Burlington County Land Transportation Timeline

Before 1700’s
People traveled trails on foot.

1700 Farmer’s cart
This type of cart was the only vehicle with wheels that was pulled by horses or cows.

1773 Stagecoach
The first stagecoach ran between Burlington and Perth Amboy. A one-way trip took more than 2 days. By the early 1800’s they ran daily to Mount Holly, Moorestown, Marlton and Medford.

1801 New Jersey Turnpike
The turnpike was a toll road. It cost 12 cents for a wagon with two horses. A rider and his horse paid 4 cents for a distance of 10 miles. No toll was collected if you were going to church or to see a doctor.

1834 John Bull Locomotive
The first railroad in Burlington County was the Camden and Amboy Railroad. A mechanic named Isaac Dripps put together the John Bull Locomotive. It made one round trip a day across the state. Boats met the train on each end of the line to continue the transportation of goods or people.

1862 Jinrickshaw
James H. Birch of Burlington manufactured this small two-wheeled carriage. It was used as a means of transportation for 1 or 2 people and pulled by a man.

1900 Cars, trucks and buses
Roads, highways and fuel were improved. These improvements made transportation much easier. Cars and busses are used for people transportation. Trucks are used to ship goods.

1929 Tacony Palmyra Bridge
This bridge was constructed to connect Palmyra and Northeast Philadelphia.

1931 Burlington Bristol Bridge
This bridge was constructed to connect Burlington City to Bristol, Pennsylvania. It made transportation by automobile much easier and quicker.

 

 

Burlington County Water Transportation

Dugout canoes
1st used by Native Americans. They taught the settlers how to make canoes.

 

1700’s Birchbark canoes
Canoes made by covering a wooden framework with sections of bark from a birch tree. They were more comfortable for long distances. They were lighter to carry in between waterways.

 

Scows
Flat bottom boats with square edges. These boats were steered with a rudder and propelled by large sweeping motions made by men on either side.

1750 Ferryboats
Ferryboats were open, rectangular boats that were moved by men pushing poles along the river’s bottom. Men using ropes from shore to shore pulled some of the boats along.

 

1790 Fitch’s Steamboat
The steamboat began operating at the end of the Revolutionary War. They ran between Burlington and Philadelphia. Fitch’s steamboat wasn’t very successful, but this was the beginning of the steamboat’s use.

 

 

1807 Fulton’s Steamboat
Fulton built a steamboat named “Clermont”. It was the first of many to run on the Rancocas Creek and many other Burlington County waterways.

1823 Steam-powered Ferryboat
The steam-powered ferryboat known as “Norristown” operated between Philadelphia and the town of Rancocas. It was used to carry goods and passengers.

 

1830’s Canal boats
Mules or horses were used to pull the canal boats up the canals. The animals would walk along narrow paths beside the canal. Delaware Raritan Canal boats transported more coal than any other American canal boats while they were in use.

 

 

Burlington County Transportation Routes

There are two major expressways that will take you through Burlington County. Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike run parallel to the Delaware River. US Routes 130, 206, 70, 73 and 38 are important traveled highways.

There are three bridges crossing the Delaware River from Burlington County into Pennsylvania. The Burlington Bristol Bridge connects the town of Bristol with Burlington City. The Tacony Palmyra Bridge connects the town of Palmyra with the northeast section of Philadelphia. The Turnpike Bridge is a link between the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Turnpikes. This is not a toll bridge.

New Jersey Transit buses stop in many towns in Burlington County, especially along Route 130. They run from Trenton all the way to Philadelphia. Greyhound Lines operate a bus terminal on Fellowship Road at Rt. 73 with buses to New York City, Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Academy Bus lines operate a terminal on Burlington–Mt. Holly Road in Westhampton Township. They provide transportation to New York City and Atlantic City.

In 2004, New Jersey began a new passenger rail line that runs through Burlington County. New Jersey Transit’s River Line light rail service is a 34-mile, 20 station service running from Camden to Trenton, N.J.

Burlington County has five small airports. South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton charters flights throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean Islands. The Flying “W” Airport in Medford was built in the 1960’s by Bill Whitesell (the ‘W’ in the airport’s name stands for the name Whitesell). It was originally built to provide air transportation services to those working on the Alaska Pipeline. It is now a resort for aviators and their families. The Red Lion Airport in Vincentown is privately owned but opened to the public with 2 runways. Redwing Airport is located in Jobstown and Pemberton Airport is located in Pemberton.

Located in New Hanover Township in Burlington County is McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix. It is the only Air Force base in our state. The air base covers 3,596 acres of land.

You can check out the following websites for further information:
www.riverline.com
www.njtransit.com
www.flyingwairport.com
www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/mcguire.htm