 What is now Route 72 was originally designated as Route S40 in 1927 , a spur of Route 40 ( now Route 70 ) running from Four Mile to Manahawkin . The road was extended to Ship Bottom by 1941 before it was renumbered to Route 72 in 1953 . A realignment that took place in 1969 between U.S. Route 9 ( US 9 ) and the Manahawkin Bay Bridge resulted in the designation of Route 180 on the former alignment ; this road is now CR 50 . Plans in the late 1960s and the 1970s called for a proposed Route 72 freeway , running from the western terminus at Route 70 to the concurrently proposed Interstate 895 ( I @-@ 895 ) at the New Jersey Turnpike in Westampton Township , connecting Philadelphia 's northern suburbs with the Jersey Shore . The freeway plans along with I @-@ 895 were canceled by the 1980s . The Manahawkin Bay Bridge underwent deck repairs completed in May 2010 , with the bridge slated to be rehabilitated and a parallel span to be built to the south . 
