This Day in History: 1935-06-02

A monumental traffic jam developed on this, the first real weekend of the summer when hundreds of cars came down the newly completed sections of Route 2 from New York State, passed the Country Club and into the traffic circle in Ramsey and funneled into the Franklin Turnpike seeking to rejoin the new highway at Hohokus. Local residents reported a solid line of cars throughout the entire stretch of the Turnpike, much of the time not moving at all. By about 8:30 conditions got so bad that Chief Smith began to divert some of the traffic down North Central Avenue. Marshall James Van Benschoten was on duty at the corner of N. Central and Main Street from 8-11 PM handling the diverted traffic. Ramsey, Allendale, Waldwick, and Hohokus bore the brunt of the congestion which thinned out when the completed section of the new road was reached. Local residents said that perhaps the previous Fourth of July could equal it. (Bristow)