You might be surprised at how much of New Jersey is actually made up of highways.

Fun fact: combine the Garden State Parkway, the Turnpike, Route 80 and Route 287, that is nearly 650 miles of paved roadway alone. That's nuts, right? Don't forget, that doesn't even count all the roadways out in western part of the state that hug Philadelphia and New York State.

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What do you think New Jersey would be like if we were able to eliminate all of that junk and open up the Garden State a bit? A crazy thought, right?

Take a look at this:

According to this Facebook find, Boston looked a lot like New Jersey back in 2003. There were massive highways everywhere. Obviously, people need to get around, but it makes everything look so dreary. Exhaust fumes fill the air, traffic dominates, and instead of hearing the birds chirping, all you hear are everyone's horns constantly blaring.

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Here's a thought... what would it be like if we moved NJ's major highways underground?

What if we could pull this off in New Jersey?

Almost 700+ miles of land would open up! The possibilities would be endless.

It was expensive to pull off in Boston and took a long time, but the end game might make it worth it.

Think about this, too... a lot of expensive neighborhoods are usually separated from the poorer ones by a major road or highway.

If those highways are no longer above ground, these two areas wouldn't have a choice but to blend. More pros than cons to this plan, right?

17 Things You Likely Don't Know About the Garden State Parkway

You probably drive on the Garden State Parkway all of the time, but how much do you know about one of the busiest roads in New Jersey?

A look back at the NJ Garden State Parkway token

A nostalgic token of NJ history dating back to the 1980's.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant