New Jersey Route 29

Route map:
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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Major intersections
North end Route 12 in Frenchtown
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountiesMercer, Hunterdon
Highway system
←
Route 164
Route 165→ Route 166

Route 29 is a

Delaware & Raritan Canal usually stands between the river and the highway. Most sections of this portion of Route 29 are completely shaded due to the tree canopy. Route 29 also has a spur, Route 129, which connects Route 29 to U.S. Route 1
(US 1) in Trenton.

Route 29 was initially designated in 1927 to run from downtown Trenton northeast to

Route 179 and US 202 between Lambertville and Somerville and US 22 between Somerville and Newark. The route between Lambertville and Frenchtown was originally Route 29A. In 1953, Route 29 was shifted to follow the alignment of Route 29A to avoid the concurrencies with the U.S. Routes. Route 29 between South Warren Street in Trenton and I-95 (now I-295) in Ewing Township was upgraded to a four-lane expressway, with a portion of freeway, in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1995, the southern freeway part of Route 29 between I-195/I-295 and Route 129
in Hamilton Township was completed. This freeway section was linked to the rest of Route 29 by a tunnel completed in 2002. A realignment of Route 29 in Lambertville by the 2000s made the route concurrent with the entire length of 0.26-mile-long (0.42 km) Route 165.

Route description

Mercer County

Route 29 northbound through downtown Trenton, with the Delaware River on the left

Route 29 begins at a modified cloverleaf interchange with

Riverview Cemetery.[1][4][5] Within this tunnel, Route 29 features a southbound exit and northbound entrance for Lalor Street.[1] The route emerges from the tunnel as the John Fitch Parkway and passes east of Trenton Thunder Ballpark, the home ballpark of the Trenton Thunder baseball team. The road comes to a traffic light at Thunder Road/Cass Street where it widens back to six lanes.[1][6] Route 29 meets South Warren Street at another traffic light. The median widens and it passes under the Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge, which carries Amtrak's Northeast Corridor over the Delaware River.[1]

Route 29 northbound past northern terminus of Route 175 in Ewing Township

Route 29 passes under the

Calhoun Street (County Route 653, CR 653), which provides access to the Calhoun Street Bridge over the Delaware River. Riverside Avenue exits as a frontage road paralleling the northbound lanes of Route 29 before the road features a northbound exit for Hermitage Avenue. Route 29 comes to a partial interchange with Parkside Avenue, with a northbound exit and southbound entrance, and then features a northbound exit for South Eastfield Avenue.[1]

The freeway portion of Route 29 ends at the intersection with Lee Avenue and it continues northwest along the Delaware River as a four-lane

CSX's Trenton Subdivision and SEPTA's West Trenton Line over the Delaware River.[1] Route 29 intersects Route 175 again and then comes to a complex interchange with I-295, with the ramps within the median of Route 29, just to the east of the Scudder Falls Bridge.[1]

Upon crossing the Delaware and Raritan Canal, Route 29 narrows down to a two-lane undivided road called River Road. It continues along the Delaware River, next to the Delaware and Raritan Canal, which runs between Route 29 and the river. The route intersects the northern terminus of Route 175. Farther north, Route 29 enters Hopewell Township and continues into a more rural setting shaded with trees.[6] Route 29 heads to Washington Crossing State Park, where it intersects CR 546, which heads east on Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, and the approach to the Washington Crossing Bridge, which continues into Pennsylvania and connects to Pennsylvania Route 532 (PA 532).[1][6] Route 29 continues north along the Delaware River through Titusville, passing by Washington Crossing State Park.[6]

Hunterdon County

Route 165 marker

Route 165

LocationLambertville
Length0.26 mi[7] (420 m)

Route 29 crosses into

wrong-way concurrency with the two-lane, undivided Route 179, lasting to the intersection of Main Street, where Route 29 turns north on Main Street.[1][7]

Route 29 northbound past CR 519 in Delaware Township

Route 29 follows Main Street north through Lambertville, crossing into Delaware Township. It comes to an interchange with US 202 just east of the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge, with access to northbound US 202 and from southbound US 202 provided by way of Alexauken Creek Road.[1] Route 29 continues along the Delaware River and enters Stockton. The route intersects Bridge Street, which crosses the Delaware River on the Centre Bridge–Stockton Bridge and continues into Pennsylvania as PA 263.[1][6] Shortly after that intersection, Route 29 intersects the southern terminus of CR 523 (Stockton-Flemington Road). Route 29 crosses back into Delaware Township, where it meets the southern terminus of CR 519 (Kingwood-Stockton Road).[1]

Route 29's mis-signed northern terminus when entering Frenchtown. Route 29 continues to Frenchtown and Route 12 despite the signage.

Route 29 makes a sharp left turn and heads west along the river as a rural road, crossing into

CR 651 (Byram-Kingwood Road). The route bends to the north and continues along the Delaware River for several miles, crossing into Frenchtown, where the route becomes Trenton Road.[1] Upon entering Frenchtown, an end shield for northbound Route 29 is posted to mark the end of state maintenance, which officially ends at the Washington Street intersection, where maintenance is transferred to the county.[1][8] Despite this, Route 29 officially continues farther north along Trenton Road to its northern terminus at Route 12 (Bridge Street/Race Street), a short distance east of Route 12’s western terminus at the Uhlerstown–Frenchtown Bridge. The southern terminus of CR 513 is located a block north of the northern terminus of Route 29 along Route 12.[1]

History

A map showing the history of numbered routes in Lambertville.

The current route was originally legislated in 1911 as part of the

Route 179 to Ringoes to present-day CR 514, which it followed to Woods Tavern. The route turned north on US 206 (also designated Route 31) and followed that route to Somerville, where it followed US 22 to Newark. The current alignment of Route 29 from Lambertville to Route 12 in Frenchtown was designated Route 29A in 1927.[10][11]

Route 29A marker

Route 29A

LocationLambertville–Frenchtown
Existed1927–1953

The alignment of Route 29 between Ringoes and Somerville was eventually shifted to follow present-day

Route S29, was created, running along US 202 (Bridge Street) in Lambertville to the New Hope–Lambertville Bridge.[14]

View northbound along Route 29 from the West Trenton Railroad Bridge in Ewing, with Route 175 visible to the right

In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 29 was redefined to continue north from Lambertville to Frenchtown on Route 29A, and the Route 29 designation between Lambertville and Newark was removed in favor of US 202 between Lambertville and Somerville and US 22 between Somerville and Newark. The section of former Route 29 between Route 29A and Route S29 became Route 165.[15]

Plans for a limited-access route along the Route 29 corridor go back to 1932, when a parkway was proposed along the Delaware River between Trenton and Lambertville; this proposal never materialized.[16] Plans to construct a freeway from Hamilton Township to I-95 (now I-295) in Ewing Township were resurrected in the early 1950s. This road was built between 1954 and 1957 from South Warren Street in Trenton to present-day I-295 in Ewing Township. From just south of Calhoun Street north to I-295, Route 29 utilized the right-of-way of what remained of the Trenton Water Power Canal, a 19th century waterway utilized by the mills of Trenton for water power. The freeway's construction resulted in the filling of the canal, and also took up much of Trenton’s available waterfront along the Delaware River, destroying a Stacy Park, a major waterfront park, despite protests, which contributed to the population decline and economic impoverishment of Trenton over the ensuing decades.[17][18][19][20] The former alignment of Route 29 in the northern part of Trenton and in Ewing Township became Route 175.[21]

Southern portal of the South Trenton Tunnel

Between 1990 and 1995, the Route 29 freeway was built between the I-195/I-295 interchange and Route 129 in Hamilton Township. A two-lane street, Lamberton Road, connected the two freeway sections. Plans were then made to fill the gap between the two freeway sections in Trenton. Construction began in 1997 on the Route 29 freeway between Route 129 and the Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge. The road was to include two traffic lights at Cass Street and South Warren Street and a tunnel which was to be built as a covered roadway on the bank of the Delaware River.[22] The tunnel was originally scheduled to be complete by 2001 but was delayed after the Army Corps of Engineers discovered many environmental violations that occurred with construction of the tunnel.[23] The roof was put in place in October 2001 and the tunnel officially opened to traffic on March 2, 2002.[24] A restriction to trucks over 13 tons was put in place and made permanent in November 2002.[25]

By the 2000s, the state gave the part of Route 29 (South Main Street) between Route 165 and

Route 179 in Lambertville to the city, and Route 29 was rerouted to use all of Route 165 and one block of Route 179. Prior to this, South Main Street had been turned one-way southbound.[26] Route 165, which is only signed on overhead street signs, still exists, though it is fully concurrent with Route 29.[7]

A part of Route 29 was designated in 1959 as the John Fitch Parkway, honoring inventor John Fitch, "beginning with the bridge crossing over the Assunpink Creek at the conjunction of Factory Street with John Fitch Way in the city of Trenton and including the traffic circle surrounding the War Memorial building and the freeway extending in a westerly direction therefrom, along the bank of the Delaware river, to the city line of the city of Trenton..."[27] During the 1960s the War Memorial and the surrounding circle were bypassed by a realignment of Route 29 closer to the Delaware River.

In 1960, the New Jersey Legislature designated the portion of Route 29 north of Trenton as the Daniel Bray Highway to commemorate American Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Bray, a native of Kingwood Township.[28]

In talks since the 1980s, the section of Route 29 in Trenton has been considered being redeveloped in order to connect city residents with the waterfront once again. In July 2023, Trenton was granted $1.016 million from the

parking facility.[20][30]
There is currently no timeframe for when construction would begin.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
MercerHamilton Township0.000.00


 I-195 east to I-95 / N.J. Turnpike – Belmar		Continuation east
I-295 – Camden, Princeton
I-295 exits 60A-B; partial cloverleaf interchange
1.642.64
 Route 129 north (Canal Boulevard) – Trenton		Northbound exit and southbound entrance
1.642.64South Lamberton Road – Duck IslandNorthbound exit only
Trenton1.772.85Southbound exit only
South Trenton Tunnel
2.564.12Lalor Street (
CR 650
east)		Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Cass Street
At-grade intersection
South Warren StreetAt-grade intersection
3.375.42
 US 1 south (Toll Bridge) – Morrisville
3.635.84





 To US 1 north / Route 33 east (Market Street) / Route 129 south – Arena		US 1/Route 129 and Arena not signed northbound; access to Trenton Transit Center
3.846.18Memorial Drive – Capitol Complex
4.346.98
Calhoun Street – Capitol Complex, Thomas Edison State University, Morrisville, PA
4.817.74Riverside AvenueNorthbound exit only
5.018.06Hermitage AvenueNorthbound exit only
5.458.77Parkside Avenue – Cadwalder ParkNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
5.609.01South Eastfield AvenueNorthbound exit only
Lee AvenueAt-grade intersection
6.189.95
 CR 579 north (Sullivan Way) / Sanhican Drive / Mount Vernon Avenue – West Trenton		At-grade intersection; southern terminus of CR 579
6.7410.85
 Route 175 north (Sanhican Drive)		Northbound exit only; southern terminus of Route 175
Ewing TownshipLower Ferry RoadAt-grade intersection
8.4913.66 Route 175 (West Upper Ferry Road) – West TrentonAt-grade intersection
9.1314.69
I-295 (Scudder Falls Bridge) to I-95 – Princeton, Philadelphia
I-295 exit 76
Northern end of limited-access section
9.5515.37
 Route 175 south – West Trenton		Interchange; northern terminus of Route 175
Hopewell Township11.9519.23
 CR 546 east (Washington Crossing-Pennington Road) / Washington Crossing Bridge – Pennington, Newtown		Western terminus of CR 546
HunterdonLambertville18.6029.93
 Route 165 begins		South end of Route 165 overlap
18.7730.21
 CR 518 east (Brunswick Street) – Hopewell		Western terminus of CR 518
18.8730.37
Route 179 north (Bridge Street) – Ringoes


 Route 165 ends		North end of Route 165 overlap, south end of Route 179 overlap
18.8930.40
Route 179 south (Bridge Street) – New Hope
North end of Route 179 overlap
Delaware Township20.0632.28 US 202 – Pennsylvania, FlemingtonInterchange
Stockton22.3736.00

 Bridge Street to PA 263 south – Solebury, PA
22.4836.18
 CR 523 north (Stockton-Flemington Road) – Sergeantsville, Flemington		Southern terminus of CR 523
Delaware Township23.0337.06
 CR 519 north (Kingwood-Stockton Road) – Rosemont		Southern terminus of CR 519
Frenchtown34.7155.86 Route 12 (Bridge Street / Race Street)Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Route 29 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. National Scenic Byways Program
    . Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  3. National Scenic Byways Program
    . Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  4. ^ "NJDOT Traffic Regulations - Weight Limit - Route 29". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  5. ^ "CSD Case Study No. 9 - Route 29 through Trenton, New Jersey" (PDF). Context Sensitive Design. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d e Google (April 1, 2009). "overview of New Jersey Route 29" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d "Route 165 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  8. ^ Google (April 4, 2013). "View of end New Jersey Route 29 sign in Frenchtown" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  9. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1911, Chapter 114
  10. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
  11. ^ 1927 New Jersey Road Map (Map). State of New Jersey. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  12. H.M. Gousha
    . Mid-West Map Co. 1941. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  13. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 183.
  14. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1948, Chapter 407.
  15. ^ 1953 renumbering. New Jersey Department of Highways. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  16. ^ Regional Plan of the Philadelphia Tri-State District. Regional Planning Federation. 1932.
  17. ^ Report on Route 29 Connection. New Jersey State Highway Department. 1960.
  18. ^ "History Traced by Route 29 - Power To the City - The Trenton Water Power" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. 2005.
  19. ^ "Reconnecting to the River (NJ Route 29) | Trenton, NJ". www.trentonnj.org. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Chapter 7 Riverfront District Downtown Capital District Master Plan Trenton, New Jersey".
  21. Chevron Oil Company
    . 1969.
  22. ^ Route 29 Construction. New Jersey Department of Transportation. 2001.
  23. The Trenton Times
    .
  24. ^ "Route 29 Tunnel To Open To Traffic Saturday, March 2 New Traffic Patterns In Area For Monday's Commute". New Jersey Department of Transportation. February 27, 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  25. ^ "Route 29 truck restriction to be made permanent". New Jersey Department of Transportation. November 6, 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  26. ^ "NJDOT Traffic Regulations - One Way Street - Route 29". New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  27. ^ State of New Jersey; Laws of 1959, Joint Resolution No. 12, pg. 806
  28. ^ State of New Jersey; Laws of 1960, Joint Resolution No. 10, pg. 855
  29. ^ "Trenton's Route 29 Boulevard Project takes a step forward". WHYY. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  30. ^ "Trenton 250 - Actions". www.trenton250.org. Retrieved November 16, 2023.

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