It began with a vision...

"118 miles safely and comfortably ~ without a stop! That's what this modern "magic carpet" being built by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority will provide vehicle owners when it is completed late in 1951. Long sight distances, wide travel lanes and shoulders, easy curves and no crossroads assure safety and comfort. With fifteen traffic interchanges where vehicles may enter or leave, the turpike will connect with leading highways to famous seashore resorts east and to other points west.

North-south travelers also will be served more quickly and more economically. Savings in travel time on the Turnpike are estimated at as much as 40 percent versus travel on existing highways."

-caption for NJTA map, December 1949

Today...

The Turnpike has expanded to to 29 interchanges and covers 148 miles, including the Hudson County Newark Bay Extension, Pearl Harbor Memorial Turnpike Extension and the Western Spur. The lanes have been widened and additional lanes have been added, as well as a dual/dual roadway between interchanges 8A and 14 and the HOV lane between 11- 14 making the turnpike as wide as 14 lanes in some areas. 187 E-ZPass toll lanes are up and running on the turnpike, including a high speed lane at barrier interchange 6A.