The New Jersey Turnpike (shortened to NJTP and colloquially known to New Jerseyans as "the Turnpike") is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United States. Having a total of 122.40 mi (196.98 km), the Turnpike's southern terminus begins at Interstate 295 (I-295) near the border of Pennsville and Carneys Point Townships in Salem County, one mile east of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Its northern terminus is located at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, Bergen County. The Turnpike is a major thoroughfare providing access to various localities in New Jersey, as well as Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route divides into four roadways at Exit 8A, with lanes restricted to carrying only cars, and with lanes for cars, trucks and buses.

The northern part of the mainline turnpike, along with the entirety of its extensions and spurs, is part of the Interstate Highway System, designated as Interstate 95 (I-95) between Exit 6 and its northern end. South of Exit 6, it has the unsigned Route 700 designation. There are two extensions and one spur, including the Newark Bay Extension, which carries Interstate 78 (I-78); the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension (officially the Pearl Harbor Memorial Turnpike Extension); and the Western Spur. Construction of the mainline from conceptualization to completion took 23 months, from 1950 to 1952. It was officially opened to traffic in November 1951, between its southern terminus and Exit 10.

The Turnpike has 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) lanes, 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) shoulders, 13 rest areas named after notable residents of New Jersey, and unusual exit signage that was considered the pinnacle of highway building in the 1950s. The Interstate Highway System took some of its design guidelines by copying the Turnpike's design guidelines. To some degree, the Turnpike is considered iconic in modern day pop culture, having been referenced in music, film and television.

The main road of the New Jersey Turnpike splits from I-295 in Carneys Point Township and runs a north-northeast route to Ridgefield Park, where the road continues as I-95. It is designated Route 700, an unsigned route, from Exit 1 (Delaware Memorial Bridge) to Exit 6, and as I-95 from Exit 6 (Mansfield Township) to Exit 18 (Secaucus/Carlstadt). The number of lanes ranges from 4 lanes south of Exit 4 (Mount Laurel Township), 6 lanes between Exit 4 and Exit 8A (Monroe Township), 10 lanes between Exit 8A and Exit 9 (East Brunswick), 12 lanes between Exit 9 and Exit 11 (Woodbridge Township), and 14 lanes between Exit 11 and Exit 14 (Newark).

Before the advent of the Interstate Highways, the entire Turnpike was designated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation as Route 700, with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension being Route 700P and the Newark Bay Hudson County Extension being Route 700N. None of these state highway designations have ever been signed.

Beginning just south of Exit 8A, the Turnpike splits into a "dual-dual" configuration similar to a local-express configuration, with the outer lanes open to all vehicles and the inner lanes limited to cars only, unless signed otherwise because of unusual conditions. Specifically, starting in Monroe Township (going north), the Turnpike has a total of 10 lanes, 5 in each direction (2-3-3-2). From East Brunswick, the Turnpike has a total of 12 lanes, 6 in each direction (3-3-3-3). From Woodbridge Township to Newark, High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes exist on the outer roadway (outer truck lanes), thereby making it 7 lanes in each direction (4-3-3-4). The HOV lanes are in effect on weekdays, from 6:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. northbound, and 4 p.m.–7 p.m. southbound (at times, the Turnpike Authority might suspend the HOV restrictions entirely during peak hours in case of unusual conditions).

North of Exit 14, the Turnpike splits into two spurs: the Eastern Spur (the original roadway) and the Western Spur (opened in 1970). Both spurs are signed as I-95. The Western Spur is posted for through traffic on I-95 seeking Interstate 280 (I-280), the Meadowlands Sports Complex, and the George Washington Bridge. Traffic seeking U.S. Route 46 (U.S. 46), Interstate 80 (I-80), and the Lincoln Tunnel is routed via the Eastern Spur. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), which calls every class of highway Route, calls the Western Spur Route 95W. The complex series of roadways and ramps linking the car/truck lanes, the two spurs, as well as traffic heading to and from both Exit 14 and the Newark Bay Extension is referred to by the Turnpike Authority as the "Southern Mixing Bowl".

The Turnpike also has two extensions; the first, the Newark Bay Extension, was opened in 1956 and is a part of I-78. It connects Newark with Lower Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City and intersects the mainline near Newark Liberty International Airport. This extension contains three exits (Exits 14A, 14B, and 14C) and due to its design (four lanes with a shoulderless Jersey barrier divider), it has a 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit.

The second extension, known as the Pearl Harbor Extension, connects the mainline of the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 6 with the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A 6-mile (10 km) long six-lane highway, it not only connects the Pennsylvania Turnpike with the mainline, but also has an exit to U.S. Route 130 (U.S. 130) near Florence. It was formerly designated as Route 700P, but is currently designated I-95 in anticipation of the completion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project in 2017.

A 4-mile (6 km) stretch of I-95 north of U.S. 46 came under Turnpike Authority jurisdiction in 1992, as NJDOT sold the road in order to balance the state budget. This section of the road travels past the interchange for I-80 and through a cut in the Hudson Palisades at GWB Plaza. This portion of the Turnpike is also "dual-dual", split into local and express lanes, as it approaches the George Washington Bridge.

A section of the Turnpike and the surrounding land in Elizabeth and Newark, New Jersey has been called "the most dangerous two miles in America" by New Jersey Homeland Security officials due to the high volume of traffic in conjunction with the density of potential terrorist targets in the surrounding area.

A number of bridges are included as part of the New Jersey Turnpike:

The New Jersey Turnpike is a closed-system toll road, using a system of long-distance tickets, obtained once by a motorist upon entering and surrendered upon exiting at toll gates. The toll gates exist at all exits and entrances (except for the Meadowlands Sports Complex and the highway extension toward the Hudson River). The toll fee depends on the distance traveled between entrance and exit, and longer distances result in higher tolls. As of 2012[update], the automobile toll from Exit 1 to Exit 18 is $13.85. If the ticket is lost, one must pay the highest toll fee upon exiting. In September 2000, the Turnpike introduced E-ZPass electronic toll collection. Discounts were available to all users of the E-ZPass system until 2002. Since then, the costly implementation of the E-ZPass system forced the Turnpike Authority to eliminate the discounts during peak hours, and instead impose a $1 per month E-ZPass fee to their account holders. E-ZPass customers with NJ accounts still receive a discount during off-peak hours, when the automobile toll from Exit 1 to Exit 18 is $10.40. Cash customers do not receive this discount. Express E-ZPass implementation is underway, allowing E-ZPass customers at some of the toll plazas to travel through toll areas at highway speeds, via the addition of E-ZPass sensors on an overhead gantry. One of these high-speed toll gates is located at the northern terminus of the road, as southbound I-95 traffic enters the Turnpike. The newest one is located at the southern terminus in Carneys Point. There is also a high-speed E-ZPass entry point on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension. At each location, traditional E-ZPass and cash lanes are also available. As of 2011, every toll lane on the Turnpike accepts E-ZPass.

When traveling from the North, users who exit at the Meadowlands Sports Complex pay no toll, but the Turnpike Authority counts cars electronically and is paid a fee for each vehicle by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

The non-tolled I-295, which parallels the Turnpike for much of its southern length, is often used as an alternate route for shunpiking by locals and through travelers alike; prior to the expansion of the Exit 1 toll plaza, this route was promoted through signage and radio announcements from the New Jersey State Police as a bypass of summer congestion at the plaza.

On January 8, 2008, Governor Jon Corzine proposed a 50 percent increase in tolls on New Jersey's three toll roads in 2010, with increases of a similar percentage every four years after that, in order to help pay state debt. Each times tolls increased, there would be an additional increase for inflation since the last toll increase (for the first, since 2006). The roads would be maintained by a nonprofit corporation that would pay back bonds to the state. Under this plan, and without considering the inflation increases, tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike would have risen from $6.45 to $42.92 in 2022. It was considered possible that commuters will receive discounts from the higher toll rates. The plan, however, was not enacted due to mounting opposition from New Jersey residents. On September 5, 2008, a proposal to increase Turnpike tolls substantially was reported. On December 1, 2008, the first phase of the toll hike went into effect. On January 1, 2012, the second phase of the toll hike went into effect.

The minimum speed limit for all zones on the Turnpike is 10 mph (16 km/h) below the maximum speed limit. Between the southern terminus and milepost 97.2, the maximum speed limit is 65 mph (105 km/h) with a minimum speed of 55 mph (89 km/h), for example. The speed limit was previously lowered to 55 mph on the Turnpike when Congress passed the National Maximum Speed Law in 1973. In late 1997, the New Jersey Legislature acted to raise the 55 mph speed limit to 65 mph on the Turnpike, along with the Garden State Parkway, the Atlantic City Expressway, Interstate highways, and other freeways that had a 55 mph speed limit.

The New Jersey Turnpike is noted for naming its rest areas after people who lived or worked in New Jersey. From south to north, the rest areas are:

Turnpike rest areas comprise mostly fast food restaurants. Most rest stops also include a gas station, with gas price signs posted about half a mile before reaching the rest stop.

There was a service area on the northbound side where Exit 13A is located, before it opened in 1982. The service area usage overlapped the existence of Exit 13A (where northbound drivers who took Exit 13A missed the service area, and vice versa) but is no longer in existence. Today, it can be seen by motorists when exiting at 13A from the northbound car lanes since there is a temporary concrete barrier that is obstructing an open asphalt lot. The plaza was named for Admiral William Halsey.

Also, two service plazas were located on the Newark Bay Extension (one eastbound and one westbound) located west of Exit 14B. These were closed in the early 1970s. The eastbound plaza was named for John Stevens and the westbound plaza was named for Peter Stuyvesant.

In late March 2010, it was revealed that the state Transportation Commissioner was considering selling the naming rights of the rest areas to help address a budget shortfall.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority offers 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) shoulders wherever possible, and disabled vehicle service may be obtained by dialing #95 on a cellular phone.

Route 100 and Route 300 were two state highways proposed in the 1930s by the New Jersey Department of Transportation as precursors to the New Jersey Turnpike.

The road that is now the New Jersey Turnpike was first planned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (then known as the State Highway Department) as two untolled freeways in 1938. Route 100 was the route from New Brunswick to the George Washington Bridge, plus a spur to the Holland Tunnel (now the Newark Bay Extension of the Turnpike). Route 300 was the southern part of Turnpike from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to New Brunswick. However, NJDOT did not have the funds to complete the two freeways, and very little of the road was built under its auspices. Instead, in 1948, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority was created to build the road, and the two freeways were built as a single toll road.

Route S100 was a proposed spur of Route 100 in Elizabeth. It was never built, although Route 81 follows a similar alignment.

According to a letter to the editor written by the daughter of Paul L. Troast, the first chairman of the NJ Turnpike Authority, Kathleen Troast Pitney:

A brochure "Interesting Facts about the New Jersey Turnpike," dating from soon after the road's opening, states that when the Turnpike's bonds are paid off, "The law provides that the Turnpike be turned over to the State for inclusion in the public highway system." Due to new construction, and the expectation that the Turnpike pay for policing and maintenance, this has never come to pass.

The task of building the Turnpike was not an easy one. One major problem was the construction in the city of Elizabeth, where either 450 homes or 32 businesses would be destroyed, depending on the chosen route. The engineers decided to go through the residential area, since they considered it the grittiest and the closest route to both Newark Airport and the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal seaport.

When construction finally got to Newark, there was a new challenge: deciding to build either over or under the Pulaski Skyway. If construction went above the Skyway, the costs would be much higher. If they went under, the costs would be lower, but the roadway would be very close to the Passaic River, making it harder for ships to pass through. The Turnpike was ultimately built to pass under.

While continuing up to the New Jersey Meadowlands, the crossings were harder because of the fertile marsh land of silt and mud. Near the shallow mud, the mud was filled with crushed stone, and the roadway was built above the water table. In the deeper mud, caissons were sunk down to a firm stratum and filled with sand, then both the caissons and the surrounding areas were covered with blankets of sand. Gradually, the water was brought up, and drained into adjacent meadows. Then, the construction of the two major bridges over the Passaic River and Hackensack River were completed. The bridges were built to give motorists a clear view of the New York City skyline, but with high retaining walls to create the illusion of not being on a river crossing. The 6,955 ft (2,120 m) Passaic River (Chaplain Washington) Bridge cost $13.7 million to construct and the 5,623 ft (1,714 m) Hackensack River Bridge cost $9.5 million.

After the Turnpike was built in 1952, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the New York State Thruway Authority proposed a 13-mile (21 km) extension of the New Jersey Turnpike that would go from its end (at U.S. 46 in Ridgefield Park at the time) up to West Nyack, New York at Interstate 87 (I-87), the New York State Thruway. The portion through New Jersey was to be constructed and maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, while the portion in New York was to be built and maintained by the New York Thruway Authority.

The purpose of this extension was to give motorists a "more direct bypass of the New York City area" to New England, by using the Tappan Zee Bridge. The extension was to parallel NY Route 303 and the present-day CSX River Line, and have limited interchanges. It was to have an interchange with the Palisades Interstate Parkway and at I-87/New York State Thruway in West Nyack. This project did not survive; by 1970, it became too expensive to buy right-of-way access, and community opposition was fierce. Therefore the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the New York State Thruway Authority cancelled the project.

With the Turnpike completed, traffic began to increase, which prompted the Turnpike Authority's first widening project. In 1955, the Authority proposed two widening projects:

In 1966, the Turnpike was widened between Exit 10 and Exit 14 under a new expansion plan. This abolished the ‘express-local’ roadway plan and created the car and truck-buses lane configuration (3-3-3-3). This project also included closing the old Exit 10 at Woodbridge and replacing it with a new Exit 10 in Edison Township; Exit 11 was also rebuilt to provide complete access to the Garden State Parkway. This dual-dual setup was widened south to Exit 9 in East Brunswick Township in 1973, and extended again further south in 1990 to Exit 8A in Monroe Township. The widening between Exit 8A-9 created some problems in the East Brunswick area in the late 1980s during the proposed widening from six to twelve lanes. Analysis of noise (Shadely, 1973) and air quality impacts were made in a lawsuit decided in New Jersey Superior Court. This case in the early 1970s was one of the early U.S. examples of environmental scientists playing a role in the design of a major highway. The computer models allowed the court to understand the effects of roadway geometry (width in this case), vehicle speeds, proposed noise barriers, residential setback and pavement types. The outcome was a compromise that involved substantial mitigation of noise pollution and air pollution impacts.

The New Jersey Turnpike smog accident was a series of roadway accidents that occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike in the town of Kearny, on October 23 and 24, 1973. The first collision occurred at 11:20 PM EDT on the 23rd, and further accidents continued to occur until 2:45 AM the next day as cars plowed into the unseen accident ahead of them. Sixty-six vehicles were involved and nine people died as a result. Thirty-nine suffered non-fatal injuries.

The primary cause of the accident was related to a fire consisting of burning garbage, aggravated by foggy conditions. This produced an area of extremely poor visibility.

In 1971, the Turnpike Authority proposed to build the Alfred E. Driscoll Expressway. It was to start at the Garden State Parkway south of exit 80 in Dover Township (now Toms River) and end at the Turnpike approximately 3 miles north of exit 8A in South Brunswick. As a proposed part of the Turnpike system, its seven interchanges would have included toll plazas except at the northern end at the Turnpike. By 1972, the proposed road met fierce opposition from Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties with quality of life being the main concern. The Turnpike Authority proceeded anyway by selling bonds. But by December 1973, the proposal was hit hard when governor-elect Brendan Byrne decided to stop the project altogether. Despite this, the Authority continued with its plan. It wasn't until February 1977, that the Authority ended its plan to build the road. The rights-of-way were sold in 1979, indefinitely shelving the project.

In January 2004, the Authority opened up the refurbished 18W toll gate in Carlstadt. The refurbishment includes two E-ZPass Express Lanes in both directions. In July 2004, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority opened the new Exit 1 toll gate in Carney's Point Township. The new 23-lane toll gate is near milepost 2.4, featuring a glass-enclosed overhead walkway for toll collectors, including "a concrete lighthouse to serve as a 'gateway' to the state as well as to the Turnpike". The toll gate features 5 lanes heading north, 14 lanes heading south, and two "E-ZPass Express" Lanes in both directions.

In 2005, the Authority opened Exit 15X to allow access to the newly-built Secaucus Junction train station.

In February 2006, the Authority updated Exit 8A in Monroe Township. The former exit ramp that allowed traffic onto Route 32 westbound, has been closed off. Instead, a new ramp leads to a traffic light at the intersection of the ramp and County Route 535 in South Brunswick Township. Route 535 was expanded between the new ramp intersection and Route 32.

The Authority planned to build Route 92, an west–east spur from U.S. Route 1 (U.S. 1) & Ridge Road in the township of South Brunswick to the mainline of the Turnpike at Exit 8A in Monroe Township. This proposition was cancelled on December 1, 2006.

The Turnpike Authority reconfigured Exit 12 in the Borough of Carteret to reduce truck traffic. A new grade separated interchange-ramp was constructed from Roosevelt Ave east and connects to the toll gate. In addition, the 7-lane toll gate was demolished and replaced with a new 17-lane one. This project was completed in April 2010, five to six months behind schedule.

The Authority lowered the Eastern Spur (between 107.3 to 107.5 in Newark). The lowered spur now consists of a minimum 15-foot (4.6 m) vertical clearance and a 12-foot (3.7 m) horizontal clearance on the shoulders underneath the Pulaski Skyway (U.S. Routes 1/9).

The Authority rebuilt Exit 16W in the Borough of East Rutherford. Various new ramps were built and various old ones were destroyed. One major modification was destroying the old ramp from the tollgate to Route 3 west, and having a new ramp swing around in the opposite direction and merge with Route 3 west, thereby completing the "double trumpet-like" interchange. This project was completed by March 2010.

Throughout the 2000s, the Turnpike made repairs to several bridge decks, including the bridge crossing the Rancocas Creek, which was resurfaced in 2007.

A Cessna 152 monitoring traffic made an emergency landing on the Turnpike in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on February 1, 2010.

On March 5, 2011, the Turnpike Authority began accepting E-Z Pass on all toll lanes at all of the Turnpike interchanges.

On April 28, 2011, attempts to privatize toll collection on the New Jersey Turnpike were thwarted as a deal was made between the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and two unions to instead reduce toll collector salaries.

The Authority reconstructed the Route 495 westbound overpass across the Turnpike at Exit 16E in Secaucus. This was finished in Summer 2011.

Safety improvements were made at Exit 2 in Woolwich Township. The Authority installed a traffic signal at the entrance to the Turnpike with U.S. Route 322. In addition, the intersection was widened with turn lanes on all approaches. Construction was complete in late 2012.

The Turnpike Authority is planning to widen the Turnpike from the Exit 1 toll gate in Carney's Point Township to Exit 4 in Mount Laurel Township. Wider overpasses are currently being constructed to accommodate one extra lane in each direction (which would change the Southern Turnpike configuration from 2-2 to 3-3). However, this project is on hold due to the Exit 6-8A widening.[citation needed]

Due to traffic congestion outside Exit 8A, the Turnpike Authority plans to improve Route 32 from its intersection at U.S. 130 in South Brunswick to the Exit 8A tollgate in Monroe Township. Named the Interchange 8A to Route 130 Connection, plans and dates have yet to be determined.

The Turnpike Authority plans to widen Route 18 and redo all the associated ramps at Exit 9 (except the ramp to Route 18 north) in East Brunswick Township. This is all in part to reduce congestion on Route 18. This is planned to start in late 2012 and take about two years to complete.

The Authority is constructing a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) connector, called the "Tremely Point Road Connector," between Industrial Way in the Borough of Carteret to Tremely Point Road in the City of Linden. The purpose of this connector is to "help meet the fast-growing commercial needs of the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region and ensure the continued efficiency and competitiveness of the numerous cargo loading/unloading facilities that operate within the Port of New York and New Jersey (Port)". The estimated completion date of the connector has yet to be determined.

With the Port Authority of NY and NJ planning to replace the Goethals Bridge, improvements are being studied at Exit 13 in Elizabeth and Linden.

The Authority plans to improve Exit 14A in Jersey City and connecting roads in Bayonne since the current interchange is in "poor condition" and suffers from chronic congestion. This is part of a bigger project that addresses future congestion along Route 440. Plans and dates have yet to be announced.

Several variable message signs are being replaced from 2010 to 2013. The replacement signs will be more up to date, easier to read, and will feature travel times to major routes.

In November 2004, New Jersey Governor Richard Codey advocated a plan to widen the Turnpike by extending the dual-dual configuration 20.1 miles (32.3 km) south from Exit 8A in Monroe Township to Exit 6 in Mansfield Township by 2014, when the Pennsylvania Turnpike is supposed to complete an interchange that will connect its road to the existing I-95 in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. Finances would be supplied by rerouting money from the planned Route 92 Turnpike extension. Overpasses are already being reconstructed to be compatible with a wider Turnpike. As part of this project, the Turnpike Authority plans to expand the Turnpike by changing the current dual-dual configuration (from 2-3-3-2 to 3-3-3-3) between Exit 9 in East Brunswick Township and Exit 8A in Monroe Township. Minimal construction is needed since overpasses were built with future expansion in mind and only final preparation and paving of an outer lane in the outer roadways is required to accommodate the extra lane. New signage and lighting will be implemented during the widening project. Some transmission towers that run near the Turnpike may be reconfigured to make room for the newly constructed roadways.

According to Turnpike documentation, the widened Turnpike would feature six lanes in each direction (3-3-3-3). The following interchanges will be upgraded with this widening project: Exit 6 (Mansfield), Exit 7 (Bordentown), Exit 7A (Robbinsville Township), Exit 8 (East Windsor Township), and Exit 8A (Monroe Township). Plans also include adding a lane in each direction of the Turnpike between Exits 8A and 9.

On July 2, 2009, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place near Exit 8 to initiate the widening of the Turnpike.

The last construction contract was awarded on February 28, 2012, one of the 23 contracts part of the widening project. The Turnpike Authority anticipates the construction project will be complete by May 2014.

On January 1, 2007, the Turnpike Authority released its plan for Exit 8 in East Windsor Township. The current interchange will be demolished and replaced with a brand new interchange, located to the east of the Turnpike (currently located west of the Turnpike). The new Exit 8 will feature a new toll plaza featuring 12 lanes, and connect directly with the Hightstown Bypass (Route 133) (without going through any traffic lights), as well as to Route 33 by using a grade separated interchange. Construction of a realigned Milford Road, near the interchange, was open to traffic in October 2011. Milford Road was converted into an overpass crossing over the new interchange 8 ramp (currently under construction). The junction with the realigned Milford Road, Route 33 and Monmouth Street, has been modified.