Route 439 is a short state highway in the communities of
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
,
Union and
Hillside in
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties. Its county seat is Elizabeth. . The highway is known as the Bayway, North Avenue and Elmora Avenue from the
Goethals Bridge
The Goethals Bridge () is the name of a pair of cable-stayed bridge spans connecting Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Staten Island, New York, in the United States. The spans cross a strait known as Arthur Kill, and replaced a cantilever bridge span b ...
and
Interstate 278
Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New Yor ...
(I-278) and does a loop around Elizabeth, with the designation terminating at an intersection with
Route 27 in Elizabeth. The highway originated as part of
Route 28 south of the current intersection with Route 28 and Route S24 (which made up several routes) north of that intersection to
Route 82. The current designation of Route 439 was assigned in the 1953 renumbering.
Route description
Route 439 begins at an intersection with Union County Route 616 (CR 616) and
I-278
Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York ...
near the
Goethals Bridge
The Goethals Bridge () is the name of a pair of cable-stayed bridge spans connecting Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Staten Island, New York, in the United States. The spans cross a strait known as Arthur Kill, and replaced a cantilever bridge span b ...
in
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
. The highway progresses westward, passing to the south of the Number 22 Elementary School. The surroundings of the highway are densely populated, with buildings surrounding the highway the entire time. Turning to the northeast, Route 439 intersects with the southern terminus of CR 623 (South Broad Street) and enters the small community of Bayway, for which the highway is named. There, the route intersects with
U.S. Routes 1 & 9 (US 1/9) at the
Bayway Circle, where it changes monikers to South Elmora Avenue and continues deeper into Elizabeth.
After the Bayway Circle, Route 439 continues to the northeast and into Elizabeth, where it intersects with
CR 514 (Lidgerwood Avenue) and crosses the
New Jersey 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 bu ...
railroad line nearby. The highway then intersects Fay Avenue. The development around the road becomes more residential for a short time along Route 439, until the first intersection with
Route 27 (Rahway Avenue), where the commercial development experienced earlier returns. After Route 27, the route's loop begins to turn even further northward, where it enters Elmora. The highway passes to the southwest of Carteret Park and soon leaves Elmora.
North of Elmora, Route 439 intersects with CR 610 (West Gand Street) and
Route 28 (Westfield Avenue), both of which parallel each other for several miles.
After the intersection with Route 28, the highway begins the turn to the east once again. At an intersection with Chilton Street, the highway changes monikers to North Avenue, which it retains for the remaining length. During the curve, Route 439 enters
Union and intersects with the southern terminus of
Route 82, where
Kean University
Kean University () is a public university in Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education.
Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as the Newark Normal School. Initially establi ...
and Phil Rizzuto Park both surround the highway. After Route 82, the highway enters
Hillside and begins the eastward progression, passing to the south of Elizabeth River Park. After the curve completes, Route 439 enters Elizabeth again and intersects with County Route 623 once again and continues a short distance, where it terminates at the second intersection with Route 27. North Avenue continues eastward to an interchange with
Route 81.
History
Route 439 originates as an alignment of New Jersey State Highway Route 28, assigned 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 ...
from Route 28 to the intersection with US 1/9.
[State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.] The highway was set to serve a new
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...
crossing, which finally opened on June 29, 1928.
The highway that ran north of Route 28 and progressed north to the current intersection with Route 82 was New Jersey State Highway Route S-24, which a spur of
Route 24 from
Phillipsburg to Elizabeth.
The designations remained intact for over two decades, but across the
Arthur Kill
The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port o ...
in Staten Island,
New York State Route 439
New York State Route 439 (NY 439) was an east–west state highway on Staten Island in New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route was at the Goethals Bridge, where it continued into New Jersey as its Route 439. ...
(NY 439) was assigned onto the Goethals Bridge, and when 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 ...
occurred on January 1, 1953, the highway was redesignated as Route 439 to match up at the state line.
The NJ alignment has remained intact since,
but the New York alignment was decommissioned in 1968.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
*{{cite web, url=http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/log/11.html#439, title=New Jersey Roads – 439 History, last=Alpert, first=Steve
439
Transportation in Union County, New Jersey