CR 504

 

CR 504 connects Montville to Paterson. This route is also a route of almosts, especially because of 4 serious fumbles. I'll get to those on the page.

Morris County: 

CR 655 Alternate at US 202 in Montville. Here, US 202 turns onto Firehouse Road to pass under the railroad, and CR 655 Alternate continues straight ahead on the north side of the railroad. And this leads to a fumble.

Fumble #1: The western terminus of CR 504 is illogical.

Why is CR 655 Alternate on this page? Because this county route connects US 202 to CR 504. Maybe this made sense when CR 655 Alternate didn't exist and US 202 used a grade crossing just east of where CR 504 begins. And CR 655 and CR 655 Alternate were likely designated for possible extension along US 202 if that road gets transferred away from its county-maintained alignment onto a state-maintained one. But now? CR 655 Alternate should be deleted, and CR 504 should have a junction with US 202 in Montville. Logical.

This 1980s-era green sign is a little too crammed. Also not up to state standards even in the 80s, but it was up to Morris County standards.

The only directional reassurance for CR 655 Alternate is old and worn. Ideally, this would be replaced with a CR 504 WEST sign.

CR 504 begins by turning left here but is completely unsigned. How unceremonious for the start of a 500-series CR. May even be worse than the dead end of CR 561 Alternate for unceremonious.

CR 504 has a junction with CR 511 Alternate. Look at how crammed that overhead blade is. Maybe sign that as CR 511A on overheads?

CR 504 hitches onto the Newark-Pompton Turnpike.

Turnpike as a destination? Really? Especially when New Jerseyians know Turnpike as meaning NJ Turnpike! You could do much better by signing Wayne. But it's an older sign.

Passaic County:

Crossing into another county, and another fumble.

Fumble #2: Poor signage near and at the US 202 / NJ 23 junction.

CR 504 turns off the turnpike onto Black Oak Ridge Road. This is poorly signed. Not just that, CR 504 signage completely disappears between the Morris-Passaic County line and NJ 23. Inscribed on the bridge is STATE HIGHWAY ROUTE 8 (NJSHR 8), a historic designation for the pre-1927 predecessor of NJ 23.

Black Oak Ridge Road used to continue across NJ 23 at a circle, but the NJ 23 bypass was widened. CR 504 has to follow jughandles to be a continuous route across the NJ 23 bypass. Still effectively a circle. The westbound direction definitely follows both directions of NJ 23 and US 202. As for the eastbound direction, CR 504 follows NJ 23/US 202 SB, and then turns onto the service road for NJ 23 NB. This service road is considered US 202 NB by NJDOT mileposts, but it's unknown if the service road is NJ 23. So CR 504 EB follows NJ 23 SB, US 202 SB, and US 202 NB.

After that, CR 504 follows Ratzer Road. This leads to the next major fumble.

CR 504 along Ratzer Road.

CR 504 turns onto Alps Road. And this is another fumble.

Fumble #3: Routing of CR 504. Why does CR 504 turn off Ratzer to head north on Alps Road, east on the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike, then east on Ratzer again, when it makes sense for CR 504 to follow Ratzer all the way? And Ratzer is already a CR, Passaic CR 705. I guess this routing is just so CR 504 can intersect CR 502 at its start.

CR 504 along Alps Road.

CR 504 turns onto the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike, then intersects the start of CR 502.

CR 504 along the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike.

CR 504 turns onto Pompton Road, an eastern extension of the Ratzer Road corridor. What a long-winded routing to end up on the same road corridor.

So how about this: Move CR 504 to Ratzer Road all the way. Extend CR 502 along Alps Road / present CR 504. Extend Passaic CR 689 or CR 673 along the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike. Unless you really want the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike to be a 500-series, then create either CR 504 Alternate or CR 504 Spur. But please sign a logical mainline!

CR 504 in Haledon and Prospect Park. These CR 504 signs are newer.

CR 504 along Main Street in Paterson, for the first of two times in the city. The CR 504 sign is new, but the road is poorly maintained because of the dismal state of the city. This is after the awkward turn from Haledon Avenue to Main Street at the northern terminus of CR 509 at Holsman Street. And that description sounds like a fumble.

Fumble #4: Poorly defined routing of CR 504 in Paterson

The CR 509 terminus is poorly signed. So CR 504 EB either intersects CR 509 twice because of poorly defined routings, or CR 504 EB has two mainlines! Why? There are two signs that point to CR 504 EB making a left on Holsman (two-way), and a left on Main, which is one way EB/NB. Both are treated as the mainline, because Holsman then merges onto Main. Make it make sense. Define what CR 504 EB actually follows. At least CR 504 WB has a logical routing because it just follows Holsman to go on Haledon.

Here's a diagram:

Green is the route CR 504 WB takes because Holsman is two-way. CR 504 EB is signed from Haledon to follow the green route.

Orange is the route CR 504 EB is also signed to take because CR 504 ends up following Main Street anyway. But this is an awkward turn, and it makes no sense because CR 504 has two eastbound mainlines.

Holsman is CR 509 after the southern green-orange intersection.

Old railroad bridges carry the Main Line over CR 504 in Hawthorne. I wonder what that height measurement is for. Flooding?

CR 504 turns onto Lincoln Avenue, leaves Hawthorne, and enters Paterson for a second time. This bridge is on the border of Passaic and Bergen Counties, but CR 504 classifies and is maintained as a Passaic CR. The designation of CR 504 ends at NJ 20.

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