New Jersey Route 44

Route 44
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT
Length	10.28 mi[1] (16.54 km)
Existed	1927–present
Major junctions
South end	Main Street / Barker Avenue in Bridgeport
North end	I-295 / US 130 in West Deptford Township
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Gloucester
Highway system
New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate US State Scenic Byways
← Route 43 → Route 45

Route 44 is a state highway located in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs 10.28 mi (16.54 km) from Barker Avenue in Bridgeport to a cul-de-sac at a ramp from southbound Interstate 295 (I-295)/U.S. Route 130 (US 130) in Thorofare. The route, which is mostly a two-lane undivided road, passes through the communities of Gibbstown and Paulsboro in the northern part of the county, a short distance south of the Delaware River. Route 44 generally runs a short distance to the north of I-295/US 130 for much of its length.

In 1923, Route 17S was legislated along the current route followed by Route 44 today, running between Penns Grove and Westville. The only portion of Route 17S ever built ran from Penns Grove to Salem. Route 44 was designated in 1927 to replace Route 17S between Penns Grove and Westville. By the 1940s, Route 44 was extended south to Salem and US 130 was designated concurrent with the route north of Penns Grove. Several spurs of Route 44 had existed or were planned prior to 1953, including Route S44, which ran concurrent with US 322 to the ferry between Bridgeport and Chester, Pennsylvania; Route S44A, a never-built bypass of Camden; and Route 44T, which was to run from a tunnel under the Delaware River in Paulsboro east to Route 42. In 1953, Route 44 was replaced by US 130 north of Deepwater and by Route 49 south of there. After two bypasses were built for US 130 around Carneys Point and between Bridgeport and Westville, Route 44 was redesignated along the former US 130. After I-295 was completed in the 1960s, US 130 returned to its original alignment in Carneys Point and replaced that portion of Route 44.