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U.S. Route 9

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Template:Infobox U.S. Route U.S. Route 9 is a north-south United States highway in the states of Texas,Arkansas,Tennessee,Virginia,Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the United States. It is one of only two U.S. highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, between Lewes, Delaware, and Cape May, New Jersey); the other being US 10. US 9 is signed east-west in Delaware,Texas,Arkansas,Tennessee and Virginia and north-south on the rest of its route. The southern terminus of the route is in Laurel, Delaware at an intersection with U.S. Route 13, while the highway's northern terminus is a dead end in Champlain, NY, just short of the United States-Canada border.

Route description

Much of US 9 is a two-lane road, with some expansions near more populous areas. The major exception to this is central and northern New Jersey, where it is a wide four-lane (or six-lane) divided strip, especially during much of its concurrency with U.S. 1 and in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties. New York boasts a few similar sections, as well as two short expressway sections near Albany.

In New Jersey and New York, much of Route 9 runs parallel to nearby superhighways, the Garden State Parkway and Interstate 87, respectively.

Delaware

Main article: U.S. Route 9 in Delaware

U.S. Route 9 runs an east-west path through Sussex County, Delaware, running west from U.S. Route 13 in Laurel, passing through Georgetown, east to Lewes, where it leads to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which carries U.S. Route 9 across the Delaware Bay to New Jersey. U.S. Route 9 was extended to Delaware by way of the Cape-May Lewes Ferry in the 1970s, replacing Delaware Route 28 between Laurel and Georgetown and Delaware Route 18 between Georgetown and Lewes. U.S. Route 9 runs concurrent with Delaware Route 404 between Georgetown and the Five Points intersection near Lewes.

New Jersey

Main article: U.S. Route 9 in New Jersey
File:US9.jpg
9 Northbound, Freehold, NJ

From Cape May, U.S. 9 runs north parallel to the Garden State Parkway, through the Atlantic City suburbs, until joining it briefly through the the Pine Barrens (New Jersey) region of Southern New Jersey. Route 9 rejoins the Garden State Parkway in the Toms River area, and then veers away from it, becoming a divided highway at Lakewood. The highway follows a more inland route between Freehold and Perth Amboy. From here, the road resumes its parallel course with the Garden State Parkway. After crossing the Edison Bridge over the Raritan River, it merges with US 1 in Woodbridge. The concurrency, an important and busy regional artery, continues past Newark Liberty International Airport and over the Pulaski Skyway, finally leaving the state along with Route 1 and Interstate 95 via the George Washington Bridge.

Overlap with US 1

Main article: U.S. Route 1/9
A type of sign found on and near the concurrent US 1 and 9 in New Jersey
A US 1-9 shield on the concurrency

A large section in northeast New Jersey and a small section in southern New York is concurrent with U.S. Route 1. Route shields on this section, which includes the Pulaski Skyway, often show both numbers in the same shield, with a dash or ampersand between (1-9 or 1&9). It is known locally as "1 and 9."

New York

Main article: U.S. Route 9 in New York

U.S. 9 exits shortly after the bridge to become New York City's Broadway north of it, passing over the northern tip of Manhattan Island via the toll-free Broadway Bridge, through the Bronx and into Westchester County, where in some towns it follows the old Albany Post Road, which dates from the early days of the nation's existence.

Following the Hudson River closely as a busy surface road through the many suburban river villages and past National Historic Landmarks such as Sunnyside and Kykuit, 9 becomes the Croton Expressway between Croton-on-Hudson and Peekskill. That section ends at the Annsville Circle junction with US 6 and 202, where 9 returns to two-lane status as it follows the old post road inland, away from the river. At Fishkill it becomes a four-lane divided strip again similar to central New Jersey, upgrading to expressway status at the Poughkeepsie city limit. This lasts until the Mid-Hudson Bridge, where it returns to busy surface street status as it goes through Hyde Park and its historic sites.

US 9 as it approaches Albany

At Red Hook 9 veers inland again, becoming a two-lane country road through Columbia County save for the outskirts of Hudson. In Rensselaer County it widens again as it intersects I-90 and then joins US 20 to Albany, where it crosses the Hudson at the Dunn Memorial Bridge. It is a busy surface road through the state capital, becoming a strip in its northern suburbs, taking traffic eventually to Saratoga Springs and Lake George, at the edge of the Adirondack Park.

The Adirondack section of US 9 is the least trafficked of the road, returning to two lanes as it runs through vast tracts of forested wilderness and occasional hamlets. Almost 100 miles (161 km) to the north, it leaves the park and runs along or near Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh. North of there, it is once again a two-lane road all the way to Champlain and the cul-de-sac just shy of the border.

Original Termini

Prior to the opening of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry in 1964, US 9 ended on Lafayette Street in Cape May, New Jersey. It was re-routed to the west, via Sandman Boulevard and Lincoln Avenues, to meet the new ferry, and its southern stub into Cape May was renumbered as NJ 109.[1]

Originally, the road continued north across the border (as Route 9 towards Montreal) through the customs facilities now used by Interstate 87/Autoroute 15. The official northern terminus (the point where the END US 9 sign is posted) is just south of the interchange with I-87, less than a mile from customs.

Major intersections

  • Bruce Springsteen referred to the road in the song Born to Run." Specifically, he referred to New Jersey teens using the highway for cruising: "Sprung from cages on Highway 9 / Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin' out over the line."

See also

Bannered and suffixed routes

References

  1. ^ Endpoints of US highways - US 9
Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 9.
Browse numbered routes
← DE 8DE→ DE 9
 NJ→ US 9W
← NY 8NY→ NY 9A
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