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Community Corner

July 1, 1955: The Opening of the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County

With planning beginning in the late 1940s, it was July 1, 1955 that the 165 miles of parkway opened to the public

Although technically a statewide event, the opening of forever changed the roles of Toms River and other shore towns. 

Prior to this time, it was fairly difficult for northern New Jerseyans and New Yorkers to get to the Shore and surrounding towns. 

The most direct route was , and we know even today that traveling long distances on Route 9 is a fate one does not wish on their worst enemy. There were few local roads, and the area was still rather rural. 

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With the opening of the Parkway, however, Toms River soon boomed, and the fact that it already had a bridge to Seaside made it even more popular. 

and sprawl quickly engulfed the area as more businesses and tourists became shore bound.

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The state built it, and then they came. The parkway brings seasonal tourists, and a daily commute, to and from Toms River and of course elsewhere in the state.

And it first opened today, July 1, in 1955 in Toms River's history.

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