Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 8
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
Quote: Take a look on 18 Rd (south), in New Jersey......funny...the freeway ends and u can see a bus coming from 'nothing'..... (sorry guys but I dont know how to 'post' this on the Google Earth!!!!) The 18 Rd South is close to Parkway Rd, Central Jersey State....
Well, here's the placemark for where vargas was talking about. A little history behind this: Back in the 90s, the State of NJ had purchased all the right of way it needed to complete NJ 18 from this point down to the former Brielle Circle (the junction of NJ 34, NJ 35, and NJ 70, about 6 miles south of here) except for 100 acres it needed from a farm right near the junction. The owner fought and fought with the State, and neither side gave any concessions. Right before the State declared "eminent domain" (the law that allows the government to forcibly take property if proven that it would provide the public with a much better service than being privately owned), the children of the farmer declared that they would sell to the State, should they be given the chance. So, they waited, and in 2000 (or around there), the farmer died, and everyone thought that NJ 18 could be finished once and for all. Well, they were mistaken as the farmer left his property to a trust that was established for the preservation of farmland forever. Unless the children can prove that those were not his intentions (which is doubtful), the extension is dead, because were the "ghost roads" end now is the property line of the farmer's land, so NJ couldn't build around it.
Last I heard, the remaining right of way they purchased is being converted to bike paths, but that may be just speculation. It appears, unless there's an absolute miracle, NJ 18's current end at Exit 6 (NJ 138) will be its permanent end.
On a related note, there is talk of upgrading I-195 from its current end at NJ 34 (Exit 34, ironially) to NJ 35 along current NJ 138. Should that ever happen, NJ 18 could be upgraded to possibly I-395, but I don't anticipate that in my lifetime. Ever since the farmer stood up to the State, the neighbors are very adimate in keeping his "legacy" of non-progress going. So much for an easy route to the Shore...
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