Route 50 is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9) and the Garden State Parkway in Upper Township, Cape May County, north to an intersection with US 30 and County Route 563 (CR 563) in Egg Harbor City, Atlantic County. The route, which is mostly a two-lane undivided road, passes through mostly rural areas of Atlantic and Cape May counties as well as the communities of Tuckahoe, Corbin City, Estell Manor, and Mays Landing. Route 50 intersects several roads, including Route 49 in Tuckahoe, US 40 in Mays Landing, and US 322 and the Atlantic City Expressway in Hamilton Township.
The portion of current Route 50 between Seaville and Petersburg received funding in 1910 to become a spur of the Ocean Highway. In 1917, what is now Route 50 was designated a part of pre-1927 Route 14, a route that was to run from Cape May to Egg Harbor City. Route 50 was designated onto its current alignment in 1927, replacing this portion of pre-1927 Route 14. In 1960, a freeway was proposed for Route 50, running from the Garden State Parkway in Dennis Township north to US 30 in Mullica Township. This proposal was canceled by the mid-1970s due to financial and environmental concerns as well as lack of traffic. The interchange between Route 50 and the Atlantic City Expressway was reconstructed into a full interchange, with completion in June 2010.
Route description
thumb|left|View north along Route 50 at US 9 in Upper Township
Route 50 begins at an intersection with US 9 in the Seaville section of Upper Township, Cape May County, heading to the north on a two-lane undivided road. From the southern terminus, a ramp provides access to the southbound Garden State Parkway and from the northbound Garden State Parkway. The road heads north through mostly rural wooded areas with some buildings. It intersects CR 671 in Greenfield before coming to a junction with CR 616. The route intersects CR 637, turning to the northeast. The route crosses the South River into Weymouth Township, passing the residential community of Belcoville to the east and meeting CR 669. It also serves as a hurricane evacuation route from Cape May County to inland areas.
History
thumb|right|Route 50 northbound at the Atlantic City Expressway interchange in Hamilton Township
What is now Route 50 followed the corridor of the Shamong Trail, a Lenape trail running from Crosswicks south to Cape May. The trail was later called the Old Cape May trail. The portion of current Route 50 between Seaville and Petersburg received funding to become a spur of the Ocean Highway in 1910. The modern-day alignment of Route 50 was legislated as part of pre-1927 Route 14 in 1917, a route that was to run from Cape May to Egg Harbor City. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, the portion of pre-1927 Route 14 between Seaville and Egg Harbor City was designated as Route 50, the highest state route number assigned in the renumbering. Route 50 retained its current routing in the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering. A freeway was proposed for Route 50 around 1960, running from the Garden State Parkway in Dennis Township north to US 30 in Mullica Township. This proposed freeway was intended to provide economic development to the region as well as provide a better route to the Jersey Shore resorts of Cape May County for travelers from the Delaware Valley. However, this freeway was canceled by the mid-1970s due to financial and environmental concerns as well as lack of traffic along Route 50. On November 21, 2008, construction began on making the interchange with the Atlantic City Expressway a full interchange as part of a series of improvements set for the Atlantic City Expressway. This project was completed on June 18, 2010.
In 2020, NJTA proposed a $20 million project to reconstruct the partial interchange between Route 50 and the Garden State Parkway into a full interchange. As part of the project, the current northbound exit on the left-side of the parkway would be rebuilt on the right hand side.