End of US highway 130

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz and Dan Moraseski. Photo credits: Carter Buchanan; Chris Elbert; J.P. Nasiatka; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Mike Siegel

US 130 was an original 1926 route, only about 34 miles in length. Despite its east/west number, it's apparently always been signed as a north/south route. At the time its north end was in Trenton NJ. Dan writes that this junction was probably at the current US 206 / NJ 31 intersection. US 1 used Princeton Street to the north of that intersection, and Warren Street to the south. US 130 began by heading down Broad Street. The photo below is looking south on Princeton:

Nelson, Sep. 2007

That was southbound US 1, which continued ahead on Warren. US 130 begin to the left on Pennington, and then turned south on Broad. In 1935 the US 130 designation was extended north from Trenton to New Brunswick NJ. Dan reports that originally it went downtown, despite the fact that US 1 was already on the bypass to the southeast. "It is very likely that it ended at George Street and NJ 27, where NJ 171 now ends." Below is an historic photo from that intersection:

Rutgers University Libraries Special Collections and Archives

The crossroad is Albany Street, which carried US 1. Straight ahead on George was the north beginning of US 130. That building still exists, but now a modern building stands just to the north, blocking it from view in the more recent photo below:

Siegel, 2002

That's looking basically the same direction, although the camera was on the opposite side of George. At some point US 1 was rerouted along its current bypass, and in 1963 the US 130 designation was truncated to its current terminus at the new US 1 (old US 130 continuing into downtown became NJ 171). In 2003 that junction was reworked into a grade-separated interchange. This first photo below is heading north on US 130 towards its terminus, showing the sign bridge where it splits:

Buchanan/Nitzman, Oct. 2004

If you take the right fork, you'll soon find yourself at the intersection shown below, which is the actual end of the route:

Nasiatka, Sept. 2003

The sign in the median is shown close-up below:

Nasiatka, Sept. 2003

Where US 130 ends, NJ 171 begins. On the reverse of that assembly is the first southbound US 130 sign:

Nasiatka, Sept. 2003

Below is a shot of the north beginning of US 130 as seen from southbound US 1:

Nasiatka, Sept. 2003

Below are some photos that were taken before today's interchange was built. This first one was taken from Georges Road, looking north at the junction with US 1:

Nitzman, 2000

There probably used to be an "End" sign above that US 130 shield; you can see the space that it might have occupied. The intersection in the distance was the actual end of the highway; the photo below shows that same junction from a closer vantage point:

Nitzman, 2000

The south end of US 130 was originally in Camden NJ; here's what Dan had to say regarding specifics:

"Immediately in 1927, US 130 ended in downtown Camden, probably at the Ben Franklin Bridge plaza. [US 130 came in on Linden Street, ending at Broadway, which carried US 30 up to the bridge. This intersection no longer exists, because of I-676 and its access ramps.] But later that same year, the US 130 bypass around Camden was built. However, the current alignment of US 30 did not happen until about 1929, so in between US 130 would have ended at Collingswood Circle, now the south/east split of US 30 and US 130."

Unfortunately, that area was under construction at the time of Chris' visit:

Elbert, July 2006

"When US 30 was rerouted in Camden, US 130 was truncated to Airport Circle, at today's north/west split of US 30/130."

Elbert, July 2006

That's looking north on westbound US 30 / northbound US 130. The two routes split here - US 30 loops around to the right and continues left past downtown Camden and across the river into Philadelphia. Straight ahead was once the south beginning of US 130.

In 1938, US 130 was extended south to Deepwater NJ - you can view photos from there on this page.