County Route 549 (CR 549) 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 Main Street ( Route 166) at County Route 527 in Toms River to County Route 547 at Monmouth CR 21 in

Howell Howell may refer to: Places In the United Kingdom * Howell, Lincolnshire, England In the United States * Howell, Georgia * Howell, Evansville, a neighborhood of Evansville, Indiana *Howell, Michigan * Howell, Missouri * Howell, Utah *Howell ...

. The highway has the distinction of being the only 500-series route left with two separate

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

s. The highway passes through

Ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wor ...

and

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

counties and is maintained by its respective county, but there are several indications that the highway at one point may have been or was originally planned to be state maintained. There are a few mileposts left along the southern section of the highway that have a "NJDT" label on the bottom right corner. Also, the only " at grade" cloverleaf in New Jersey exists on CR 549, and on the bridges there exists a stamp in the concrete that reads "1975". No other county bridges have their dates stamped into them. CR 549 mostly travels through Ocean County. The highway makes frequent turns onto separate roads. The route in its northern segment is a two-lane, rural road, but it becomes a four-lane arterial after crossing the

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jersey ...

all the way to Toms River Township. County Route 549 handles more traffic than any other county route in all of Ocean County; it is a major link between the townships of Toms River and

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

. As the route is plagued by chronic congestion, the county has invested millions of dollars into upgrading this corridor. The most recent improvement was from Cedar Bridge Avenue ( CR 528) to Beaverson Boulevard. It included widening, signal modification, and the extension of Beaverson Boulevard to meet Old Hooper Avenue. Ongoing improvements are being made between Beaverson Boulevard and Church Road, where widening and reconstruction should help alleviate some congestion in that area.

Route description

CR 549 begins at an intersection with Route 166 and the southern terminus of CR 527 in Toms River,

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.Toms River. The route turns north onto Hooper Avenue, which passes through more of the downtown area before heading into residential areas and narrowing to two lanes. Upon crossing Route 37, CR 549 becomes a six-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 ...

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 that passes through commercial areas, narrowing to four lanes. The road heads to the west of the

Seacourt Pavilion The Seacourt Pavilion is a regional shopping center on Hooper Avenue in Toms River, New Jersey. It is right across the street from the Ocean County Mall. The mall has a gross leasable area of . The shopping center is split-level, with the parking ...

shopping center and intersects CR 571 at an at-grade

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange (road), interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes ...

. Following this, the roadway passes to the west of the

Ocean County Mall The Ocean County Mall is a super-regional mall, opened On July 20, 1976 by Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, located in Toms River, New Jersey on Hooper Avenue ( County Route 549). The mall is accessible from Exit 82 of the Garden State Parkway v ...

, widening to six lanes again. The road narrows back to four lanes at the CR 94 intersection as it passes more shopping centers, turning more to the northeast. CR 549 enters wooded areas as it passes an entrance to

Ocean County College Ocean County College (OCC) is a public community college in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its main campus is in Toms River. Other locations include the Southern Education Center in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township and mul ...

and comes to an intersection with the northern terminus of the southern CR 549 Spur. Past this intersection, the route makes a turn to the north again and enters more commercial areas, crossing CR 620 before entering Brick Township. Here, CR 549 becomes Brick Boulevard and intersects CR 631 before continuing past more development with three northbound lanes and two southbound lanes. After the CR 66 junction, the road carries two lanes in each direction as it reaches intersections with CR 624 and CR 528, turning more to the northeast. CR 549 comes to an intersection with CR 631, at which point CR 549 splits from Brick Boulevard by heading northwest on Chambers Bridge Road, with CR 631 continuing north on Brick Boulevard. The four-lane undivided road passes shopping centers and crosses Route 70. After this intersection, CR 549 widens into a four-lane divided highway again and passes more businesses, turning into an undivided road again as it comes to a partial interchange with the

that has access to and from the southbound direction of the parkway. CR 549 at CR 547

Immediately after this interchange, the road crosses the

Metedeconk River The Metedeconk River is a tributary of Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States. The Metedeconk River flows from its U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, acces ...

(South Branch) into Lakewood Township and turns north, coming to the Route 88 intersection. At this point, CR 549 becomes two-lane undivided Lanes Mill Road and enters forested areas with some homes, turning northeast as it comes to the eastern terminus of CR 526. Immediately after, the route crosses the Metedeconk River (North Branch) back into Brick Township and passes more residential and business areas, heading west of a

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rapi ...

lot, before intersecting CR 63. At this intersection, CR 549 turns east onto Burnt Tavern Road and has an interchange with the Garden State Parkway again, this time providing full access. After the parkway, CR 549 turns north onto Lanes Mill Road, with CR 632 continuing east on Burnt Tavern Road. The Brick Park & Ride serving

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bus, ...

buses to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

is located along the ramp from CR 549 to the northbound Garden State Parkway. The road passes residential subdivisions and continues northeast onto Sally Ike Road, with CR 12 heading northeast along Lanes Mill Road. The route comes to an intersection with the northern CR 549 Spur, and CR 549 turns northwest onto Herbertsville Road, with CR 14 continuing north on Sally Ike Road. The route crosses into Wall Township, Monmouth County and passes under the Garden State Parkway before entering wooded areas with some homes. The road enters Howell Township and intersects CR 21, running northwest through wooded areas of

Allaire State Park Allaire State Park is a park located in Howell and in Wall Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the borough of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New ...

. CR 549 comes to its northern terminus at CR 547, with the road continuing northwest as CR 21. In Monmouth County, CR 549 is signed as east-west.

History

The Fischer Boulevard Extension was proposed in the late 1990s to alleviate severe congestion on Hooper Avenue (County Route 549) from Toms River Township into Brick Township. It would have continued Fischer Boulevard ( County Route 549 Spur) north through undeveloped land near

, before connecting with Church Road near its intersection with North Bay Avenue near the

overpass. The extension would have moderated traffic on 549 as traffic from the northern and western parts of Toms River could use the extension to get to the shore area. Since Fischer Blvd ends at its intersection with Hooper Avenue, all traffic has to take Hooper to get to their destination whether it is to Brick or the western sections of Toms River. The plan has been in the works but has been stalled for several years.

Major intersections

CR 549 Spur

Southern section

County Route 549 Spur, abbreviated CR 549 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 sov ...

. The southern segment extends from Route 37 to Hooper Avenue (CR 549) in Toms River Township. The southern spur runs along Fischer Boulevard and with the recent completion of a widening project, the highway has been fully reconstructed from Bay Avenue ( CR 571) to Hooper Avenue (CR 549). Fischer Boulevard is a major commuting route in Toms River. Major intersections

Northern section

County Route 549 Spur, abbreviated CR 549 Spur, is a

in the

. The northern segment extends from Route 88 and Ocean CR 630 in Point Pleasant to Sally Ike Road (CR 549) in Brick Township. The northern spur runs along Herbertsville Road and is a two-lane road for its entire length, except when it meets Route 70 (a four-lane road with left-turning lanes). Major intersections

References

External links

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County Route 549 signs and picturesCR 549 (Greater New York Roads)

549 __NOTOC__ Year 549 ( DXLIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 549 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...