STAFFORD – It started with a sign that seemed simple enough. Posted at the longtime ShopRite along Route 72, it announced the store’s relocation to 733 Route 72 West, Manahawkin. For many drivers, especially those who know the road by heart, one single word was enough to create immediate confusion. “West?”
Route 72 is a familiar corridor for errands, dining stops, and last-minute shopping before crossing the bridge to Long Beach Island. The location of the longstanding ShopRite is well known. It sits along the eastbound side of Route 72 and has been part of the routine for years.
That familiarity is exactly what made the new address so hard to accept. To most people, “Route 72 West” suggests the westbound side of the highway. Across the street. The opposite side from where the store has always been. It seemed logical that the new ShopRite must be somewhere over there.
Those unfamiliar with the store’s new location may find themselves making a series of u-turns in search of it. Drivers coming off the Garden State Parkway heading east may not even notice they’ve missed it well before they’ve reached the old location.
The new ShopRite is in the former Kmart building, which has stood vacant since 2017. It sits on the same side of Route 72, west of the old store’s closing location. The building was never the mystery, especially for locals. The address was. Both the old and new ShopRite locations carry Route 72 West addresses despite sitting on the eastbound side of the highway.
Even The State Could Not Explain It
As questions grew, calls went out looking for an explanation. The New Jersey Department of Transportation was contacted. Route 72 is a state highway, and it seemed reasonable to assume the agency responsible for it would understand how its addresses worked.
That assumption did not help.
Despite overseeing Route 72, state officials could not determine the logic behind the East and West designations. It became clear the answer had nothing to do with highway engineering.
A postmaster in a nearby community proved more helpful. While unable to provide a full explanation, the postal official pointed in the right direction. This was a local matter. The Stafford Township Postmaster or the township tax assessor would know.
That advice led to clarity.
Stafford Township Tax Assessor Jim Mancini provided the explanation that finally made sense of the confusion.
Route 9 is the dividing line.
“I’ve worked for Stafford for the last 25 years and that’s how it’s always been,” Mancini said.
Along Route 72, East and West designations are assigned based on whether a property falls east or west of Route 9 in township records. The labels are not based on which side of Route 72 a building sits on and have nothing to do with traffic direction.
On a map, the system is consistent. From behind the wheel, it feels anything but.
Drivers’ Expectations
The misunderstanding is easy to see when looking at nearby businesses that appear to follow the logic drivers expect.
Manera’s, at 291 Route 72 East, is located on the eastbound side of the highway. The address matches what most people assume makes sense.
On the westbound side of the highway, heading back toward the Garden State Parkway, Panera Bread sits at 410 Route 72 West. The fact that it is close enough to be described as “across the street” from the new ShopRite only adds to the confusion.
Drivers who rely on Google Maps or Waze may be amused by how those services handle the distinction. In many cases, locations appear simply as “NJ-72,” with either a Stafford or Manahawkin designation, quietly sidestepping the East and West labels altogether.
Layered on top of the East and West puzzle is another source of confusion. Manahawkin is not its own municipality. It is a section of Stafford Township. As a result, addresses within the same shopping area may list either Manahawkin or Stafford, depending on postal conventions and street frontage.
That is how TJ Maxx, just a short distance from the new ShopRite, carries an address of 601 Washington Street, Stafford, even though it sits only a parking lot away from the new store.
To shoppers, it is one destination. On paper, it is several different places.
