New Jersey Roads - NJ 143

NJ 143

The numbering of NJ 143 stems from the fact that it was NJ 43 from 1954 into the 1980's. That numbering was because US 30 was NJ 43 before 1953, and NJ 143 was originally proposed under that contract. I imagine if it had been built before 1953 that 143 would have been numbered as NJ S-43, but as it is it became the only surviving piece of a numbering that only ever ran perpendicular to it.


The beginning of NJ 143 from Camden CR 726 NB. If only we knew it was 143; the shield has been missing for years.


Southbound, the shield is there, but curiously this isn't the end of NJ 143 South, but rather the southbound route of End 143. Anyway, note that on the overhead in the first photo, the county shield has white lettering and numbering, while here it has yellow. I imagine this is because the overhead signs at NJ 143/CR 726/CR 561 are county-installed for some reason - at least as far as I could tell - and many NJ counties have historically preferred white over yellow.


Old northbound signs, ending with the oldest sign of all at the entrance to the psychiatric hospital. The KEEP RIGHT sign is on the southbound side of the road, and is intended to face traffic entering the hospital, but has been twisted to face northbound traffic.


Southbound gets an old sign of its own. I bet these were yellow diamond signs back in the 1960's or thereabouts, and probably date from when the hospital opened. Lou Corsaro theorizes, and I'm inclined to agree, that this piece of NJ 43 was originally conceived and then constructed to serve this state hospital.


NB looking at the stub northern end of NJ 143. 143 was originally perfectly straight, but US 30 beyond the trees was reconstructed to cross adjacent railroad tracks via an overpass instead of at-grade. Since this involved raising US 30, rather than also raise NJ 143 and potentially have to erase someone's driveway and house, NJDOT curved NJ 143 to the west to a new signalized intersection.

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