Route 38 is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey serving the Philadelphia metro area. It extends from the Airport Circle junction with US 30 and US 130 in Pennsauken, Camden County, east to an intersection of US 206 and South Pemberton Road (CR 530) in Southampton, Burlington County. The entire route is closely parallel to CR 537 located to the north, being only one block away at places. The route is a multilane divided highway for most of its length and passes through commercial development, residential development, and some farmland.
Route 38 was signed in 1927, replacing part of Pre-1927 Route 18, which had run from Camden east to Toms River. Route 38 was originally planned to be a freeway crossing the state of New Jersey, running from Camden east to Wall Township, Monmouth County. The eastern part of this freeway would become part of I-195 in the late 1960s. The freeway routing was then modified to head north of I-195 to Route 18 in Colts Neck but was ultimately canceled by the late 1970s due to environmental and financial concerns. Route 138 was originally numbered as a segment of Route 38, but was renumbered by the 1990s when it became apparent the freeway would not be completed.
Route description
left|thumb|Route 38 eastbound past CR 626 in Cherry Hill
Route 38 begins at the Airport Circle intersection of US 30, US 130, and Kaighns Avenue (CR 607) in Pennsauken, Camden County, heading east on Kaighns Avenue. A six–lane divided highway separated by a jersey barrier, it proceeds eastward, crossing into Cherry Hill, where it heads through commercial development. Route 38 features cloverleaf interchanges with Cuthbert Boulevard (CR 636) and Haddonfield Road (CR 644), passing under NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line between the two interchanges. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 38 was legislated to run along the route from Route 25 (now U.S. Route 130) in Pennsauken east to Route 39 (now US 206) in Eastampton.
In 1938, Route 38 was legislated to extend from East Hampton to Route 4N (now Route 71) in Wall Township, Monmouth County. A section of this was built, running between Route 34 and Route 35 in Wall Township. In the late 1960s, the eastern part of the Route 38 freeway became part of the proposed I-195.
thumb|left|Route 38 eastbound past US 30/US 130 at the Airport Circle in Pennsauken Township
In 1969, it was estimated the Route 38 freeway between I-295 in Cherry Hill and I-195 in Jackson would cost $60 million and be completed by 1985. The route of the freeway was revised in 1972 to head north of I-195 to Route 18 in Colts Neck, intersecting with Route 33 in Freehold Township. The western terminus was also moved to Mount Laurel, where it was to connect to the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 90, which was projected to extend to the New Jersey Turnpike. It was estimated that this routing of the Route 38 freeway would cost $101 million. However, due to environmental concerns of the route passing through the Pine Barrens and financial troubles, the freeway was canceled by the end of the 1970s. The orphaned eastern section of Route 38 in Monmouth County was renumbered to Route 138 on July 29, 1988.
The portion of Route 38 extending from the curve east of Pine Street east to US 206 was county maintained as part of CR 530 until June 30, 1986, when jurisdiction of the route was transferred from Burlington County.