The New Jersey Turnpike in a partnership with Applegreen and Sunoco has opened two brand new Turnpike Service Area Plazas in Salem County; Clara Barton (Southbound) and John Fenwick (Northbound).
While this signifies the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Salem County New Jersey (Barton Service Area)… unfortunately for locals it is meant to only be accessed from the New Jersey Turnpike roadway.
These two all-new construction service areas were developed as part of a 2017 agreement which then Governor Christie made with HMS Host who was the food vendor at the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway service plazas.
Applegreen acquired HMS Host during that time, and has completed the contract agreement which was stated at the time to develop 8 new service area buildings, refurbished six others… at a total cost of $250 million!
The all new service plazas are located in Oldmans Township Salem County, between interchanges 1 and 2… about 5 miles north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
The Service Plazas in this Salem County area are separate buildings for the north and southbound sides, so it’s two distinct building construction projects, each with new Sunoco gas stations.
While the two building structures appear to be duplicates of each other (matching the recently opened Cherry Hill location), the available restaurants in the Fenwick and Barton service plazas do differ slightly.
NJ Turnpike Salem Plazas ; Barton and Fenwick
The Fenwick Plaza opened at the end of June, and Barton opened a few weeks ago.
I stopped in earlier this month to visit both locations, and I tried a Nathan’s hot dog combo.
So to be clear, these service plazas are developed solely to support the commuter traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike. Any local access/parking is only for employees and contractors of the service plazas.
Including Cherry Hill this is the third new NJ Turnpike service area I visited, and all three looked exactly the same to me.
They are developed in a very long (wide) building which runs parallel with the turnpike. The front features tall full-wall windows to let plenty of light in, with restaurants and restrooms on the opposite wall (long side)
Along the featured long wall, space is allocated for four core restaurants.
At one end of the elongated building within the high-ceilinged space is the Applegreen convenience store. The opposite end is a Sunoco Mini-mart which was developed slightly partitioned off from the main space, but offering a wide doorway. Gas pumps are located outside and very close by.
CLARA BARTON SERVICE AREA (SOUTHBOUND)
- Burger King
- Chick-Fil-A
- Auntie Anne’s
- Dunkin’
- Applegreen convenience store
- Sunoco service station
- Restrooms (including a family restroom)
JOHN FENWICK SERVICE AREA (NORTHBOUND)
- Burger King
- Nathan’s
- Auntie Anne’s
- Dunkin’
- Applegreen convenience store
- Sunoco service station
- Restrooms (including a family restroom)
Both new plazas feature Burger King, auntie Annes, and Dunkin.
The variation between the two is in the fourth unit which for Fenwick is Nathan’s hot dogs, and for Barton is Chick-fil-A.
As one would expect from my single visit at each location, the Chick-fil-A was the most popular of the offerings.
Not having had a Nathan’s hot dog in several years, that’s what I chose for my lunch. Fitting the Nathan’s standard, the hot dog was a long, narrow but still delicious hot dog.
John Fenwick
The Northbound Service Plaza is named after John Fenwick who was the first settler of Salem county back in the 1600s. This was said to be known as the first western New Jersey settlement.
Fenwick had emigrated from England in 1675 and founded Fenwick’s Colony and Salem NJ.
Fenwick recorded a land deed with the local Lenape Indian tribe on October 8th, 1675. He named his new home “New Salem” which means Peace.
Clara Barton
Clara Barton was born in 1821 and lived until the early 20th century (1912).
She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War which led her to founding the American Red Cross. Claire also founded New Jersey’s first free public school. That Bordentown school building still stands today
Barton was an educator for several years before becoming a teacher in Hightstown NJ. In 1852 she was contracted to open a free school in neighboring Bordentown which was the first ever free school in New Jersey.
Later on she began working as a clerk at the US Patent office, and her Washington DC location put her in close proximity to the start of the Civil War.
She immediately positioned herself to provide care for soldiers, and her insights into full care of the injured, and the logistics of providing supplies.. led to the founding of the American Red Cross.