route 17 in Carlstadt, where it continues to the west as County Route 120. NJ 120 serves the Meadowlands Sports Complex,...
) in Carlstadt
Carlstadt, New Jersey
Carlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,127.Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. It was named after Dr...
to the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state line at the Montvale NJ
Montvale, New Jersey
Montvale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,844.Montvale was incorporated as a borough on August 31, 1894, from portions of Orvil Township and Washington Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" craze then...
/Pearl River NY
Pearl River, New York
Pearl River is a hamlet , in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located east of Nauraushaun; north of the state of New Jersey; south of Nanuet and west of Blauvelt...
border, where it continues as New York State Route 304
New York State Route 304
New York State Route 304 is a New York State Route that is entirely located in Central Rockland County. NY 304 begins at the New Jersey-New York border in Pearl River, New York, and ends at US 9W. Though it crosses both the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Interstate...
. It parallels the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
and New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
's Pascack Valley Line
Pascack Valley Line
The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit. The line runs north from Hoboken, New Jersey through Bergen County and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with...
for much of its route.
For the northern portion of the roadway, from River Edge
River Edge, New Jersey
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,340.The community was incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, at the...
to Montvale
Montvale, New Jersey
Montvale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,844.Montvale was incorporated as a borough on August 31, 1894, from portions of Orvil Township and Washington Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" craze then...
, it is known as Kinderkamack Road. In Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
, the roadway is known as River Street.
Kinderkamack comes from the language of the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, meaning "place of ceremonial dance and worship." During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, General Lafayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
's division camped in what is now Oradell
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
at Kinderkamack and Soldier Hill Roads.
Route description
While signage directing traffic to County Route 503 exists on westbound NJ 3, CR 503 officially begins at NJ 120New Jersey Route 120
Route 120 is a state highway located in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It extends from an interchange with Route 3 in East Rutherford to another interchange with Route 17 in Carlstadt, where it continues to the west as County Route 120. NJ 120 serves the Meadowlands Sports Complex,...
. Traffic following NJ 120 around the MetLife Sports Complex exits (or enters) in East Rutherford
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, while CR 503 traffic continues straight ahead into Carlstadt
Carlstadt, New Jersey
Carlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,127.Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. It was named after Dr...
. Through the industrial area of the borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
of Carlstadt, the four-lane highway, divided in some sections, is called Washington Avenue.
At Moonachie Avenue, CR 503 crosses into Moonachie
Moonachie, New Jersey
Moonachie is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, in the Hackensack River watershed. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,708....
and becomes known as Moonachie Road. The highway continues as a two-lane road through Little Ferry
Little Ferry, New Jersey
Little Ferry is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 10,626.-Geography:Little Ferry is located at ....
, there called Liberty Street, where it intersects US 46
U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 is an east–west U.S. Highway, running for , completely within the state of New Jersey. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County on the Delaware River...
. Entering South Hackensack
South Hackensack, New Jersey
South Hackensack Township is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 2,378....
, the road again becomes Moonachie Road and continues into Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
. At the end of Moonachie Road, CR 503 then turns left onto the four-lane River Street, which passes under Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
and the Susquehanna Railway
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class II American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the northeastern states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was formed in 1881 from the merger of several...
tracks. Near the Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
campus, River Street becomes Hackensack Avenue, which shortly crosses NJ 4 and then the Coles Brook into River Edge
River Edge, New Jersey
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,340.The community was incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, at the...
.
Near the Steuben House
Steuben House
The Steuben House is a noted example of Bergen Dutch sandstone architecture, located at New Bridge Landing on the Hackensack River in River Edge, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.-History:...
in River Edge, CR 503 turns left onto Main Street and crosses the Pascack Valley Line
Pascack Valley Line
The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit. The line runs north from Hoboken, New Jersey through Bergen County and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with...
at grade before turning northward onto Kinderkamack Road. CR 503 then continues north through Oradell
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
, Emerson
Emerson, New Jersey
Emerson is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,401....
, Westwood
Westwood, New Jersey
Westwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,908....
, Hillsdale
Hillsdale, New Jersey
Hillsdale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 10,219.The populated area today known as Hillsdale took form in the mid-to-late 19th century as land speculators, led by David P. Patterson, developed subdivisons to profit from the...
, Woodcliff Lake
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Woodcliff Lake is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 5,730.Woodcliff Lake is also the name of the reservoir that lies primarily within the borough, with a small part of it located in neighboring Hillsdale.The borough is an...
, Park Ridge
Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Park Ridge had a population of 8,645 as of the 2010 United States Census....
, and Montvale
Montvale, New Jersey
Montvale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,844.Montvale was incorporated as a borough on August 31, 1894, from portions of Orvil Township and Washington Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" craze then...
. Most of this ten-mile (16 km) stretch is two-lane road, but the northbound and southbound alignments split briefly in Montvale, where the highway again crosses the Pascack Valley Line at Grand Avenue.
At the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state line, Kinderkamack Road becomes four-lane NY 304
New York State Route 304
New York State Route 304 is a New York State Route that is entirely located in Central Rockland County. NY 304 begins at the New Jersey-New York border in Pearl River, New York, and ends at US 9W. Though it crosses both the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Interstate...
in the village of Pearl River
Pearl River, New York
Pearl River is a hamlet , in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located east of Nauraushaun; north of the state of New Jersey; south of Nanuet and west of Blauvelt...
.