The infamous “spaghetti junction” has left many a driver in tears. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

New Jersey drivers have a bit of a reputation for aggressiveness and poor judgment, but Jerseyans aren’t nearly as frightening as some of the roads they are forced to drive on. NJ.com recently compiled a list of some of the worst roads in the state. The list is not based on the number of accidents, traffic fatalities or any other tracked metric; it’s a purely subjective ranking based on how harrowing each stretch is to navigate.

11. Route 130, Camden/Pennsauken. Lanes on this road are so narrow that large trucks often have wheels in both lanes through no fault of their own, and there’s no shoulder. The density of store fronts also means you have to watch out for drivers making sudden turns into parking lots.

10. Route 539/Pine Barrens. In daylight hours, this country roadway isn’t so bad, but it is scarcely lit and winding, which makes it terrifying at night. It’s a special blend of horror-movie atmosphere and rollercoaster turns usually reserved for Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. Bonus: A military weapons test site lies along the route – what could go wrong?

9. Spaghetti Junction, Woodbridge. On the northbound side of the Driscoll Bridge there is a tangle of concrete where the NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Route 287, Route 440, Route 9, and several local roads all meet. Find yourself in the wrong lane at the wrong time and there’s no telling where you’ll end up.

8. Intersection of Rts. 4 and 17, Paramus. The challenge of this area lies with the bad behavior of the drivers who frequent it as much as it does with the infrastructure itself. There are a multitude of merges and lane changes, and drivers that don’t yield or use turn signals.

7. Breakneck Road, Vernon and Mantua/Harrison. The steep hills and slim shoulder make this a nauseating ride, especially in inclement weather.

6. Somerville Circle, Bridgewater/Raritan. Traffic circles are an almost universally despised form of infrastructure, but this is extra special — it has a stop sign slapped randomly and unexpectedly within the circle itself.

5. Henry Hudson Drive, Palisades Interstate Park. Fear of heights? This isn’t the road for you. Nary more than a few stacked stones separate motorists from a long plunge into the river. If that’s not bad enough, drivers also have to watch out for falling rocks.

4. Rts. 76/676/42/295 merge, Bellmawr. It may be less tangled than Spaghetti Junction, but this merger of four major roadways gives drivers far less time to figure out which road they need to be on before splitting again.

3. The Pulaski Skyway. There’s nothing quite like this 3.5 miles of elevated roadway with little to no shoulder.

2. Route 9/35 merge, South Amboy. You’ve got 50 feet and not a lot of visibility to get into your lane. Good luck!

1. Route 22, Union/Springfield. Whose idea was it to put so many commercial storefronts on this high-speed road? Between sudden turns at cruising highway speeds and exits popping up literally left and right, this is the Garden State’s crowning achievement in terrible urban planning.

Despite the seeming lack of logic or reasoning to some of New Jersey’s roadways, there are still rules of the road that drivers need to abide by. If you or a loved one has been cited for a traffic violation or in New Jersey, contact the Rosenblum Law for help right away. Our lawyers may not be able to fix the state’s terrible infrastructure, but they can help you get out of a ticket! Email Rosenblum Law or call 888-815-3649 today for a free consultation about your case.