This Day in History: 1955-08-27
One of the heaviest days in the history of traffic on Route 17 took place as vacationers headed north on one of the last Saturdays of the summer. The speed limit was cut to 25 between the Ramsey traffic circle and the Ramapo River by road construction. Traffic was sent north on the Franklin Turnpike, only to be sent back out on Route 17 at various points by Mahwah Police. Eventually a fire in Ramapo, N.Y. blocked off Route 59 completely. Mahwah requested that no more traffic be sent onto Franklin Turnpike. Traffic on Route 17 backed up as far as Route 4 in Paramus. (Bristow)