New Jersey Route 3

Route 3
Map of northeast New Jersey with NJ 3 in red and former NJ 153 in pink
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT
Length	10.84 mi[1] (17.45 km)
Existed	1927–present
Major junctions
West end	US 46 / CR 621 in Clifton
Major intersections	G.S. Parkway in Clifton Route 21 in Clifton CR 507 in Lyndhurst Route 17 in Rutherford I-95 / N.J. Turnpike / Route 120 in East Rutherford I-95 / N.J. Turnpike in Secaucus
East end	US 1-9 / Route 495 in North Bergen
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Passaic, Bergen, Hudson
Highway system
New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate US State Scenic Byways
← Route 2 → Route 4
← Route 152 Route 153 → Route 154

Route 3 is a state highway in the northeastern part of New Jersey. The route runs 10.84 miles (17.45 km) from U.S. Route 46 (US 46) in Clifton, Passaic County, to US 1/9 in North Bergen, Hudson County. The route intersects many major roads, including US 46, which takes travelers to Interstate 80 (I-80) west for commuting out of the city-area, the Garden State Parkway and Route 21 in Clifton, Route 17 and the Western Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) in East Rutherford, the Eastern Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (also I-95) in Secaucus, and Route 495 in North Bergen, for traffic going to the Lincoln Tunnel into New York City. Route 3 serves as the main artery to the Lincoln Tunnel from I-80, in conjunction with a portion of US 46 and Route 495. Portions of the route are not up to freeway standards; with driveways serving businesses and bus stops. Despite this, many construction projects have been underway over the years to alleviate this issue. Route 3 also provided access to Hoffmann La Roche's former American headquarters in Nutley, the Meadowlands Sports Complex and American Dream in East Rutherford. The road inspired a story in The New Yorker in 2004 by Ian Frazier due to its views of the Manhattan skyline. Route 3 was originally the Lincoln Tunnel Approach and ended at the state line in the Hudson River, though it was scaled back following the construction of I-495; which is now Route 495 due to also not meeting interstate highway standards.

Route 3 was originally established in 1927 to run from the New York state line on the west shore of Greenwood Lake to Secaucus. In 1929, the western terminus was cut back to Paterson when the alignment west of there was planned to become part of Route S4B. Route 3 originally followed present-day Route 20 through Paterson and ran along local streets to East Rutherford, where it followed present-day Route 120 and Paterson Plank Road to Secaucus. It was extended east to the Lincoln Tunnel in 1939. The limited-access section of Route 3 between US 46 in Clifton and East Rutherford was completed in the 1940s as Route S3 as well as the Secaucus Bypass, which was designated a bypass of Route 3. Route 3 was moved to the Route S3 freeway and the Secaucus Bypass in 1953 and was truncated to US 1/9 in North Bergen in 1959 when the Lincoln Tunnel approach was designated as I-495. The Route 3 freeway has seen many improvements over the years, such as widening and interchange reconstructions. It underwent a major reconstruction, completed in 2016, to modern highway standards with bridge replacements, including a new Passaic River bridge between Clifton and Route 17 in Rutherford.