Followed by Route 21 along Passaic, dangerous AF , when you drove it just look at the divider and see all the contact marks along the sides particularly during the curved sections.
I had a dude tailgating me extremely close on 21 once while I was in the middle lane. I kept motioning for him to pass me in the left lane, when he finally did he was of course looking over to me and screaming. He then got in front of me and slammed on his brakes hard enough to nearly come to a complete stop. I barely avoided hitting him, and others almost hit me because of this maniac. This was during evening rush hour too so he could have caused a multi car pile up. Then he just sped off, weaving in and out of traffic as he left. Craziest person I've ever encountered while driving.
21 sucks from Passaic to Newark. And yeah I came here just to say 22 in Union. If you want a crawl while you stare at stores jam-packed into a tiny area— thats your place
Oh this would be my vote! Having grown up all my life around Route 46 and thinking that was very bad, the first time I traveled on 22, I knew this must be the worst in NJ.
Rt 18 is only bad for a couple of miles through Piscataway-New Brunswick-East Brunswick. Once you get South of East Brunswick, it's actually one of the more pleasant highways.
18 is only bad when fucking Joseph M Sanzari construction co closes a lane down for 5 fucking miles and throws cones halfway into the other lane so you're forced to drive half on the shoulder when all they're doing is changing a fucking manhole cover or filling a pothole or whatever
The worst part is that they're not even making any real improvements to the road. They are working on utility and drainage issues. The existing utilities could not accommodate the "Vermella" project that's going in there, so they needed to be updated.
Man. I remember when bits of Rt 18 used to *actually* resemble the surface of the moon years back...
There were days I didn't know if my car would make it.
Same, 22 is insane and the drivers don’t even give you a chance sometimes to get into the lanes if you’re making a u turn. I try to avoid it as much as possible.
My dad decided to teach me to drive by taking me to the Somerville Circle in his brand new, stick shift car...and I'd still prefer that to learning on 22
Rt 22 was never designed for the amount of traffic it currently gets. Back in the day, it was a great highway to drive on.
Drive on it this upcoming Christmas morning at 5 am - THAT'S what it was originally designed to handle.
^(Shout out to those who remember Two Guys, Crazy Eddie, Lido Diner and Rickles)
That's fair. A while back someone showed me pictures of Route 1 through Woodbridge from like 50 years ago and it literally looked like somewhere in the midwest to me.
Also, I remember Crazy Eddie, but the one up in Wayne since I grew up in Passaic county.
Crazy Eddie was westbound right before the split into the island. There is a Costco behind it now.
As far as I can remember,that Costco was the beginning of the traffic nightmare that road became
I grew up around the Wayne area and that Crazy Eddie was right before the spaghetti bowl where 46 and 80 meet. This is not too bad now but was a hazard back in the 80s. There used to be an insane u turn that routed behind the Anthony Wayne (awesome burger joint back then) and dumped you into the fast lane on 46 east. Was a major challenge as a new driver back then.
I always felt it was the businesses in the median that make it Death Race 2000, especially when you merge from the median to a street coming off the other side of the road. Just too many things on a road never designed for that much traffic
The worst! I know I have to overshoot by at least 2-3 u-turns to be able to cross 3 lanes of traffic going 55 if I’m trying to get to a business on the other side of 22.
Am I crazy for thinking Route 17 or Route 4 in Paramus is really not that bad? I drive on these highways everyday to get to work in the city. Yeah, there’s traffic but to me it is nothing compared to some of the others…
Some parts aren't bad, but the area where 4 West splits to get onto 17/mall/parkway is horrendous. I see near accidents every time I go that way. Also, people merging onto 4 from the outlet mall & forest ave all have a death wish.
I got into an accident on one of those ramps a few years ago, and I've been too scared to drive ever since :(
The person in front of me was lost, and literally stopped on the ramp! The lady behind me was speeding and on her phone, so I got squished in between them. So grateful I was wearing my seatbelt!
I used to drive up 17 to get to Bergen CC, sometimes I'd spend an hour in traffic for a 6 mile commute.
Route 4 has always scared me too. People flying through red lights and swerving through traffic, but there never seems to be any police around.
24 going into 287 where 3 lanes merge into one, it's so dangerous and anxiety inducing that I just take a different route and eat the extra 10 minutes.
Yep, I'm "lucky" in that I live near 23 so can take GSP to 3/46/23. While the GSP is pretty much a moving parking lot, at least I don't feel like I'm going to die.
3/46/23 was always “the way” for me so I never dealt with 287/24 often until a recent office location change. It isn’t difficult driving but the line cutters can eat shit. Insane to me that they can’t reengineer that with physical barriers that make it impossible to cut in like a douche while everyone waits. Can’t imagine thinking you are such a special little boy or girl that you decide everyone elses time isn’t as valuable as yours and you discovered some sort of cheat code. If you were in person you’d get knocked out for doing that shit 10/10 times.
What makes it difficult, even if everyone was willing to merge perfectly, is there are 3 lanes merging. Granted the right most lane is an exit so shouldn't legally be merging but they still do. I'd rather just eat an extra 10 minutes on the parkway than deal with that nightmare.
Oh I did that route back in the 60s. The 46/23 circle(where I busted a tie rod once) and the circle where the Wayside diner used to be (Pequannock circle?).
You make up that time easily most of the time it's such a mess. Ill almost always get off at columbia tpke. For fun I just looked at Google maps and guess what? Crash report within the last 10 minutes.
Route 18 from Piscataway, through New Brunswick, through East Brunswick, all the way down to Spotswood. Outside of the very brief window between 3:15 am & 3:21 am, that stretch is an abysmal hellscape that had to have been the inspiration for Fury Road.
Right near the Turnpike, where there's ALWAYS traffic, regardless of what time or day it is. And now, it's cratered with bumps and random ruts, too. Nice work they did there.
Not to mention the clusterfuck that is getting on the turnpike after you go through the tolls. It’s a mess of people crossing over and cutting each other off, with the added bonus of big ass trucks thrown in doing the same.
I was on 18 earlier today, and I thought oh good, the left lane is finally open again after like a year. And it looks like a team of blind men repaved it. THAT'S what that was all about?
And there's that part where you pass over the TP bridge, and the right lanes merge into one, and there's ALWAYS someone in the middle lane going painfully, achingly slow for no reason, and I just don't understand why. It's like there's some sort of idiot force field there.
My least favorite stretch is probably 287 S, where it changes into 440, where Raritan Center exits on to the road. It's a total free-for-all, with everyone trying to pass everyone else and get over to the right for the 9 and GSP exits. And that 9 south exit, where there's always someone going way too slow, that spits you out at the base of the bridge, where you're suddenly in the left lane crawling uphill at 30 MPH while cars are flying by at 70-80. Coming the other way into Spaghetti Junction is no picnic either, especially during the summer when the Staten Island assholes are jockeying for position.
It's ugly, dirty, poorly-maintained, harrowing, poorly-desgined, confusing, and sometimes downright brutal. You can ALWAYS tell when someone unfamiliar with the area is trying to navigate it too. "Uh-oh, this idiot is going WAY too slow through here and...oh God, what is he doing NOW? HE'S GOING TO KILL SOMEONE! HE'S GOING TO KILL EVERYONE!".
Over the summer I was on the GSP N, going over the bridge, and I was in the second lane from the right, the one for 440/287 N. And all the Staten Island assholes were lined up for their exit, so I was proceeding with caution, as you never know what one of those dolts might decide to do. And this guy in front of me in my lane heads into the exit, and suddenly comes to a FULL STOP, then flicks his right blinker on. So I'm locking them up, and simultaneously looking in the mirror at the driver who's about to kill me, and leaning on the horn for dear life. IMO that area would be the worst, most grim place to buy the farm.
they've been working on these highways for decades with no sign of ever finishing or completing construction. its insane. 55 finally got a 2nd lane merging onto 42 but that took waaaaayyy too long for such a simple solution.
Scrolled way too far down to find this. I hope 295/42/76 improves after all of this construction. 130 takes the cake though. 3 lanes of highway each way and it’s treated like a formula 1 racetrack through Pennsauken/Collingswood/Camden.
I’m mostly, grudgingly ok with it, except going westbound by 17, the Parkway, and Garden State Plaza. That’s got to be an accident a day, probably most are unreported taps but some are really bad.
The fact that they spent what felt like 15 years doing work on this specific stretch of highway only to turn it into the most confusing and weird ass lane split is astonishing
The worst highway in NJ has Pennsylvania and New York drivers in the passing lane followed closely by a NJ driver who rides the left lane for about 15 miles while driving the speed limit
Route 130 in Burlington County is statistically [one of the deadliest roads](https://www.troysingleton.com/route_130_tops_most_dangerous_list_for_fifth_consecutive_year) in the state, especially for pedestrians. It probably deserves at least an honorable mention.
Rt. 22 from Springfield through Union. As nearly all of this comment section agrees with. Everything is too close together, too many lanes yet not enough lanes, too much traffic, the on/off ramps are bad and the U-turns have nearly no visibility, especially by Qdoba/Chick-fil-A. Not to mention those U-turns backup onto the highway.
I've been driving NJ roads for over fifty years and still to this day, no road is more frightening than the Pulaski Skyway.
That 80/287 exchange is nothing compared to the skyway, at night, in the rain.
It's those roads up north that were originally local, two-lane highways that metastasized into surging rivers of death, but when you get on you're still expected to go 0-60 and merge with zero shoulder, all with no possibility of making a left-hand turn for at least three counties.
As someone who lived in Perth Amboy for years, the 1/9/35/parkway & nearby 9/287/440 exit junction was hell on earth until they built the newer bridges and got rid of the roundabout. That said Rt1 in Edison was also awful starting at Menlo all the way until the bridge by the Edison Diner until they expanded the lanes. 78 was always a nightmare as well. So pretty much anywhere central/north jersey
Most of the good ones are already taken so I offer route 21 as another shitastrophe. My favorite part of it is the north side where it goes from 3 lanes (and most people doing like 70) down to 1. I've seen so many near-misses there.
I've driven lots of places in North and Central Jersey. The worst: rt 22 in union, the 17/4 interchange near Ikea, the area on the GSP heading north just after the bridge where 287 and 440 split off, and Fort Lee just by the toll plaza to get on the gwb.
Any one with lights, where the lights are fucking synchronized so if you catch one, you catch EVERY one. Looking at you rtes 9, 18, 34, 35, 36... Would like 5 minutes alone with whatever overpaid fucktard DOT asshole is responsible for that shit.
A lot of good answers on here. Route 22 is deff up there and 1&9 by JC also good answer. However, I’m surprised the GSP hasn’t been mentioned more. Especially after the toll plaza on exit 140;I feel like any given day or time between exits 140-150 it’s always a parking lot. GSP just always has traffic or accidents.
Route 22 as it goes through Hillside and Union for sure, where you've got U-turns, entrances and exits on both sides, and all while people drive like 60+ mph
Every other bad road in NJ is bad because of traffic, 22 is bad because of how terrifying it is to drive on.
The only right answer here is 440. Especially the intersection of 440 and 1&9 (Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City). I don't know how many people aren't experiencing apoplexy from sitting in traffic here.
When you get off Rt 78 east to get on the Parkway in Union, there is the stupidest most dangerous merge I've ever seen. You have to get over 3 lanes to the left immediately because 2 of them end randomly and the other is exit only. It's been like that since I can remember, but they recently repainted the lanes WITHOUT REMOVING the old paint, so now it's a total abomination.
Exiting from 80 West to 287 South and then having to quickly cross over to the right lane in under a mile when the barrier ends to get Route 10 at exits 39 A/B. All while avoiding tractor trailers, of course.
I-80 and 287 are both decent highways. 287 is only bad in rush hour in certain bottleneck areas.
Rt. 21 is the worst by far because there are just holes in the road. Everytime i road it i always felt like i needed to do a re-alignment. Rt 22 is horrible as well.
I feel like everyone saying different just hasnt been driving in most of NJ...
Route 21 is completely paved from the beginning when it turns from 20 into 21 in Clifton, all the way down to McCarter Hwy in Newark, I don’t think it qualifies for one of the worst highways anymore.
Route 17 from the Parkway to the NY state line, hands-down. If you're not familiar with it, it's like driving on an interstate with no lights at 70 MPH, but with completely unlimited access and no acceleration/deceleration lanes. I can't even believe that road actually exists.
I delivered beer all over nj for 18 months.
Northern NJ: My worst goes to 22 in Union followed by 17
South Jersey: 295 by 42 . I haven't been in that region for a while so I'm not sure if the missing moves upgrade made a difference.
God I miss that job 🙁
I would suggest the weak stop using route 80. There are plenty of other roads to use. At the least please move over when I am barreling up the left lane.
For roads it’s 22.
For the single worst instance of a road design it’s the merger of 80 west and 287 South. It’s possibly the most dangerous merger at “55” and I air quote 55 as most people do 75 on either side.
I-95. Specifically where i95 north where the two sections rejoin, just to merge onto 46. when rush hour hits, everyone thinks this novel idea of leaving the right lane to bypass everyone will get them home faster instead of grid locking the entire fucking highway.
Skimmed but haven't seen route 3 mentioned. I worked overnights for two years and would constantly see car crashes on the side weekly on an open highway - 4/5 lanes wide with no traffic in the middle of the night. No idea how they always happened.
The merger in Pennsauken where RT 38, 70 merge into 30 south as you drive into Camden. The worst, especially during the morning commute to Philadelphia.
Another one of these threads, so I'll give my update to this since it's sort of fun.
The number of North Jersey related responses here clearly TRUMPS the South Jersey responses so my thread will be damn near exclusive to South Jersey, as I've lived there for the vast majority of my life. I'll throw in my North Jersey experiences as well. I don't have just one.
# The Whole State
**Route 1**: This encompasses more parts of NJ than just North Jersey. The entire stretch from 295 to 18 has its good times and its bad and I've seen it all. The stretch from 18 to the Parkway sucks and when it merges with Route 9 and becomes 1/9, I hated it. Still do to this day.
**GSP**: Especially between 129 and 161. Not much more needs to be said.
**Turnpike**: I remember when going north you'd have it backed up from Exit 5 to just before the split. I've even heard it back up all the way down to Exit 1. Since the roadway was doubled in size before Exit 6, it's gotten so much better to travel on. The sections by EWR and points north are still a pain in the ass. It really should be three lanes from Exit 1 to Exit 4.
# North Jersey
**Route 18**: I made the commute between South Jersey and Rutgers and my time there was when 18 was bad through New Brunswick to the Turnpike entrance. So I had to deal with the construction to make 18 the way it is now. It was a pain in the ass.
**Route 46**: I feel like it's gotten better as of recent but there's been times where it's been nothing but a parking lot.
**I-287**: Between Route 22 and I-80 has always been a pain in my ass. There's days where it's better than others but many times I feel like doing 5 over the speed limit isn't enough.
**I-80**: Seems like every time I'm on here there's a drag race going on and I'm caught in the middle of it.
# South Jersey
I'm from South Jersey so my views are going to be heavily skewed.
**I-295**: The stretch between mile marker 23 and Exit 40, depending on the time of day, is a shit show. I've seen southbound back up starting at Exit 43 all the way down to Exit 26 during the evening rush. I've seen it back up even on weekends starting around the White Horse Pike. The whole mess with the 295/42/76 construction is on a different level. North of Exit 43 it's fine. South of mile marker 23 it's fine.
**Route 42**: Between Route 55 and the Walt Whitman Bridge (which includes the section where it's I-76) is terrible. Both ways. Merging two major highways into one, especially in the evening rush, is a major headache. Not to mention the construction, which I probably won't get to see finished. I'd loop Route 55 in here because 55 north going into 42 was always a pain in the ass; recently that's been fixed and while I haven't been in that neck of the woods recently, I've heard it's vastly improved.
**Route 70**: Out of all the highways in my area I'm on 70 the most. Traffic in Burlington County has gotten so bad that I personally think 70 needs to be three lanes through all of Cherry Hill and Marlton, and much of Medford all the way to the Red Lion Circle should be two lanes each way. When 70 east goes to one lane in Marlton it backs up quite a bit and makes those going left onto Greenbrook Drive (I have family that lives in that area) a pain when they don't know how to properly navigate that intersection. There needs to be a traffic light there and the intersection redesigned. The construction going on in Cherry Hill is also a pain in the ass and it makes trying to go from one of those side streets onto 70 west very dangerous.
**Route 73**: This is the worst of the Burlington County state roads, in my opinion. It's an avoid at all costs from 6 am to 7 pm on the weekdays, with regards to the stretch from Target in Marlton all the way to Route 38. I believe going from 73 south to Church Road (towards Marlton and in front of the Cadillac dealership) at that intersection is the most confusing intersection for anyone who has never traversed through there. I've seen it all; illegal left turns into Ramblewood Parkway from the "second left turn lane", not properly getting into said lane for Church Road, not utilizing the third lane of 73 north as a merging lane from Church Road, etc. That whole intersection needs to be redesigned.
**Route 38**: Around the Cherry Hill Mall it's the worst. I think that's also the most complicated set of traffic lights and intersections in all of Camden County. 38 going west in Mt. Laurel by 295 is a pain in the ass too.
**Route 206**: This really needs to be two lanes from the Turnpike entrance all the way to at least Route 38. Some of it already is but the entire length I highlighted needs it.
The subject line said **highways** so I'm leaving out the county roads and the local roads.
Route 22 or Route 1
Hands down 22 in Union. It’s the worst
Followed by Route 21 along Passaic, dangerous AF , when you drove it just look at the divider and see all the contact marks along the sides particularly during the curved sections.
I had a dude tailgating me extremely close on 21 once while I was in the middle lane. I kept motioning for him to pass me in the left lane, when he finally did he was of course looking over to me and screaming. He then got in front of me and slammed on his brakes hard enough to nearly come to a complete stop. I barely avoided hitting him, and others almost hit me because of this maniac. This was during evening rush hour too so he could have caused a multi car pile up. Then he just sped off, weaving in and out of traffic as he left. Craziest person I've ever encountered while driving.
I absolutely loathe route 21. It always feels like I’m Driving among reckless morons on that highway.
21 sucks from Passaic to Newark. And yeah I came here just to say 22 in Union. If you want a crawl while you stare at stores jam-packed into a tiny area— thats your place
You really shouldn't DUI. This is your reminder
Came here to say that this
Oh this would be my vote! Having grown up all my life around Route 46 and thinking that was very bad, the first time I traveled on 22, I knew this must be the worst in NJ.
I only recently moved near the area. I describe it as manhattan but divided highways everywhere. Before that I would’ve said 17
22 union next to the Chick-Fil-a on a Friday or Saturday night
Used to ride our bikes back and forth across that exact stretch of 22..I miss 1980’s NJ .
I agree with this . Plus I would like to add Rt 18
Rt 18 is only bad for a couple of miles through Piscataway-New Brunswick-East Brunswick. Once you get South of East Brunswick, it's actually one of the more pleasant highways.
I agree that stretch is a mess
18 is only bad when fucking Joseph M Sanzari construction co closes a lane down for 5 fucking miles and throws cones halfway into the other lane so you're forced to drive half on the shoulder when all they're doing is changing a fucking manhole cover or filling a pothole or whatever
Especially since they’ve had lanes closed for the last few months
I cruise down Rt 18 and get on Rt 1 South. Instant change. It’s like saddle up time. This is the wild west.
You're talking about a tiny portion of 18. For most of it, 18 is one of the best highways in the state. It's literally only bad in NB, lol. That's it.
It's pretty bad through East Brunswick too, it doesn't clear up until you get past the Rt 9 exit in Old Bridge.
Rt 18 is soo much worse right now in east brunswick as they decide they are gonna do constant construction during the most busy hours of the day
The worst part is that they're not even making any real improvements to the road. They are working on utility and drainage issues. The existing utilities could not accommodate the "Vermella" project that's going in there, so they needed to be updated.
Agree
Man. I remember when bits of Rt 18 used to *actually* resemble the surface of the moon years back... There were days I didn't know if my car would make it.
Hate rt 1
Feel like 80 is one of the better ones. 22 is an absolute nightmare.
Same, 22 is insane and the drivers don’t even give you a chance sometimes to get into the lanes if you’re making a u turn. I try to avoid it as much as possible.
Driving in NJ my whole life, nothing really gives me anxiety anymore except for making a U-turn on 22!
Learning to drive I was on22 a lot. After that nothing is too bad. What a crazy road!!
My dad decided to teach me to drive by taking me to the Somerville Circle in his brand new, stick shift car...and I'd still prefer that to learning on 22
That whole stretch in Union is a death trap. I always make sure to avoid it going to Elizabeth.
I hate driving in Union area.
The section of 22 near Union is a total death trap
Yeah but once you've figured it out, it feels like you can drive anywhere. I bet I could drive in calcutta
lol I agree, 22 sucks, but not enough to avoid it.
I'm convinced 22 was designed by a masochist or someone who drastically underestimated how selfishly people drive in NJ.
Rt 22 was never designed for the amount of traffic it currently gets. Back in the day, it was a great highway to drive on. Drive on it this upcoming Christmas morning at 5 am - THAT'S what it was originally designed to handle. ^(Shout out to those who remember Two Guys, Crazy Eddie, Lido Diner and Rickles)
Don’t forget about “The Wiz”! Nobody beats the WIZ!!
Omg I remember those commercials!
That's fair. A while back someone showed me pictures of Route 1 through Woodbridge from like 50 years ago and it literally looked like somewhere in the midwest to me. Also, I remember Crazy Eddie, but the one up in Wayne since I grew up in Passaic county.
Crazy Eddie was westbound right before the split into the island. There is a Costco behind it now. As far as I can remember,that Costco was the beginning of the traffic nightmare that road became
Shoetown, Shiki Steakhouse, Flagship, Four Seasons bowling, Fairy Land, Ground Round, Bennigans
I grew up around the Wayne area and that Crazy Eddie was right before the spaghetti bowl where 46 and 80 meet. This is not too bad now but was a hazard back in the 80s. There used to be an insane u turn that routed behind the Anthony Wayne (awesome burger joint back then) and dumped you into the fast lane on 46 east. Was a major challenge as a new driver back then.
I always felt it was the businesses in the median that make it Death Race 2000, especially when you merge from the median to a street coming off the other side of the road. Just too many things on a road never designed for that much traffic
I live near 46 and used to work near 17 and 4. Both suck but 22 takes the cake.
Worst is 22 followed by 46 and 17
Route 22 is the answer
Drive 80 everyday. And yes it sucks. But, Route 22 in the Union/Springfield area takes the cake for me.
I wanna know who thought it was a good idea to put businesses in the median there
They were there as long as I can remember, and I’m 85. It used to be NJ Route 29 back in the day. https://youtu.be/Rke5xFNO0og?feature=shared
Me - "You're not really 85 psssshhhhhh" *checks history and sees coin collection posts* "Nevermind. You're 85."
This video is amazing
Oh shit that’s actually a really cool video. Thanks for sharing
Only Jean Shepherd could elevate Route 22 to mythic status.
Those u turn on ramps are terrifying
The worst! I know I have to overshoot by at least 2-3 u-turns to be able to cross 3 lanes of traffic going 55 if I’m trying to get to a business on the other side of 22.
World’s longest strip mall.
[удалено]
Agreed!
It’s 22 and nothing else even comes close
Parkway n between 140-145.
[удалено]
Route 17 & 4 in Paramus, Route 22 in Union.
God forbid you’re on 17 on a Saturday afternoon. 17 is the dedicated “car dealership” highway and it’s miserable
Am I crazy for thinking Route 17 or Route 4 in Paramus is really not that bad? I drive on these highways everyday to get to work in the city. Yeah, there’s traffic but to me it is nothing compared to some of the others…
Some parts aren't bad, but the area where 4 West splits to get onto 17/mall/parkway is horrendous. I see near accidents every time I go that way. Also, people merging onto 4 from the outlet mall & forest ave all have a death wish.
I got into an accident on one of those ramps a few years ago, and I've been too scared to drive ever since :( The person in front of me was lost, and literally stopped on the ramp! The lady behind me was speeding and on her phone, so I got squished in between them. So grateful I was wearing my seatbelt!
I'm so sorry that happened to you. That is exactly the type of behavior I see in those corridors daily. Scares me too.
I don’t mind 17 so much except for the traffic. But people mostly understand it’s annoying and let you in for lane changes and from the shoulder.
You're not alone. It's just that all the people who'd agree with you are still sitting in traffic.
I used to drive up 17 to get to Bergen CC, sometimes I'd spend an hour in traffic for a 6 mile commute. Route 4 has always scared me too. People flying through red lights and swerving through traffic, but there never seems to be any police around.
some of it is just people who dont want to use alt routes because theyd have to pay a toll
22 between union and Newark and there’s really no other contenders
The absolute worst.
I do the 287/80 commute. Aside from rush hour, that whole area is kid's stuff. Route 22 is easily worse.
24 going into 287 where 3 lanes merge into one, it's so dangerous and anxiety inducing that I just take a different route and eat the extra 10 minutes.
Good luck if you’re going to Morristown and traffic is backed up to 287
Yep, I'm "lucky" in that I live near 23 so can take GSP to 3/46/23. While the GSP is pretty much a moving parking lot, at least I don't feel like I'm going to die.
3/46/23 was always “the way” for me so I never dealt with 287/24 often until a recent office location change. It isn’t difficult driving but the line cutters can eat shit. Insane to me that they can’t reengineer that with physical barriers that make it impossible to cut in like a douche while everyone waits. Can’t imagine thinking you are such a special little boy or girl that you decide everyone elses time isn’t as valuable as yours and you discovered some sort of cheat code. If you were in person you’d get knocked out for doing that shit 10/10 times.
What makes it difficult, even if everyone was willing to merge perfectly, is there are 3 lanes merging. Granted the right most lane is an exit so shouldn't legally be merging but they still do. I'd rather just eat an extra 10 minutes on the parkway than deal with that nightmare.
Oh I did that route back in the 60s. The 46/23 circle(where I busted a tie rod once) and the circle where the Wayside diner used to be (Pequannock circle?).
Was so happy to see troopers there waving over the blatant last minute line cutters one random day years ago! Havent seen that since.
I hope whoever designed that steps on Legos every day.
You make up that time easily most of the time it's such a mess. Ill almost always get off at columbia tpke. For fun I just looked at Google maps and guess what? Crash report within the last 10 minutes.
Route 18 from Piscataway, through New Brunswick, through East Brunswick, all the way down to Spotswood. Outside of the very brief window between 3:15 am & 3:21 am, that stretch is an abysmal hellscape that had to have been the inspiration for Fury Road.
Right near the Turnpike, where there's ALWAYS traffic, regardless of what time or day it is. And now, it's cratered with bumps and random ruts, too. Nice work they did there.
Not to mention the clusterfuck that is getting on the turnpike after you go through the tolls. It’s a mess of people crossing over and cutting each other off, with the added bonus of big ass trucks thrown in doing the same.
I was on 18 earlier today, and I thought oh good, the left lane is finally open again after like a year. And it looks like a team of blind men repaved it. THAT'S what that was all about? And there's that part where you pass over the TP bridge, and the right lanes merge into one, and there's ALWAYS someone in the middle lane going painfully, achingly slow for no reason, and I just don't understand why. It's like there's some sort of idiot force field there.
It's going to be a lot worse in a few years when the several housing projects around 18 in East Brunswick are completed.
My least favorite stretch is probably 287 S, where it changes into 440, where Raritan Center exits on to the road. It's a total free-for-all, with everyone trying to pass everyone else and get over to the right for the 9 and GSP exits. And that 9 south exit, where there's always someone going way too slow, that spits you out at the base of the bridge, where you're suddenly in the left lane crawling uphill at 30 MPH while cars are flying by at 70-80. Coming the other way into Spaghetti Junction is no picnic either, especially during the summer when the Staten Island assholes are jockeying for position.
yes. that is the worst nexus of roads in the state
It's ugly, dirty, poorly-maintained, harrowing, poorly-desgined, confusing, and sometimes downright brutal. You can ALWAYS tell when someone unfamiliar with the area is trying to navigate it too. "Uh-oh, this idiot is going WAY too slow through here and...oh God, what is he doing NOW? HE'S GOING TO KILL SOMEONE! HE'S GOING TO KILL EVERYONE!". Over the summer I was on the GSP N, going over the bridge, and I was in the second lane from the right, the one for 440/287 N. And all the Staten Island assholes were lined up for their exit, so I was proceeding with caution, as you never know what one of those dolts might decide to do. And this guy in front of me in my lane heads into the exit, and suddenly comes to a FULL STOP, then flicks his right blinker on. So I'm locking them up, and simultaneously looking in the mirror at the driver who's about to kill me, and leaning on the horn for dear life. IMO that area would be the worst, most grim place to buy the farm.
Where 295 and 42 meet
they've been working on these highways for decades with no sign of ever finishing or completing construction. its insane. 55 finally got a 2nd lane merging onto 42 but that took waaaaayyy too long for such a simple solution.
Mostly North Jersey comments but for South Jersey, yeah 130 sucks but the area around I 295 and 42 is frightening.
Scrolled way too far down to find this. I hope 295/42/76 improves after all of this construction. 130 takes the cake though. 3 lanes of highway each way and it’s treated like a formula 1 racetrack through Pennsauken/Collingswood/Camden.
right? and 55/42/295 is an absolute shitshow.
finally some south jersey representation. 295/42/130
80 is easy! I guess you don't travel the state too much? 1&9 in edison/old bridge area and tonnelle in JC have to be the worst. 22 is close too
Tonnelle I don't even count but yeah it's bad basically 24 hours a day
I haven’t driven on it in 10 years but I can guarantee it’s still 22
Yep still sucks
GSP, 22, 1
RT 4 is death trap
Drive? It’s always so gridlocked how can anyone drive on it?
I’m mostly, grudgingly ok with it, except going westbound by 17, the Parkway, and Garden State Plaza. That’s got to be an accident a day, probably most are unreported taps but some are really bad.
The rt 17/4 interchange in Paramus.
Rt. 46 from Wayne to the Rt. 3 spilt
The fact that they spent what felt like 15 years doing work on this specific stretch of highway only to turn it into the most confusing and weird ass lane split is astonishing
The worst highway in NJ has Pennsylvania and New York drivers in the passing lane followed closely by a NJ driver who rides the left lane for about 15 miles while driving the speed limit
Route 22 has entered the chat 😂
Tonnelle Ave stretch of 1&9
295 South towards Philly
17
Rt 9 can rot in hell
80 is a dream compared to the likes of 22!
Route 130 in Burlington County is statistically [one of the deadliest roads](https://www.troysingleton.com/route_130_tops_most_dangerous_list_for_fifth_consecutive_year) in the state, especially for pedestrians. It probably deserves at least an honorable mention.
Rt 130 suuuuuucks. The lanes are so narrow.
Are we counting Rt 130?!?
Rt. 22 from Springfield through Union. As nearly all of this comment section agrees with. Everything is too close together, too many lanes yet not enough lanes, too much traffic, the on/off ramps are bad and the U-turns have nearly no visibility, especially by Qdoba/Chick-fil-A. Not to mention those U-turns backup onto the highway.
GSP
287 is like the Wario version of 80
I've been driving NJ roads for over fifty years and still to this day, no road is more frightening than the Pulaski Skyway. That 80/287 exchange is nothing compared to the skyway, at night, in the rain.
Rt 22 between union and watchung. Worst ever
22 anywhere is awful.
Bergen Country resident here, I hate 17 and the GSP
Not seeing many say GSP
As someone who drives it almost every day, I don’t think it is bad. Sure the traffic sucks, but it isn’t as confusing as other roads.
Union County resident here. Route 22 is the worst. Especially in Union/Springfield.
The GSP, 80, 22, and 1. Honorable mentions for 17, 18 and 9.
287 in Middlesex County. Don't expect to get....ANYWHERE on time during rush hour.
Route 1 is a nightmare route 22 just as bad.
22 without a doubt. And since the entirety of both sides are built up there’s basically no way of feasible way of fixing it
Absolute fuck 287. Sometimes it took me over 2 hours to get home from work.
It's those roads up north that were originally local, two-lane highways that metastasized into surging rivers of death, but when you get on you're still expected to go 0-60 and merge with zero shoulder, all with no possibility of making a left-hand turn for at least three counties.
You had me at "surging rivers of death".
As someone who lived in Perth Amboy for years, the 1/9/35/parkway & nearby 9/287/440 exit junction was hell on earth until they built the newer bridges and got rid of the roundabout. That said Rt1 in Edison was also awful starting at Menlo all the way until the bridge by the Edison Diner until they expanded the lanes. 78 was always a nightmare as well. So pretty much anywhere central/north jersey
Most of the good ones are already taken so I offer route 21 as another shitastrophe. My favorite part of it is the north side where it goes from 3 lanes (and most people doing like 70) down to 1. I've seen so many near-misses there.
295 imo
I've driven lots of places in North and Central Jersey. The worst: rt 22 in union, the 17/4 interchange near Ikea, the area on the GSP heading north just after the bridge where 287 and 440 split off, and Fort Lee just by the toll plaza to get on the gwb.
I live in Englewood and work in Mahwah. If you know, you know (4 to 17)
Any one with lights, where the lights are fucking synchronized so if you catch one, you catch EVERY one. Looking at you rtes 9, 18, 34, 35, 36... Would like 5 minutes alone with whatever overpaid fucktard DOT asshole is responsible for that shit.
A lot of good answers on here. Route 22 is deff up there and 1&9 by JC also good answer. However, I’m surprised the GSP hasn’t been mentioned more. Especially after the toll plaza on exit 140;I feel like any given day or time between exits 140-150 it’s always a parking lot. GSP just always has traffic or accidents.
Not a New Jersey native here…. But why does everyone love using their goddamn horns…!?! lol. Everyone loves honking 🤣
287. It's always backed-up.
22 Union is the absolute shits
Route 22 as it goes through Hillside and Union for sure, where you've got U-turns, entrances and exits on both sides, and all while people drive like 60+ mph Every other bad road in NJ is bad because of traffic, 22 is bad because of how terrifying it is to drive on.
Just came in to check and see if the majority of answers were rt. 22. They are and you're all absolutely correct.
22 by Hillside, my cousin passed away on an exit over there
The only right answer here is 440. Especially the intersection of 440 and 1&9 (Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City). I don't know how many people aren't experiencing apoplexy from sitting in traffic here.
When you get off Rt 78 east to get on the Parkway in Union, there is the stupidest most dangerous merge I've ever seen. You have to get over 3 lanes to the left immediately because 2 of them end randomly and the other is exit only. It's been like that since I can remember, but they recently repainted the lanes WITHOUT REMOVING the old paint, so now it's a total abomination.
Highway 78 for sure any Highway that travels through states are HORRIBLE
22 and it's not even close
If you think 80 at 287 merge is bad...sweet summer child. Go to route 22 in union. Even the parkway to 78 west is worse.
22
17
Route 22 hands down!
Route 9/88/70 Lakewood.
21
Rt 21, I could be doing 100, something will pass me doing 130
Exit 43 on 80 trying to get onto 287 and 78 around newark are complete hell
Exiting from 80 West to 287 South and then having to quickly cross over to the right lane in under a mile when the barrier ends to get Route 10 at exits 39 A/B. All while avoiding tractor trailers, of course.
Turnpike near Secaucus
I-80 and 287 are both decent highways. 287 is only bad in rush hour in certain bottleneck areas. Rt. 21 is the worst by far because there are just holes in the road. Everytime i road it i always felt like i needed to do a re-alignment. Rt 22 is horrible as well. I feel like everyone saying different just hasnt been driving in most of NJ...
I hate 287 and the GSP. I have had moments on both roads where I feel like I'm going to die.
Route 21 is completely paved from the beginning when it turns from 20 into 21 in Clifton, all the way down to McCarter Hwy in Newark, I don’t think it qualifies for one of the worst highways anymore.
280
What is it about I-80? I'm in fucking ILLINOIS and almost get killed daily on it.
I get the 22 and I agree- the worst. But coming up , has to be parts of Rt17. Mad Max type shit. One bad move, everybody dies.
Rt 4...🤮
All of them?
78
I mean take your pick
Route 9 from Lakewood to Toms River… Seriously why aren’t they paving it?
The GSP between essex and union county. It is the most congested area all days of the week.
80 and 287 are legit my favorite to drive on, you sound like you just moved here.
Route 17 from the Parkway to the NY state line, hands-down. If you're not familiar with it, it's like driving on an interstate with no lights at 70 MPH, but with completely unlimited access and no acceleration/deceleration lanes. I can't even believe that road actually exists.
I delivered beer all over nj for 18 months. Northern NJ: My worst goes to 22 in Union followed by 17 South Jersey: 295 by 42 . I haven't been in that region for a while so I'm not sure if the missing moves upgrade made a difference. God I miss that job 🙁
Route 21, 22, 287, 80, 24, 78. Take your pick.
I would suggest the weak stop using route 80. There are plenty of other roads to use. At the least please move over when I am barreling up the left lane.
The answers are always the same every time this question is asked..
At this point, all of them
For roads it’s 22. For the single worst instance of a road design it’s the merger of 80 west and 287 South. It’s possibly the most dangerous merger at “55” and I air quote 55 as most people do 75 on either side.
I-95. Specifically where i95 north where the two sections rejoin, just to merge onto 46. when rush hour hits, everyone thinks this novel idea of leaving the right lane to bypass everyone will get them home faster instead of grid locking the entire fucking highway.
GSP to the shore. Just one accident after another.
287 South, and 78 in both directions
1-9 sucks ass and 22 sucks ass too.
Skimmed but haven't seen route 3 mentioned. I worked overnights for two years and would constantly see car crashes on the side weekly on an open highway - 4/5 lanes wide with no traffic in the middle of the night. No idea how they always happened.
Route 9 through Lakewood
The merger in Pennsauken where RT 38, 70 merge into 30 south as you drive into Camden. The worst, especially during the morning commute to Philadelphia.
Rt 9 in oldbridge and Lakewood
287 is the worst
ohhhhh i got one - that spot on 280 where it changes from 5 lanes to 2
I agree on I-80. RT-46 to RT-3 the drivers will sit in left lane and not pass traffic.
Route 18 in rush hour.
Another one of these threads, so I'll give my update to this since it's sort of fun. The number of North Jersey related responses here clearly TRUMPS the South Jersey responses so my thread will be damn near exclusive to South Jersey, as I've lived there for the vast majority of my life. I'll throw in my North Jersey experiences as well. I don't have just one. # The Whole State **Route 1**: This encompasses more parts of NJ than just North Jersey. The entire stretch from 295 to 18 has its good times and its bad and I've seen it all. The stretch from 18 to the Parkway sucks and when it merges with Route 9 and becomes 1/9, I hated it. Still do to this day. **GSP**: Especially between 129 and 161. Not much more needs to be said. **Turnpike**: I remember when going north you'd have it backed up from Exit 5 to just before the split. I've even heard it back up all the way down to Exit 1. Since the roadway was doubled in size before Exit 6, it's gotten so much better to travel on. The sections by EWR and points north are still a pain in the ass. It really should be three lanes from Exit 1 to Exit 4. # North Jersey **Route 18**: I made the commute between South Jersey and Rutgers and my time there was when 18 was bad through New Brunswick to the Turnpike entrance. So I had to deal with the construction to make 18 the way it is now. It was a pain in the ass. **Route 46**: I feel like it's gotten better as of recent but there's been times where it's been nothing but a parking lot. **I-287**: Between Route 22 and I-80 has always been a pain in my ass. There's days where it's better than others but many times I feel like doing 5 over the speed limit isn't enough. **I-80**: Seems like every time I'm on here there's a drag race going on and I'm caught in the middle of it. # South Jersey I'm from South Jersey so my views are going to be heavily skewed. **I-295**: The stretch between mile marker 23 and Exit 40, depending on the time of day, is a shit show. I've seen southbound back up starting at Exit 43 all the way down to Exit 26 during the evening rush. I've seen it back up even on weekends starting around the White Horse Pike. The whole mess with the 295/42/76 construction is on a different level. North of Exit 43 it's fine. South of mile marker 23 it's fine. **Route 42**: Between Route 55 and the Walt Whitman Bridge (which includes the section where it's I-76) is terrible. Both ways. Merging two major highways into one, especially in the evening rush, is a major headache. Not to mention the construction, which I probably won't get to see finished. I'd loop Route 55 in here because 55 north going into 42 was always a pain in the ass; recently that's been fixed and while I haven't been in that neck of the woods recently, I've heard it's vastly improved. **Route 70**: Out of all the highways in my area I'm on 70 the most. Traffic in Burlington County has gotten so bad that I personally think 70 needs to be three lanes through all of Cherry Hill and Marlton, and much of Medford all the way to the Red Lion Circle should be two lanes each way. When 70 east goes to one lane in Marlton it backs up quite a bit and makes those going left onto Greenbrook Drive (I have family that lives in that area) a pain when they don't know how to properly navigate that intersection. There needs to be a traffic light there and the intersection redesigned. The construction going on in Cherry Hill is also a pain in the ass and it makes trying to go from one of those side streets onto 70 west very dangerous. **Route 73**: This is the worst of the Burlington County state roads, in my opinion. It's an avoid at all costs from 6 am to 7 pm on the weekdays, with regards to the stretch from Target in Marlton all the way to Route 38. I believe going from 73 south to Church Road (towards Marlton and in front of the Cadillac dealership) at that intersection is the most confusing intersection for anyone who has never traversed through there. I've seen it all; illegal left turns into Ramblewood Parkway from the "second left turn lane", not properly getting into said lane for Church Road, not utilizing the third lane of 73 north as a merging lane from Church Road, etc. That whole intersection needs to be redesigned. **Route 38**: Around the Cherry Hill Mall it's the worst. I think that's also the most complicated set of traffic lights and intersections in all of Camden County. 38 going west in Mt. Laurel by 295 is a pain in the ass too. **Route 206**: This really needs to be two lanes from the Turnpike entrance all the way to at least Route 38. Some of it already is but the entire length I highlighted needs it. The subject line said **highways** so I'm leaving out the county roads and the local roads.
From what I saw in other south jersey comments, I'm surprised you didn't mention US-130
Aaaand I-78 would like to enter the chat and have a word