New Jersey State Highway 3
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New Jersey State Highway 3 is a state highway in New Jersey. It connects Hudson County, New Jersey to the west along an almost freeway. Its western terminus is at an intersection with United States Highway 46 in Clifton; its eastern terminus is at an intersection with US 1 and US 9 in North Bergen.
The section from US 46 in Clifton to NJ 120 in East Rutherford was built in the late 1940s and early 1950s and originally designated NJ S-3, indicating a spur of NJ 3. Prior to this, the road ran from Paterson along today's NJ 20, through Clifton, Passaic, Wallington, Carlstadt, and East Rutherford along local streets, and finally down Paterson Plank Road (part of which is today's NJ 120). The current eastbound bridge over the Hackensack River was built in 1934; prior to this, the road followed Paterson Plank Road over a no-longer-existing bridge.
The east end at US 1/US 9 was channelized and traffic lights were added in 1959; it had formerly been a circle.
From 1939 to 1959, NJ 3 extended east along New Jersey State Highway 495; it was truncated back to its original terminus when the Lincoln Tunnel approach became I-495 (now NJ 495). The tunnel had opened on December 22, 1937, along with the helix.