New Jersey Route 440

View north along Route 440 at Garden State Parkway and US 9 in Woodbridge Township

The Route 440 freeway begins in Edison Township at an interchange with the southern terminus of Interstate 287 and the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95); from Route 440's southern terminus, the road becomes northbound Interstate 287. Within this interchange, Route 440 also has access to County Route 514.[1] It continues to the east as a six-lane road through wooded surroundings and enters Woodbridge Township at the underpass of King Georges Post Road. Here, the route interchanges with County Route 656 (Smith Street) before intersecting the Garden State Parkway and U.S. Route 9 at a large interchange. Within this interchange, the route passes under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' (CSAO) Raritan Industrial Track line.[1][3] From here, the freeway turns northeast and passes under CSAO's Perth Amboy Running Track line before it enters Perth Amboy at the point where it crosses under County Route 616 (New Brunswick Avenue).[1] Route 440 passes near homes before coming to the next interchange for County Route 501 and Route 184.[1][3] At this point, County Route 501 joins the Route 440 freeway for a concurrency, and the road comes to an interchange with Route 35 a short distance later.[1] The road continues east-southeast, with an exit for County Route 653 (Amboy Avenue) before it passes through more residential neighborhoods.[1][3] The final exit on the Middlesex County portion of Route 440 serves County Route 611 (State Street).[1] Past this interchange, Route 440 becomes the Outerbridge Crossing, a four-lane bridge maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). It passes over NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line and State Street before crossing over the Arthur Kill onto Staten Island. At the New Jersey-New York state line on the middle of the bridge, the southern segments of Route 440 and County Route 501 end and become New York State Route 440.[1][3] An extension of Route 440 also intersects with Route 35 right after the Victory Bridge crossing in Perth Amboy (around Shoprite) [4]

Route 440 northbound at Kennedy Boulevard (CR 501) in Bayonne

After New York State Route 440 runs 12.73 mi (20.49 km) through Staten Island, it enters New Jersey again via the Bayonne Bridge, a four-lane bridge over Kill Van Kull that is also maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[1][5][6] Upon entering Bayonne in Hudson County, the road becomes the northern segment of Route 440 and County Route 501 and continues north into residential sections of the city.[1][5] After widening into an expressway maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), County Route 501 splits from the route by heading north on Kennedy Boulevard at an interchange.[1] Meanwhile, Route 440 turns to the east, with CSAO's Avenue A Industrial Track and NJ Transit's Hudson–Bergen Light Rail line parallel to the north, before heading northeast and passing through industrial areas as a surface road, crossing under a CSAO railroad line. It heads north-northeast as it passes between neighborhoods and the parallel CSAO Bayonne Industrial Track and NJ Transit's Hudson–Bergen Light Rail lines to the west and port areas to the east, including the former Military Ocean Terminal.[1][5]

Route 440 northbound at I-78 in Jersey City

The route crosses into Jersey City, where it comes to an interchange with the Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 78) that provides access to the Jersey City and Hoboken waterfronts and the Holland Tunnel. Following this, Route 440 reaches an interchange with Route 185.[1] Here, the mainline becomes Route 185 and Route 440 exits onto another four-lane expressway.[1][5] From here, Route 440 continues northwest, crossing under Interstate 78 and passing over CSAO's Bayonne Industrial Track and NJ Transit's Hudson–Bergen Light Rail lines before closely paralleling the north side of Interstate 78 and the south side of CSAO's National Docks Branch line. The route interchanges with Avenue C before becoming an undivided road that reenters Bayonne and crossing over County Route 501 (Kennedy Boulevard) without an interchange. Past this intersection, Route 440 makes a sharp turn to the south and passes under the Newark Bay Bridge (Interstate 78).[1] After making a hairpin turn back to the north, it passes under the Newark Bay Bridge another time and runs along the eastern shore of Newark Bay, crossing under CSAO's National Docks Branch line. The route interchanges with West 63rd Street before crossing back into Jersey City and passing residences to the east. It intersects County Route 602 (Danforth Avenue) as the road heads into business sectors farther to the east of Newark Bay. The road heads past industrial establishments before running through commercial areas again, passing to the east of the Hudson Mall.[1][5] Route 440 ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 1/9 Truck and County Route 612 (Communipaw Avenue), where the road continues north as part of U.S. Route 1/9 Truck.[1]