If you’ve ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on a Friday afternoon in July, watching the temperature gauge on your dashboard climb while your GPS turns a deep, angry shade of crimson, you know Route 70. It’s the concrete ribbon that ties the Philadelphia suburbs to the Atlantic Ocean. To some, it’s just a way to get to Manasquan or Island Beach State Park. To locals, it’s a gauntlet.
New Jersey State Route 70 isn’t just a road; it’s a 68-mile study in contrast. It starts in the urban density of Pennsauken, slices through the eerie, silent pines of the interior, and spits you out near the salt air of the coast.
Honestly, most people treat it like a necessary evil. They miss the history, the weirdness, and the tactical shortcuts that actually make the drive bearable.
The Reality of the "Marlton Circle" Ghost
For decades, the intersection of Route 70 and Route 73 in Marlton was the stuff of nightmares. It was a classic New Jersey traffic circle—a chaotic whirlpool of merging cars and frayed nerves. If you talk to anyone who drove it before 2011, they probably have a story about a near-miss or a total breakdown of social order at that junction.
The circle is gone now, replaced by a massive overpass and a sophisticated interchange. But here’s the thing: the traffic didn't magically disappear. It just moved. Now, the bottleneck usually happens further east at the intersection with Hartford Road or the notoriously slow stretch through Cherry Hill.
You’ve got to understand the "Garden State flow." In the morning, everything crawls west toward the Ben Franklin Bridge. By 3:00 PM, the tide turns. If you aren't past the Evesham border by then, you’re basically a permanent resident of Burlington County for the next hour.
Why the Pine Barrens Change Everything
Once you get past Medford, the scenery does something strange. The strip malls vanish. The Wawas—though they still appear like desert oases—get further apart. You enter the Pine Barrens.
This stretch of Route 70 is officially designated as part of the Pinelands National Reserve. It is over a million acres of protected forest. It’s quiet. It’s dark at night. It’s also where the Jersey Devil supposedly lives, but more realistically, it’s where you’re most likely to hit a deer.
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- The Four Mile Circle: This is the nexus of the pines. It connects Route 70 with Route 72. If you miss your exit here, you’re looking at a twenty-minute detour through nothing but scrub pines and sand.
- Brendan T. Byrne State Forest: Formerly known as Lebanon State Forest, this is a massive chunk of land that Route 70 bisects. It’s beautiful, but it creates a "dead zone" for cell service in certain pockets.
- Whitesbog Village: Just off the main road, this is the birthplace of the cultivated blueberry. Elizabeth Coleman White worked here in the early 20th century to turn wild berries into a commercial crop. It’s a literal piece of agricultural history sitting five minutes off the highway.
The transition is jarring. You go from the high-speed suburban sprawl of Camden County to a landscape that looks exactly as it did in the 1800s. It’s a psychological shift as much as a physical one.
The Lakehurst Mystery and the Hindenburg
As you head east, you hit Lakehurst. Most people know it as the place where the speed limit drops and the cops are very, very active. Watch your speedometer here. Seriously.
But Lakehurst is also home to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. This is where the Hindenburg disaster happened in 1937. While the actual crash site is tucked away on the base and requires a scheduled tour to visit, the presence of the massive Hangar No. 1 looms over the horizon. It’s one of the largest timber-frame structures in the world.
Seeing that hangar while driving 55 mph (or 45, because again, Lakehurst) is a reminder that this road was built for logistics and military movement as much as for tourism. During the Cold War, these routes were vital for moving equipment between the coast and the inland bases.
The Brick Township Bottleneck
If the Pine Barrens are the "zen" portion of the drive, Brick Township is the adrenaline spike. This is where Route 70 meets the Garden State Parkway at Exit 88.
It is, quite frankly, a mess.
The construction projects here seem eternal. Because Route 70 serves as the primary artery for northern Ocean County, you’re competing with shoppers going to Costco, commuters hitting the Parkway, and tourists trying to find Highway 35.
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Survival Tips for the Shore Run
- Check the Cranberry Harvest: In the fall, especially around October, you might see activity in the bogs near the road. It’s a cool sight, but it can lead to "rubbernecking" delays.
- The Pemberton Shortcut: If the radio says there’s an accident near the 70/72 split, consider looping through Pemberton on Route 530. It’s slower, but you’re moving.
- Gas Up Early: Once you leave Medford, gas stations become sparse until you hit the Whiting/Manchester area. Don't play "fuel light roulette" in the pines.
Engineering and Safety: The Invisible Battle
New Jersey’s Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has a love-hate relationship with Route 70. The roadbed itself takes a beating. Because it’s a primary trucking route for materials coming out of the sand mines in South Jersey, the asphalt ruts quickly.
In recent years, there’s been a massive push to replace the old concrete slabs with flexible pavement. You’ll notice the "thump-thump-thump" of the old road disappearing in sections. It’s smoother, sure, but the construction zones are a headache.
Safety is the bigger issue. Route 70 has historically high rates of "run-off-road" accidents in the Pinelands sections. Why? Lack of lighting and straight-away fatigue. The road is so straight for so long that drivers zone out. Then, a curve appears near the Burlington/Ocean county line, and people lose it.
The Economic Engine of South Jersey
We can't talk about this road without talking about money. Route 70 is the spine of the regional economy. In Cherry Hill and Marlton, it’s a high-end retail corridor. Car dealerships, medical complexes, and luxury apartments line the asphalt.
As you move east, the economy shifts to resource extraction and then to retirement living. The Manchester and Whiting areas have some of the largest concentrations of 55+ communities in the state. For these residents, Route 70 is their lifeline to specialists in Philly or shopping in Brick.
When the road is closed or heavily delayed, it doesn't just ruin a beach day. It stops the flow of healthcare, groceries, and commerce for hundreds of thousands of people who live in the "in-between" spaces of New Jersey.
Historical Oddities You’ve Driven Past
Ever notice the "Red Lion" area? It’s not just a name on a sign. The Red Lion Inn was a real stagecoach stop. Before internal combustion engines, this was a multi-day journey. Travelers would hunker down in the pines, terrified of the isolation.
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Today, we do that same trip in 75 minutes while listening to a podcast. We’ve lost the sense of scale, but the geography remains just as unforgiving.
Then there’s the "Oliphant’s Mill" area. You can still see traces of the old industrial past if you look closely at the waterways crossing under the road. This wasn't always a "vacation" route. It was a rugged, industrial corridor where iron was forged and glass was blown using the bog ore and sand found right beneath the tires of your SUV.
A Better Way to Drive It
If you want to actually enjoy Route 70, stop treating it like a race.
Basically, everyone tries to "win" the drive by weaving through lanes. You won't win. You’ll just get to the next red light three seconds faster. Instead, pull over at one of the farm stands near Medford in the summer. Grab a bag of Jersey corn or some blueberries.
The road is an experience if you let it be. It’s the story of Jersey: a little bit of city, a lot of woods, and a massive amount of suburban chaos, all leading toward the ocean.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Trip
- Timing is Everything: Avoid the Friday 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM window at all costs. If you must go on Friday, leave before noon or after 8:00 PM.
- The "Secret" Food Stops: Don't just stick to the fast-food chains. Look for the independent diners in the Whiting area or the small Italian delis in Medford. The quality is ten times better.
- Emergency Prep: Keep a physical map or an offline GPS mode enabled. As mentioned, the Pine Barrens will eat your 5G signal for breakfast.
- Maintenance Check: Before doing the full 68-mile stretch in the summer heat, check your coolant. The stop-and-go sections in Brick and Cherry Hill are notorious for overheating older engines.
The next time you're heading down to the shore, take a second to look at the trees as you pass through the Pinelands. That's the real New Jersey. The malls are just the bookends. Route 70 is the story in between.