County Route 526 (CR 526) is a

county highway A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...

in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The highway extends from Princeton–Hightstown Road (

CR 571 County Route 571 (CR 571) is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Route 37 in Toms River Township to Route 27 in Princeton. Though it is designated a north–south county route by the New Jersey Department ...

) in West Windsor Township to Lanes Mill Road ( CR 549) in Lakewood Township. Despite the official ending at CR 571 in West Windsor, most signs show it

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with 571 to its end at Route 27 in

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

Route description

CR 526 officially begins at an intersection with

in West Windsor Township, Mercer County, heading south on two-lane undivided South Mill Road. Although the official western terminus is here, signage for CR 526 continues northwest along CR 571 to

Route 27 Route 27, or Highway 27, may refer to: Australia * Burke Developmental Road (Queensland) * Zeehan Highway (Tasmania) Canada * Alberta Highway 27 * British Columbia Highway 27 * Manitoba Highway 27 * Prince Edward Island Route 27 * Saskatchewan ...

. From CR 571, the route passes through residential subdivisions. At Woodmere Way, the road's jurisdiction changes from county to municipal where it curves east and then south on New Edinburg Road with a median. The road crosses CR 644 where county maintenance resumes and continues south, with the center line narrowing past the New Village Road intersection. CR 526 intersects CR 535 and CR 641, turning west for a brief

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with CR 535 on Old Trenton Road before heading south on Robbinsville Road. The route into agricultural areas and enters Robbinsville Township, eventually heading into a mix of farms, woods, and homes. Farther south, the road passes through housing subdivisions before turning southeast for a brief concurrency with Route 33 prior to following Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Here, CR 526 passes businesses and crosses an abandoned railroad line before coming to

U.S. Route 130 U.S. Route 130 (US 130) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 30, located completely within the state of New Jersey. It is signed with north and south cardinal directions, following a general northeast–southwest diagonal path, wi ...

(US 130). The route officially turns northeast for a brief concurrency with US 130 on a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

before resuming east on two-lane undivided Robbinsville Bypass. The former alignment of Robbinsville-Allentown Road between US 130 and the Robbinsville Bypass is also officially signed as CR 526 and maintained by Mercer County. The road curves south and then southeast as it heads into residential areas. CR 526 passes over the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...

(

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

or I-95) before turning south near warehouses and coming to an interchange with

I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (District of Columbia), a future designation for the north–south portion of I-395 from the Sout ...

. South of this interchange, the route heads through a mix of farmland and woodland, curving southeast. CR 526 continues into

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in T ...

in Monmouth County and passes homes before it forms a short concurrency with CR 524 and CR 539 on Main Street. From this point, the route continues east through residential areas on Waker Avenue, leaving Allentown for Upper Freehold Township. First, the road intersects CR 526 Alternate (CR 526 Alt.) which provides a bypass of Allentown for traffic to and from I-195. In this area, the road passes farms to the north and homes to the south as it intersects CR 526 Spur. CR 526 heads straight through a mix of farmland and woodland with a few areas of development, passing through open areas of farms prior to crossing Sharon Station Road ( CR 539 Alt.), the

Union Transportation Trail The Union Transportation Trail is a rail trail situated in western Monmouth County, New Jersey. It extends from Hornerstown, New Jersey, to the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. The trail occupies the former roadbed of the Pennsylvania Rail ...

(formerly

Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad The Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. state of New Jersey. History The Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad was chartered in 1864 and completed in 1868; it linked the towns of Pemberton and Hightstown, a total of .See Br ...

), and CR 43, which loops to the south of CR 526 and intersects it again a short distance later. The route passes agricultural areas to the north and woodland to the south before running through a mix of farms, woods, and residences. The road passes Red Valley Lake and heads into Millstone Township, becoming Trenton-Lakewood Road and turning to the northeast. CR 526 passes over I-195 and curves east into more wooded areas before intersecting CR 571 again in developed areas. At this point, CR 526 turns south to run concurrent with CR 571, passing through forested areas with a few homes. Upon crossing CR 537, the road enters Jackson Township in

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.CR 527. At this intersection, CR 526 becomes East Commodore Boulevard and passes near more forested areas of homes before briefly joining CR 638 and becoming Jackson Mills Road. The road passes through wooded areas with some farms and development, with the road name changing to County Line Road. CR 526 heads southeast into increasing residential and commercial development as it widens into a four-lane divided highway with

jughandle A jughandle is a type of ramp or slip road that changes the way traffic turns left at an at-grade intersection (in a country where traffic drives on the right). Instead of a standard left turn being made from the left lane, left-turning traffic ...

s as it approaches the CR 636 junction. The route passes several businesses before becoming the border between Jackson Township to the northeast and Lakewood Township to the southwest as it intersects CR 641 and becomes a four-lane undivided road. The road heads into more residential surroundings as it fully enters Lakewood Township, intersecting CR 639 before curving to the east and coming to the

US 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, betwe ...

junction. Past this intersection, CR 526 narrows to two lanes and passes more homes as it heads to the CR 547 junction. The route crosses the

Southern Secondary The Southern Secondary is a rail line in New Jersey, operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) from South Amboy to Red Bank, and the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (DRR), a subsidiary of Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC, between Red Ban ...

railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad and passes more areas of homes and businesses before entering more wooded areas of development and turning southeast to meet CR 623. At this point, the name of the road changes to Lanes Mill Road and it passes more residential areas before CR 526 comes to its eastern terminus at CR 549.

History

In the 19th century, what is now CR 526 west of Imlaystown was part of two turnpikes; the Trenton and Allentown Turnpike, and the Allentown and Imlayston Turnpike, chartered in 1858 to connect the two points.

Major intersections

CR 526 Spur

County Route 526 Spur (CR 526 Spur) is a

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

. Completed in 2003 and entirely within Upper Freehold Township, it is known as the Allentown Bypass, as it allows through traffic to bypass the Borough of

. The highway extends from Allentown - Red Valley Road (CR 526) to Old York Road ( CR 524 and CR 539).NJDOT County Route 526 Alternate Straight Line Diagram (PDF)
(

NJDOT The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

) (

Straight line diagram A straight-line diagram (abbreviated SLD) is a diagram of a road where the road is shown as a straight line. Such diagrams are usually produced by a highway department, and display features along the road, including bridges and intersecting roa ...

)*''County Roads Straight Line Diagrams'', Prepared by the Monmouth County Planning Board, April 10, 2006 It is two lanes wide; a farm mostly lines the west side of the road while the east side has the Reed Recreation Area; the only place accessible from the road itself. The road was briefly signed as CR 526 Alternate in early 2018, which agrees with NJDOT documents, though Monmouth County documents indicate it is CR 526 Spur.

References

External links

NJ State Highways: CR 515-530CR 526 pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:526 500-series county routes in New Jersey Roads in Mercer County, New Jersey Roads in Monmouth County, New Jersey Roads in Ocean County, New Jersey