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Route 120 (New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
Route 120 is a state highway
located in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, United States
. It extends 2.65 mi (4.3 km) 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
, which consists of MetLife Stadium, Meadowlands Racetrack
, and the Izod Center. It heads north from Route 3 as a six-lane freeway through the sports complex to an interchange with the southern terminus of County Route 503
. From here, Route 120 heads northwest along the northern edge of the sports complex as a four-lane divided at-grade Paterson Plank Road
, passing through industrial and commercial areas.
In 1927, Route 3 was legislated along the Paterson Plank Road portion of present-day Route 120. It was eventually designated along the entire portion of current Route 120. In 1953, Route 3 was moved to its current freeway alignment, replacing Route S3, and a portion of Route 20 was designated to run from current Route 3 north to Paterson Plank Road while Paterson Plank Road was removed from the state highway system. The portion of Paterson Plank Road that lost its state highway status in 1953 gained it back in 1972, when it became an extension of Route 20 as a result of the construction of the Meadowlands Sports Complex. As this route was not connected to the mainline of Route 20, it was designated Route 120 by the 1990s. As a result of the construction of American Dream Meadowlands, the interchange between Route 3 and Route 120 is being improved. An overpass between eastbound Route 3 and northbound Route 120 was completed in 2009 and a flyover from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 is to be completed in 2010.
Route 120 begins at an interchange with Route 3 in East Rutherford
, heading to the north on a six-lane freeway with a 50 mph (80.5 km/h) speed limit. The freeway heads north-northeast into the Meadowlands Sports Complex
. Here, MetLife Stadium is on the west side of the road while the Izod Center and the construction site of American Dream Meadowlands are on the east side of the road. Here, the route becomes a 40 mph (64.4 km/h) freeway that has two interchanges that provide access to the sports complex. The route comes to an interchange with the southern terminus of County Route 503
(Washington Avenue) and Paterson Plank Road
, where Route 120 becomes a four-lane divided surface road that merges with Paterson Plank Road as it heads northwest along the border of Carlstadt
to the northeast and East Rutherford to the southwest. Meanwhile, County Route 503 continues north-northeast to head into the eastern part of Carlstadt.
Route 120 passes between the Meadowlands Racetrack
and New Jersey Transit
's Meadowlands Rail Line
on the East Rutherford side of the road and commercial and industrial areas on the Carlstadt side of the road, intersecting with Gotham Parkway. The route has a southbound exit and entrance to the Meadowlands Sports Complex before it crosses Berrys Creek
. Upon crossing the creek, Route 120 continues northwest through industrial and commercial areas, intersecting with Murray Hill Parkway. A short distance past this intersection, the road becomes a four-lane undivided road that crosses New Jersey Transit’s Pascack Valley Line
before coming to an interchange with Route 17. Here, Route 120 ends and County Route 120 continues to the west as Paterson Avenue.
into Bergen County, the road is called Paterson Avenue and designated as County Route 120, in Wallington
, in a residential and light-density commercial area. The road becomes the border between Wallington to the north and East Rutherford
to the south. At the end of Wallington, Paterson Avenue is the border between Carlstadt
and East Rutherford
for a short distance but then the road dips into East Rutherford to avoid a hill (the bypass, which goes over the hill, is called Hoboken Road). The road returns to the Carlstadt/East Rutherford border at Route 17
which it crosses over via an overpass, and is then designated as Route 120
and Paterson Plank Road
for a distance.
In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering
, Route 3 was legislated to run along the Paterson Plank Road portion of today’s Route 120 as part of its route between Secaucus
and Greenwood Lake
. By 1947, Route 3 had been designated along the entire alignment of current Route 120. When New Jersey renumbered its state highways
in 1953, Route 3 was moved to a new freeway alignment that was Route S3. As a result of this realignment, the portion of the route between modern Route 3 and Paterson Plank Road became a portion of Route 20 while the section along Paterson Plank Road was removed from the state highway system. Paterson Plank Road between County Route 503 and Route 17 joined the state highway system again as an extension of this portion of Route 20 in 1972 when the Meadowlands Sports Complex
was slated to be built. At this point, Route 20 had consisted of three disconnected segments. Since none of these segments were connected, this portion of road was redesignated Route 120 by the 1990s.
With the construction of American Dream Meadowlands, several improvements are taking place to Route 120. The interchange with Route 3 is being reconstructed with an overpass between eastbound Route 3 and northbound Route 120 that was completed in May 2009 at a cost of $38.1 million. Also, a flyover from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 is planned to be completed in early 2010 at a cost of $13 million.
.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Town
! Mile
! Destinations
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=7|East Rutherford
|rowspan=2|0.00
|Secaucus
local streets
|Continuation beyond NJ 3
|-
|
|Southern terminus of NJ 120
|-
|0.27
0.74
|Meadowlands Sports Complex
access
|
|-
|1.03
|
|-
|colspan=3 align="center"|North end of freeway
|-
|1.58
|Gotham Parkway
|
|-
|2.26
|Murray Hill Parkway
|
|-
|Carlstadt
|2.65
|
|Interchange, northern terminus of NJ 120
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
located in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It extends 2.65 mi (4.3 km) from an interchange with Route 3 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....
to another interchange with Route 17 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...
, where it continues to the west as County Route 120. NJ 120 serves the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
, which consists of MetLife Stadium, Meadowlands Racetrack
Meadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
, and the Izod Center. It heads north from Route 3 as a six-lane freeway through the sports complex to an interchange with the southern terminus of County Route 503
County Route 503 (New Jersey)
County Route 503 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 17.95 miles from Paterson Plank Road 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...
. From here, Route 120 heads northwest along the northern edge of the sports complex as a four-lane divided at-grade 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...
, passing through industrial and commercial areas.
In 1927, Route 3 was legislated along the Paterson Plank Road portion of present-day Route 120. It was eventually designated along the entire portion of current Route 120. In 1953, Route 3 was moved to its current freeway alignment, replacing Route S3, and a portion of Route 20 was designated to run from current Route 3 north to Paterson Plank Road while Paterson Plank Road was removed from the state highway system. The portion of Paterson Plank Road that lost its state highway status in 1953 gained it back in 1972, when it became an extension of Route 20 as a result of the construction of the Meadowlands Sports Complex. As this route was not connected to the mainline of Route 20, it was designated Route 120 by the 1990s. As a result of the construction of American Dream Meadowlands, the interchange between Route 3 and Route 120 is being improved. An overpass between eastbound Route 3 and northbound Route 120 was completed in 2009 and a flyover from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 is to be completed in 2010.
Route description
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....
, heading to the north on a six-lane freeway with a 50 mph (80.5 km/h) speed limit. The freeway heads north-northeast into the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
. Here, MetLife Stadium is on the west side of the road while the Izod Center and the construction site of American Dream Meadowlands are on the east side of the road. Here, the route becomes a 40 mph (64.4 km/h) freeway that has two interchanges that provide access to the sports complex. The route comes to an interchange with the southern terminus of County Route 503
County Route 503 (New Jersey)
County Route 503 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 17.95 miles from Paterson Plank Road 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...
(Washington Avenue) and 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...
, where Route 120 becomes a four-lane divided surface road that merges with Paterson Plank Road as it heads northwest along the border of 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 northeast and East Rutherford to the southwest. Meanwhile, County Route 503 continues north-northeast to head into the eastern part of Carlstadt.
Route 120 passes between the Meadowlands Racetrack
Meadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
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 Meadowlands Rail Line
Meadowlands Rail Line
Meadowlands Rail Line is a rail line in New Jersey, United States, operated by New Jersey Transit . Trains run between the MetLife Sports Complex and Secaucus Junction, some with continuing service to Hoboken Terminal...
on the East Rutherford side of the road and commercial and industrial areas on the Carlstadt side of the road, intersecting with Gotham Parkway. The route has a southbound exit and entrance to the Meadowlands Sports Complex before it crosses Berrys Creek
Berrys Creek
Berrys Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands in Bergen County, New Jersey.-Geography:...
. Upon crossing the creek, Route 120 continues northwest through industrial and commercial areas, intersecting with Murray Hill Parkway. A short distance past this intersection, the road becomes a four-lane undivided road that crosses New Jersey Transit’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...
before coming to an interchange with Route 17. Here, Route 120 ends and County Route 120 continues to the west as Paterson Avenue.
County Route 120
After crossing the Passaic RiverPassaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
into Bergen County, the road is called Paterson Avenue and designated as County Route 120, in Wallington
Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,335.Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895 , at the height of the "Boroughitis" fever then sweeping through Bergen County...
, in a residential and light-density commercial area. The road becomes the border between Wallington to the north and 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....
to the south. At the end of Wallington, Paterson Avenue is the border between 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...
and 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....
for a short distance but then the road dips into East Rutherford to avoid a hill (the bypass, which goes over the hill, is called Hoboken Road). The road returns to the Carlstadt/East Rutherford border at Route 17
Route 17 (New Jersey)
Route 17 is a state highway in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, that provides a major route from the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel and other northeast New Jersey points to the New York State Thruway at Suffern, New York...
which it crosses over via an overpass, and is then designated as Route 120
Route 120 (New Jersey)
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,...
and 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...
for a distance.
History
1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering
In 1927, New Jersey's state highways were renumbered. The old system, which had been defined in sequence by the legislature, was growing badly, as several routes shared the same number, and many unnumbered state highways had been defined...
, Route 3 was legislated to run along the Paterson Plank Road portion of today’s Route 120 as part of its route between Secaucus
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
and Greenwood Lake
Greenwood Lake
Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately seven miles long, straddling the border of New Jersey and New York. It is located in West Milford, New Jersey and Greenwood Lake, New York ....
. By 1947, Route 3 had been designated along the entire alignment of current Route 120. When New Jersey renumbered its state highways
1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering
On January 1, 1953, the New Jersey Department of Transportation renumbered many of the State Routes. A few rules were followed in deciding what to renumber:...
in 1953, Route 3 was moved to a new freeway alignment that was Route S3. As a result of this realignment, the portion of the route between modern Route 3 and Paterson Plank Road became a portion of Route 20 while the section along Paterson Plank Road was removed from the state highway system. Paterson Plank Road between County Route 503 and Route 17 joined the state highway system again as an extension of this portion of Route 20 in 1972 when the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
was slated to be built. At this point, Route 20 had consisted of three disconnected segments. Since none of these segments were connected, this portion of road was redesignated Route 120 by the 1990s.
With the construction of American Dream Meadowlands, several improvements are taking place to Route 120. The interchange with Route 3 is being reconstructed with an overpass between eastbound Route 3 and northbound Route 120 that was completed in May 2009 at a cost of $38.1 million. Also, a flyover from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 is planned to be completed in early 2010 at a cost of $13 million.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Bergen CountyBergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Town
! Mile
! Destinations
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=7|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....
|rowspan=2|0.00
|Secaucus
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
local streets
|Continuation beyond NJ 3
|-
|
|Southern terminus of NJ 120
|-
|0.27
0.74
|Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
access
|
|-
|1.03
|
|-
|colspan=3 align="center"|North end of freeway
|-
|1.58
|Gotham Parkway
|
|-
|2.26
|Murray Hill Parkway
|
|-
|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...
|2.65
|
|Interchange, northern terminus of NJ 120