NJ 138 is the eastern extension of I-195, but is merely an expressway and not a freeway. The reason for the demotion is that 138 predates 195, and in fact was once the eastern section of a planned continuous NJ 38 across the belt of New Jersey. In 1967, NJDOT decided to use Interstate funding instead, and merged the 38 and 37 proposals for a freeway ending at Trenton instead of near Cherry Hill and the rest of NJ 38. With I-195 going up, the orphaned existing part of 38 got a 1 tacked on (similar to NJ 120's story). NJ 138 is longer than you think it is - it ends at NJ 34, even though I-195's exit numbering has already begun.


These exits may be numbered as if they are on I-195, but the MILE 0 in the last photo gives away the fact that NJ 138 ends at NJ 34, and not at the Garden State Parkway (which it probably should). All of the text in the second sign is specced incorrectly.


EB in the same spot, with the first NJ 138 pull-through.


WB at the beginning of the NJ 18 stub freeway.


And guess what, EB as well. Notice that there's a new BGS at 18... and there's an extra space at the left. Wonder why?

This photo is courtesy Doug Kerr. Between the time of Doug's photo and mine, 18 changed at at 138. What was a cloverleaf interchange (with three of the ramps missing, the extra one being an EB-WB turnaround for 138) was converted into a trumpet. The old EB 138 exit for 18 NB was moved onto the ramp that would have been for 18 SB, leaving a perfectly paved and graded exit that's now useless, but getting rid of the shoulder that was striped right past the unused ramp, as you can see in Doug's photo. Follow the NJ 18 link at the bottom to see some of the current condition of the freeway stub, which is destined to turn into a bike path southward along the purchased alignment. Anyway, the blank BGS that would have been for 18 SB needed to go, and since 18 NORTH is no longer the next right, but this right, NJDOT decided to just install a new sign here (rather than move the old one from the other side of the bridge). So the NB sign now sits in the SB position, and the original NB sign position is now blank. Got that? Hope so.

The EB end of NJ 138.

Follow NJ 138 westward onto I-195
Exit 35 onto NJ 34
Exit 35A or 36 onto the Garden State Parkway
Onto NJ 18
Onto NJ 35
Unbuilt NJ 38 freeway on Steve Anderson's phillyroads.com
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