Skip to main content

Ocean County Route 607 to Barnegat Light

By


Ocean County Route 607 is an 18.07-mile highway which exists on New Jersey's Long Beach Island.  Ocean County Route 607 begins at McKinley Avenue in Long Beach Township on the southern tip of Long Beach Island and terminates at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park at the northern tip.  Ocean County Route 607 follows Long Beach Boulevard, Bay Avenue, Long Beach Boulevard, Central Avenue and Broadway on Long Beach Island.  The current Barnegat Light was constructed during 1859 and can be found at the northern terminus of Ocean County Route 607 at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. 




Part 1; a general history of the Ocean County Route 607 corridor and Barnegat Light

Long Beach Island has been continuously inhabited since 1690.  Long Beach Island was originally popular with whaling parties which could access the Atlantic Ocean through Barnegat Inlet.  The frequent use of Barnegat Inlet led to the construction of a lighthouse during 1835.  The original lighthouse at Barnegat Inlet was destroyed by erosion during 1857 which led to the current Barnegat Light being erected during 1859.

A rail trestle to Long Beach Island was constructed by the Tuckerton Railroad during 1885-86.   The Long Beach Island Bridge was completed during 1914 alongside the existing rail trestle.  The Long Beach Railroad eventually was washed out during 1935 and was never replaced.  The Long Beach Island Bridge can be seen below in an undated photo.  New Jersey Route S40 was extended east from Manahawkin onto Long Beach Island and Long Beach Boulevard sometime between 1927-1939.  


New Jersey Highway S40 was reassigned as New Jersey Route 72 during the 1953 New Jersey State Highway Renumbering.  New Jersey Route 72 can be seen on the 1956 Shell Highway Map of New Jersey.  It isn't clear when Ocean County Route 607 was applied to the north/south corridor on Long Beach Island.  


During 1959 the original span of the Manahawkin Bay Bridge opened as replacement for the Long Beach Island Bridge.  The original Manahawkin Bay Bridge is a deck girder design which is 2,400.1 feet in length.   During 2000 the Manahawkin Bay Bridge was renamed in honor of New Jersey Department of Transportation Engineer Donald J. Henderson.  Construction of the new Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge span began during May 2013 and was completed during July 2016.  Following the opening of the new span of the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge the original span went through the process of rehabilitation between November 2016 to November 2019.  



Part 2; a drive on Ocean County Route 607 to Barnegat Light

New Jersey Route 72 eastbound terminates on Long Beach Island in Ship Bottom at Ocean County Route 607/Long Beach Boulevard via 9th Street.  Ocean County Route 607 can be utilized by turning north or south.  Barnegat Light is accessed from New Jersey Route 72 via a northbound turn onto Ocean County Route 607. 


Northbound Ocean County Route 607 passes through Ship Bottom, Surf City, North Beach, Harvey Cedars and Loveladies on Long Beach Boulevard before entering the community of Barnegat Light along Central Avenue.


























Ocean County Route 607 northbound makes a left-hand shift onto Broadway and terminates at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.




Barnegat Lighthouse State Park was created during 1951 and is centered around the grounds of Barnegat Light.  Barnegat Light State Park has a small trail system and locations to fish on a sea wall.  Barnegat Light is presently undergoing a restoration which is scheduled for completion during Spring 2023.  Barnegat Light was automated during 1927 and is 169 feet tall.  















Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

By
Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...
Post a Comment
Read more