There was a farm across the road, and there were mornings when I awoke to the sight of a stray cow strolling across my property. An occasional deer could be seen crossing unpaved Cooper Road.
In the spring and fall, the farmer would drive his tractor across the highway and turn over my 35-by-50-foot vegetable garden for $5. The Jersey air was fresh and clean, and I enjoyed the drive home from Philly every day, knowing that there was one traffic light between Camden and Lake Villa.
Since 1956, Route 73 hasn't changed much. It still has two lanes southbound and two northbound, despite the unbelievable increase in traffic from uncontrolled residential and commercial growth that extends from I-295 to Berlin and beyond. Forty-seven years without any major changes, except for eliminating half of the Marlton Circle, putting in some turn lanes, and installing numerous traffic lights.
A choked road was bound to happen.
Route 73 has always been a main artery for people seeking the cool ocean breezes of the Shore. It has been a summertime hassle for years, and with the construction of shopping centers and their accompanying traffic lights, entrances and exits, it's worse than ever.
On the northwest corner of the Marlton Circle is the ShopRite/Kohl's shopping center. Just south of the circle, on the west side of the highway, is Marlton Crossing, a major shopping area. On the east side is the vast new Promenade, even larger than Marlton Crossing. With traffic entering and exiting these shopping giants and strip malls, as well as the myriads of small businesses and housing developments along the way, something's got to give.
It's easy to be a grandstand manager, but the highway's problems have not been a secret. It would have been so much easier to solve when traffic was manageable. Now, it's all but impossible without turning the area into a monumental parking lot.
