I love the Garden State but New Jersey and traffic go together like peanut butter and jelly. I’m not saying they’re a perfect pair…just that they often go hand in hand. Rush hour is more like rush hours and if you’re hoping to spend a summer day at the shore, you’d better leave early. Things are a bit different now and there is less traffic on the road but there’s still one thing we can’t get away from…traffic circles.
Traffic circles, also known as roundabouts and rotaries, have been around for centuries. The first “circular junction” was documented in 1768 in Bath, Somerset, England.
Public Domain/Wikipedia
However, the first HIGHWAY traffic circle in the United States (and possibly the world) was constructed right here in New Jersey between 1925-1927.
U.S. Census Bureau/Wikipedia
Airport Circle, located in Pennsauken, still exists today - though it has been modified from its original form. It now includes overhead ramps and traffic lights.
Image/Google Maps
The circle, later named for Camden Central Airport which would open in 1929, served as the junction between Routes 30, 38, and 130.
Library of Congress/Wikipedia
Pictured here, the circle’s primary purpose was to funnel traffic from the Ben Franklin Bridge (then the Delaware River Bridge), opened to traffic a year prior.
Image/State.NJ.US
Later, it directed travelers to the first drive-in theater, opened in Pennsauken in 1933.
Electronics Magazine/Wikipedia The area around the circle became a model for an auto-centric urban America. With a drive-in theater, department stores, an outdoor boxing ring, and something called a “Whoopee Coaster,” it was made for those with cars. For those who don’t know (I sure didn’t), a Whoopee Coaster is a roller coaster designed for automobiles. There were others in the United States, but they never really caught on.
If the first traffic circle isn’t quite Jersey enough for you, the Garden State was also home to the first cloverleaf in the nation. Opened in 1928 and located in Woodbridge, it connected Route 1&9 and Route 35.
Image/State.NJ.US
Unfortunately, the circle is not what it once was. By the 1970s, it was inundated with go-go bars and other such businesses. (Specifically Admiral Wilson Boulevard) Today, it offers a variety of businesses including thrift shops, several restaurants, strip malls, and storage centers. While it may not be anything fancy, it’s still an important piece of history – and it’s right along the Cooper River. There’s potential there…
Public Domain/Wikipedia
U.S. Census Bureau/Wikipedia
Image/Google Maps
Library of Congress/Wikipedia
Image/State.NJ.US
Electronics Magazine/Wikipedia
The area around the circle became a model for an auto-centric urban America. With a drive-in theater, department stores, an outdoor boxing ring, and something called a “Whoopee Coaster,” it was made for those with cars. For those who don’t know (I sure didn’t), a Whoopee Coaster is a roller coaster designed for automobiles. There were others in the United States, but they never really caught on.
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Address: Pennsauken Township, NJ, USA
