Marlton Circle
Encyclopedia
The Marlton Circle was a traffic circle
in the Marlton
section of Evesham Township
, New Jersey
, located at the intersection of Route 70 and Route 73. The highways connecting through the circle provide access to drivers navigating to and between the New Jersey Turnpike
, the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
and points on the Jersey Shore
.
A plan to eliminate the circle was announced in 2002 as part of a $26 million project that would address congestion at the circle, which was at the time "the third most dangerous intersection in the state". By 2008, plans to eliminate the circle, described by The Philadelphia Inquirer
as "one of the most dangerous intersections in South Jersey", and replace it with an overpass over Route 70 were continuing, a task made more difficult by the daily traffic volume of 90,000 vehicles passing through the circle. Construction broke ground on April 8, 2009, with project completion slated for November 2011.
On May 2, 2010, new traffic patterns were put into effect on Route 70 and 73, and the circle was closed off to traffic and replaced with a regular four-way intersection put in place until the overpass was completed. The circle elimination project also made improvements and new traffic patterns to local roads nearby, including the intersections of Old Marlton Pike (CR 600), East Main Street (CR 620) and Centre Boulevard. New service roads were constructed to provide access for the several businesses in the area, as well as installing new signage and new traffic signals where needed.
On June 25, 2011, the circle was officially eliminated as the Route 73 southbound overpass opened to traffic. The northbound lanes began using the new bridge in March 2011. The total cost of the project is now being estimated at $33 million.
, opened in 1946 and was originally called Mom and Pop's. It became Olga's Diner when it moved to a location across the street in 1951; and finally moved to the Marlton Circle in 1960. It was put up for sale in 2005, and finally closed in December 2008.
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
in the Marlton
Marlton, New Jersey
Marlton is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Evesham Township in Burlington County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population of Marlton was 10,260.-History:...
section of Evesham Township
Evesham Township, New Jersey
Evesham Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The township population was 45,538 as of the 2010 United States Census....
, 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...
, located at the intersection of Route 70 and Route 73. The highways connecting through the circle provide access to drivers navigating to and between the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
, the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
The Tacony–Palmyra Bridge is a combination steel arch, double-leaf bascule bridge across the Delaware River, connecting New Jersey Route 73 in Palmyra, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Route 73 in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. The bridge has a total length of 3,659 feet and spans 2,324 feet . It...
and points on the Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
.
History
For years after the construction of the one-lane Marlton Circle in the 1940s, the area was a sparsely populated farming town. While the roads in the area had long been lightly traveled, the population of Evesham Township had doubled since the 1970s and the increased housing and commercial density placed greater traffic stress on the Marlton Circle. In the summer of 1974, the circle was modified when Route 73 was cut through and traffic signals were installed. Congestion has plagued this intersection for years, routinely backing up as far as a mile on summer afternoons. A motorist described the interchange as being like an airport in a resident neighborhood, saying it's "not a traffic circle, it's a non-traffic circle".A plan to eliminate the circle was announced in 2002 as part of a $26 million project that would address congestion at the circle, which was at the time "the third most dangerous intersection in the state". By 2008, plans to eliminate the circle, described by The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
as "one of the most dangerous intersections in South Jersey", and replace it with an overpass over Route 70 were continuing, a task made more difficult by the daily traffic volume of 90,000 vehicles passing through the circle. Construction broke ground on April 8, 2009, with project completion slated for November 2011.
On May 2, 2010, new traffic patterns were put into effect on Route 70 and 73, and the circle was closed off to traffic and replaced with a regular four-way intersection put in place until the overpass was completed. The circle elimination project also made improvements and new traffic patterns to local roads nearby, including the intersections of Old Marlton Pike (CR 600), East Main Street (CR 620) and Centre Boulevard. New service roads were constructed to provide access for the several businesses in the area, as well as installing new signage and new traffic signals where needed.
On June 25, 2011, the circle was officially eliminated as the Route 73 southbound overpass opened to traffic. The northbound lanes began using the new bridge in March 2011. The total cost of the project is now being estimated at $33 million.
Olga's Diner
Olga's Diner, which Peter Genovese (writer for The Star-Ledger) describes as "the queen of South Jersey diners", was located at the Marlton Circle for four decades. The diner, originally located at the junction of Sixth and Federal Streets in CamdenCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, opened in 1946 and was originally called Mom and Pop's. It became Olga's Diner when it moved to a location across the street in 1951; and finally moved to the Marlton Circle in 1960. It was put up for sale in 2005, and finally closed in December 2008.