Route 79 is a state highway located in Monmouth County 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 sove ...

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 ...

. It runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9) in Freehold Township north to an intersection with

Route 34 The following highways are numbered 34: for a list of roads numbered N34 : see list of N34 roads. International * AH34, Asian Highway 34 * European route E34 Australia * Cox Peninsula Road (Northern Territory) * (Sydney) * Maroondah Highway (Vi ...

and County Route 516 Spur (CR 516 Spur) in Matawan. The route is a mostly two-lane undivided road that passes through a mixture of suburban residential, urban commercial, and open rural areas. The route intersects Route 33 in Freehold Township, Route 33 Business and CR 537 in Freehold Borough, Route 18 and CR 520 in Marlboro Township, and CR 516 in Matawan. In 1927, the current alignment of Route 79 was designated as a part of Route 4, which was to run from

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The so ...

to the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United S ...

, with US 9 additionally being designated along the route by the 1940s. After US 9 and Route 4 were moved to a new routing between Freehold and Cheesequake, the former route became Route 4A, a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

of Route 4. In 1953, Route 4A became Route 79 between Freehold and Matawan and an extension of Route 34 between Matawan and Cheesequake.

Route description

Route 79 begins at an intersection with US 9 in Freehold Township, heading north on South Street, a two-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 ...

that soon becomes an undivided road. It interchanges with Route 33 and continues through a mix of residential and commercial areas. The route enters Freehold Borough, where it crosses Route 33 Business. Route 79 heads into downtown Freehold, where it crosses

Conrail Shared Assets Operations Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail ( reporting mark CRCX), an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Area ...

' Freehold Industrial Track and intersects CR 537. Here, the route heads northeast on Main Street to run

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 County Route 537 for a short distance. It eventually splits from CR 537 by forking to the left to head northeast on Broadway. The route travels on Broadway, as it heads past homes and eventually passes by

Freehold High School Freehold High School (sometimes called Freehold Boro, Freehold Borough High School or Boro to distinguish it from Freehold Township High School) is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located within ...

at the corner of Route 79 and Dutch Lane Road (CR 46). Route 79 crosses back into Freehold Township, where it continues through suburban residential areas, with intermittent farms and woods. It heads into Marlboro Township, where the name becomes Marlboro Road. The route passes some businesses before it widens into a four-lane divided highway and comes to an interchange with the Route 18 freeway. Past this interchange, Route 79 heads through a mix of homes and businesses, narrowing back into a two-lane undivided road. The name of the road changes to North Main Street at the School Road intersection. The road passes through residential and commercial areas with some farm fields, along with passing by

Marlboro High School Marlboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the six secondary schools of the Fre ...

, and then intersecting with CR 520. Past this intersection, Route 79 continues north and heads into more suburban areas. The road heads through wooded areas with some development, intersects CR 3 in Morganville, forming a short concurrency with that route that lasts until CR 3 heads northeast on Lloyd Road. Route 79 continues north through wooded neighborhoods and enters Matawan, where it becomes Main Street. It passes through residential areas before the road crosses CR 516 in a commercial area. Route 79 continues a short distance north past this intersection to its northern terminus at

. At this intersection, unsigned CR 516 Spur continues northeast on Main Street.

History

What has become Route 79 is an original road for the area. On June 7, 1701 a patent was granted to John Johnstone for a road from old Oysterbank Landing (Matawan Creek) to Wickatunk. This would have roughly followed that Route 79 path. Almost the entirety of the road was maintained in the late 19th century as part of the Monmouth County Plank Road. Before 1927, what is today Route 79 was an unnumbered road. In the

1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering In 1927, New Jersey's state highways were renumbered. The old system, which had been defined in sequence by the legislature since 1916, was growing badly, as several routes shared the same number, and many unnumbered state highways had been d ...

, the route was legislated as part of Route 4, which was to run from

to the

.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. Between 1932 and 1934, the State Highway Department took over this section of the route, and US 9 was realigned to follow this portion of road along with Route 4. Beginning with a bypass of Freehold in 1938, US 9 and Route 4 were moved to a new alignment between Freehold and Cheesequake, and the former alignment between these two points became Route 4A, a

of Route 4. The realignment was completed by 1941. In the

1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering On January 1, 1953, the New Jersey Highway Department renumbered many of the State Routes. This renumbering was first proposed in 1951 in order to reduce confusion to motorists. A few rules were followed in deciding what to renumber: *No state ro ...

, Route 4A became Route 79 between Freehold and Matawan and an extension of Route 34 between Matawan and Cheesequake. On December 15, 2006, a project which rebuilt the intersection between US 9 and Route 79 was completed. This project's goals included improved safety and reduced traffic congestion.

Major intersections

References

External links

New Jersey Roads: Route 79Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 79
{{good article 079 Transportation in Monmouth County, New Jersey U.S. Route 9

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links