 In the 1953 renumbering , Route 4 was defined to run along its current alignment between Route 20 in Paterson and the George Washington Bridge . Between Cape May and South Amboy , the Route 4 designation was dropped in favor of U.S. Route 9 while the portion of the route between South Amboy and Rahway became a part of Route 35 . In the mid @-@ 1950s , plans resumed for an east – west limited @-@ access road through Bergen County . Three alignments were proposed in 1956 : one along Route 4 , one along U.S. Route 46 , and one in between the two routes . The alignment between the two routes was chosen due to the least disruption it would cause and it was built as Interstate 80 . In the 1960s , recommendations were made to upgrade Route 4 to a full freeway but was cancelled due to feared disruption to residents . 
