U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a U.S. Highway running from

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

northeast to Bangor, Maine. 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 route runs from the

New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge The New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge carries U.S. Route 202 (US 202) over the Delaware River, connecting Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Delaware Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, ...

over the Delaware River at the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

border in Delaware Township,

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,Lambertville northeast to the New York border in Mahwah, Bergen County. Along the route's journey, it passes through a variety of suburban and rural environments, including the communities of Flemington, Somerville, Morristown, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Wayne, and Oakland as well as five counties: Hunterdon,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

, and Bergen. US 202 encounters many major roads in New Jersey, including Route 31, US 206, US 22, Interstate 80 (I-80), US 46, Route 23, and Route 17. From Somerville to the New York border, US 202 generally runs within a close distance of I-287 and interchanges with that route several times. The road ranges from a four-lane

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

between Lambertville and Ringoes in Hunterdon County to a two-lane undivided road through much of the northern portion of the route. North of the Route 53 intersection in Morris Plains, US 202 is maintained by individual counties rather than the

New Jersey Department of Transportation 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 transporta ...

with a few exceptions. In the original system of New Jersey state highways, present-day U.S. Route 202 was legislated as pre-1927 Route 5 between Morristown and Morris Plains in 1916 and as pre-1927 Route 16 between Somerville and Morristown in 1921. In 1927, the current route was designated as Route 29 between Lambertville and Ringoes, Route 30 (now Route 31) between Ringoes and Flemington, Route 12 between Flemington and Somerville, Route 31 (now U.S. Route 206) between Somerville and Bedminster, Route 32 between Bedminster and Mountain View, and Route 23 within a portion of Wayne. Meanwhile, US 122 was signed in New Jersey to run from the New Hope–Lambertville Bridge in Lambertville, where the route continued south to State Road, Delaware, along Bridge Street, Route 29, and Route 30 to Flemington, and then along present-day County Route 523 (CR 523) to US 22 in

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. In 1934, US 122 was renumbered to US 202, and realigned to follow its current route to New York border near

Suffern, New York Suffern is a village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. Suffern is located 31 miles northwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 census, Suffern's population was 10,723.Bangor, Maine. In 1953, all the state highway designations were removed from US 202 except for Route 23 and Route 30 (which became Route 69 before becoming Route 31 in 1967) to avoid long concurrencies with the route. In the 1960s, plans were made to upgrade US 202 to a freeway between the Pennsylvania border and I-287 in Bridgewater Township. The only parts of this freeway that were completed were a bypass of Ringoes in the 1960s and a freeway between the Delaware River and Ringoes in 1974; the rest was canceled due to opposition from residents along the route. With the completion of the US 202 freeway in Hunterdon County, the former alignment became Route 179. The portion of US 202 concurrent with Route 23 in Wayne was upgraded from a four-lane road to a six-lane road in the 1980s.

Route description

Hunterdon County

U.S. Route 202 crosses into Delaware Township in

Hunterdon County, New Jersey Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge The New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge carries U.S. Route 202 (US 202) over the Delaware River, connecting Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Delaware Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, ...

over the Delaware River from

Solebury Township, Pennsylvania Solebury Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,709 at the 2020 census. History Migrating English Quakers began to settle down in an area of Buckingham Township. Around 1702, this area was i ...

, heading to the northeast as a four-lane

maintained by the

Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly along the Dela ...

. Shortly after entering New Jersey, the route passes over the

Delaware and Raritan Canal The Delaware and Raritan Canal (D&R Canal) is a canal in central New Jersey, built in the 1830s, that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelp ...

and comes to an interchange with Route 29 that features a northbound exit, a northbound entrance from southbound Route 29, and a southbound entrance. The route becomes maintained by the

here and crosses the Alexauken Creek into Lambertville where the route features a southbound exit and northbound entrance with Alexauken Creek Road that provides access to Route 29 from southbound U.S. Route 202 and to northbound U.S. Route 202 from northbound Route 29. Past Alexauken Creek Road, the freeway enters

West Amwell Township West Amwell Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 3,840, reflecting an increase of 1,457 (+61.1%) from the 2,383 counted in the 2000 Census, wh ...

, where it heads through a mix of woodland and farmland. It comes to a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

with County Route 605 (Queen Road), which provides access to Mount Airy and Dilts Corner. Past the County Route 605 interchange, U.S. Route 202 continues northeast through agricultural areas, paralleled by Frontage Road to the north. It crosses into East Amwell Township and features to a partial cloverleaf interchange with Route 179. Past the Route 179 interchange, the road runs briefly through West Amwell Township before entering East Amwell Township again, bypassing the community of Ringoes. It comes to a partial interchange with Route 31 and County Route 579, with access to southbound Route 31 and County Route 579 from both directions of U.S. Route 202 and access to northbound U.S. Route 202 from northbound Route 31 and County Route 579. Here, Route 31 begins a concurrency with U.S. Route 202, and both routes continue north as a four-lane divided surface road 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, intersecting County Route 602 (Wertsville Road). The next intersection is for

Old York Road Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...

, which heads to the southwest as Route 179 and to the northeast as County Route 514. Shortly past this intersection, the route briefly forms the border between East Amwell Township to the west and Raritan Township to the east before crossing entirely into Raritan Township. The road continues north through farms, reaching commercial development as it approaches the Flemington area. Past the intersection with County Route 611 (South Main Street), the road widens to six lanes and crosses into Flemington. The road comes to the Flemington Circle where Route 31 heads north and Route 12 heads west. Past the Flemington Circle, U.S. Route 202 proceeds northeast on a four-lane divided highway that crosses back into Raritan Township. It heads through woodland, passing by Northlandz, which is home to the world's largest

model railroad Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

HO scale HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. NMRA"Mo ...

. The road crosses the

South Branch Raritan River The South Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in New Jersey.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. Description The source of the South Branch is the outflow from Budd Lake, a glacial remnant locate ...

into Readington Township, where it heads east, passing over

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

's Lehigh Line north of Three Bridges. Past Three Bridges, the route runs through a mix of woods and farms.

Somerset County

U.S. Route 202 crosses into Branchburg Township, where it crosses Old York Road again. It continues northeast through agricultural areas with residences and businesses increasing along the road After crossing Old York Road (County Route 637) another time, the route heads through suburban commercial areas. The road passes north of the Branchburg Township Park and Ride, 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 ( ...

facility. It passes over the North Branch Raritan River and enters Bridgewater Township, where it passes under

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 bu ...

’s

Raritan Valley Line The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region in central New Jersey, United States. ...

and runs past a shopping center. U.S. Route 202 heads east into Raritan, where it passes through business areas and crosses County Route 567 (First Avenue). Past the County Route 567 intersection, the road comes to the modified Somerville Circle, where it intersects U.S. Route 206 and Route 28. U.S. Route 202 passes over the circle with ramps to U.S. Route 206 and Route 28, which head through the circle. U.S. Route 206 forms a concurrency with U.S. Route 202 past the Somerville Circle and the two routes continue north through Bridgewater Township, briefly entering Somerville. The road features an interchange with

U.S. Route 22 U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Intercha ...

and heads north with the Bridgewater Commons shopping mall on the east side of the road and the Somerset Corporate Center on the west side of the road. An interchange with Commons Way provides access to both these places. Past Commons Way, the road passes under Garrettson Road and comes to an interchange with

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in ...

that also provides access to

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...

. Past the Interstate 287 interchange, U.S. Routes 202 and 206 continue north as a two-lane undivided road with residences to the east and corporate parks to the west. The road crosses Chambers Brook into Bedminster Township, where it soon passes under Interstate 78. Shortly after Interstate 78, it widens into a four-lane divided highway with a

Jersey barrier A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...

that runs through a mix of commercial and residential areas. U.S. Routes 202 and 206 come to another interchange with Interstate 287, pass over the North Branch Raritan River again, and come to an intersection where the two routes split. Upon splitting from U.S. Route 206, U.S. Route 202 heads north on Somerville Road, a two-lane undivided road. It soon meets County Route 523 (Main Street), and U.S. Route 202 makes a right turn to head to the northeast on Lamington Road. The route heads east through residential areas and crosses the North Branch Raritan River into Far Hills. Upon entering Far Hills, the route intersects County Route 512 (Peapack Road), forming a concurrency that lasts with that route until County Route 512 heads south on Far Hills Road just before U.S. Route 202 crosses NJ Transit’s Gladstone Branch near the Far Hills Station. From here, the road heads northeast through wooded areas with some clearings and residences, crossing into Bernardsville. In Bernardsville, U.S. Route 202 heads through rural areas with trees and fields as Mine Brook Road before reaching the town itself. In the town, the route intersects County Route 525 (Claremont Road), briefly running concurrent with that route until it heads south on Mt. Airy Road. From the center of Bernardsville, U.S. Route 202 runs northeast as Morristown Road, crossing into Bernards Township, where it heads through wooded residential areas. In the Franklin Corners section of Bernards Township, the road features an intersection with County Route 613 (Childs Road) and North Maple Avenue, the latter providing access to Interstate 287.

Morris County

U.S. Route 202 crosses the Passaic River into Harding Township, Morris County, where the route becomes Mt. Kemble Avenue. The NJDOT replaced this bridge with a new bridge built in seven days during August 2012. The new bridge was designed by AmerCom Corporation and built by Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc. utilizing Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques. In Harding Township, the road runs north through mostly wooded residential and commercial areas, closely paralleling Interstate 287, which runs to the east of U.S. Route 202. It heads into more heavily forested areas, running to the east of

Morristown National Historical Park Morristown National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, consisting of four sites important during the American Revolutionary War: Jockey Hollow, the Ford Mansion, Fort Nonsense ...

, before continuing northeast into Morris Township. Here, U.S. Route 202 continues through woodland, but residences start to increase along the road and it passes by an industrial facility. It passes by the Spring Brook Country Club before crossing into Morristown. Upon entering Morristown, the route heads toward the downtown area, where it splits into a

one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descripti ...

following Market Street northbound and Bank Street southbound. The one-way pair comes to Park Place, a square in the center of Morristown, where U.S. Route 202 meets County Route 510 and Route 124. County Route 510 heads west from the square on Washington Street and east from the square on Morris Street, while Route 124 heads east from the square on South Street. Meanwhile, U.S. Route 202 continues north from Park Place on Speedwell Avenue, a two-lane road that heads past numerous downtown businesses. The route then leaves the downtown area, heading through residential neighborhoods and crossing the

Whippany River The Whippany River is a tributary of the Rockaway River, approximately 20 mi (30 km) long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. It rises in Morris County, in Mendham Township west of Morristown, and flows generally ENE in a m ...

before leaving Morristown and crossing back into Morris Township, where it briefly passes through an area of businesses. At the intersection with County Route 650 (Hanover Avenue), U.S. Route 202 crosses into Morris Plains, where it continues north through suburban commercial and residential areas. The route passes under NJ Transit’s

Morristown Line The Morristown Line is an NJ Transit commuter rail line connecting Morris and Essex counties to New York City, via either New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbou ...

near the Morris Plains Station and intersects the southern terminus of Route 53 (Tabor Road). Past the Route 53 intersection, maintenance of U.S. Route 202 is transferred from the New Jersey Department of Transportation to the county and it resumes northeast on Littleton Road, heading through residential areas. It enters an area of corporate parks as it crosses Route 10 and heads into Parsippany-Troy Hills. After passing through the area of corporate parks, the road heads back through suburban neighborhoods before coming to an interchange with Interstate 80. In the vicinity of the Interstate 80 interchange, U.S. Route 202 is state maintained. Past the interchange, U.S. Route 202 closely parallels Interstate 80 to the north as a four-lane undivided road before coming to an intersection with County Route 511 (Parsippany Boulevard), where U.S. Route 202 makes a left turn onto that route to form a concurrency. The two routes continue north on Parsippany Boulevard, a two-lane road that comes to an intersection with

U.S. Route 46 U.S. Route 46 (US 46) is an east–west U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey, running for , making it the shortest signed, non-spur U.S. Highway. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 in New Jersey, Intersta ...

, where the road is briefly state maintained. Past U.S. Route 46, the road continues north, intersecting ramps that provide access to and from southbound Interstate 287. Here, the road becomes county maintained again. It passes by business parks and then wooded residential areas, closely paralleling Interstate 287 again. At the intersection with Intervale Road, U.S. Route 202 and County Route 511 make a right turn, immediately interchanging with Interstate 287, with access to the southbound direction and from the northbound direction. The routes follow Intervale Road briefly before making a left turn to resume onto Parsippany Boulevard. The road crosses over the Jersey City Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to Jersey City, and enters Boonton, where the road becomes Washington Street. This street carries the two routes through residential areas before coming to another interchange with Interstate 287 that also features access to the southbound direction and access from the northbound direction. Past this interchange, U.S. Route 202 splits from County Route 511 by heading to the northeast on Myrtle Avenue. Myrtle Avenue carries U.S. Route 202 through commercial areas sandwiched by Interstate 287 to the southeast and NJ Transit’s

Montclair-Boonton Line The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...

. Along Myrtle Avenue, U.S. Route 202 features ramps to and from southbound Interstate 287. The route crosses into Montville, where it becomes Main Road and runs a farther distance from Interstate 287, heading north through residential areas. The road turns east and makes a left turn to head north on Main Street, which angles east and comes to an interchange with Interstate 287. Past this interchange, U.S. Route 202 continues through commercial areas, crossing over the Montclair-Boonton Line, before heading into residential neighborhoods, running parallel to the Montclair-Boonton Line. After passing Towaco Station, the route makes a right turn, passes under the railroad line, immediately makes a left turn to resume on Main Street. The route heads east as a four-lane road running to the south of the railroad tracks through residential areas, narrowing to two lanes. It enters Lincoln Park, where U.S. Route 202 intersects County Route 633 (Boonton Turnpike), continuing east onto Boonton Turnpike. A short distance later, the route intersects County Route 511 Alternate (Comly Road) and forms a

wrong-way concurrency A concurrency in a road network is an instance of one physical roadway bearing two or more different route numbers. When two roadways share the same right-of-way, it is sometimes called a common section or commons. Other terminology for a concurr ...

with that route. The two routes continue southeast through wooded residential neighborhoods, eventually running parallel to the Pompton River.

Passaic and Bergen counties

U.S. Route 202 and County Route 511 Alternate cross the Pompton River into Wayne, Passaic County, where the road becomes Mountainview Boulevard. It crosses the Montclair-Boonton Line near the Mountain View Station and comes to an interchange with Route 23, where County Route 511 Alternate ends and U.S. Route 202 heads north on Route 23, a six-lane freeway that is state maintained. The road passes over a Norfolk Southern railroad line before it has an interchange with County Route 670 (Alps Road). Following this, the roadway passes west of the Mother's Park & Ride, a

facility serving NJ Transit buses, and reaches an interchange with County Route 683 (

Newark-Pompton Turnpike The Newark-Pompton Turnpike (now known in portions of its former route as Pompton Avenue, Route 23, and Bloomfield Avenue), is a roadway in northern New Jersey that was originally a tolled turnpike. The roadway was first laid out in the mid-1 ...

). Route 23 and U.S. Route 202 continue north from this point as a surface road through commercial areas. At a U-turn ramp, the eastbound direction of County Route 504 follows both directions of the road, having to use the ramp in order to continue across the road. Northbound U.S. Route 202 splits from Route 23, where the cut-off intersection with County Route 504 is located. At this point, the westbound direction of County Route 504 and the southbound direction of U.S. Route 202 follow southbound Route 23 until an intersection. Past Route 23 and County Route 504, U.S. Route 202 heads north on Black Oak Ridge Road, a county maintained road that heads through residential neighborhoods. The road comes to an intersection with County Route 689 (Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike), where U.S. Route 202 merges onto that road, forming a concurrency. The Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike heads north past some businesses, running a short distance to the east of the

Ramapo River The Ramapo River is a tributary of the Pompton River, approximately 30 mi (48 km) long, in southern New York and northern New Jersey in the United States. Course The Ramapo river rises in Round Lake, a small freshwater lake in the To ...

, before coming to Terhune Drive, where U.S. Route 202 makes a right turn onto that road with County Route 689 continuing north on Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike. Terhune Drive carries U.S. Route 202 north through wooded neighborhoods, running in between Pines Lake to the east and Pompton Lake, which is part of the Ramapo River, to the west. U.S. Route 202 crosses into Oakland, Bergen County, where the route becomes Ramapo Valley Road. In Bergen County, U.S. Route 202 is cosigned with County Route 91. In Oakland, the route turns east and passes the Long Hill Mall, where it makes a left turn to continue north along Ramapo Valley Road with County Route 93 continuing straight on Long Hill Road. U.S. Route 202 heads north through commercial areas of the town, where it passes by the Coppertree Mall, before crossing New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's New Jersey Subdivision line and coming to an interchange with Interstate 287. In the vicinity of this interchange, the route is maintained by the state. Past the Interstate 287 interchange, the road continues northeast through residential areas, crossing into Mahwah. Here, the route parallels the Ramapo River again, which runs to the west of the road. U.S. Route 202 passes through wooded residential areas before passing by

Ramapo College of New Jersey Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college, ...

. It passes under Interstate 287 and continues northeast, coming to an interchange with Route 17. Past this interchange, U.S. Route 202 heads east and then north through more dense neighborhoods. It passes under a railroad line that serves as part of both NJ Transit’s Main Line and

Bergen County Line The Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either dir ...

before immediately coming to an intersection with

County Route 507 County Route 507 (CR 507) is a County routes in New Jersey, county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Harrison Avenue (County Route 508 (New Jersey), CR 508) on the Kearny, New Jersey, Kearny-Harrison, New Jersey, H ...

( Franklin Turnpike). Here, U.S. Route 202 makes a left turn onto this road and heads north to the New York state line where it continues into

Suffern, New York Suffern is a village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. Suffern is located 31 miles northwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 census, Suffern's population was 10,723.Old York Road Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...

, a historical 18th-century road that linked

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

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 ...

; the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike, which was chartered on March 3, 1806 to run from

to the Pennsylvania border; and the Union Turnpike, which was chartered on February 23, 1804 to run from Morristown to the Pennsylvania border. Nearly all of the roads that would later become U.S. Route 202 were incorporated into the Tuxedo Trail, which stretched from Buckingham, PA, to Suffern, NY. When the original system of New Jersey state highways was established, the current routing of U.S. Route 202 was legislated as part of pre-1927 Route 5 between Morristown and present-day Route 53 in Morris Plains in 1916 and as part of pre-1927 Route 16 between Somerville and Morristown in 1921. 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 ...

, present-day U.S. Route 202 was legislated as part of Route 29 between Lambertville and Ringoes, Route 30 (now Route 31) between Ringoes and Flemington, Route 12 between Flemington and Somerville, Route 31 (now U.S. Route 206) between Somerville and Bedminster, Route 32 from Bedminster to Mountain View, and Route 23 through a portion of Wayne.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319. Also, by 1927, U.S. Route 122 was signed to run from the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge over the Delaware River in Lambertville, where it continued south all the way to State Road, Delaware, to

, following locally maintained Bridge Street in Lambertville, Route 29 between Lambertville and Ringoes, Route 30 between Ringoes and Flemington, and present-day County Route 523 from Flemington to U.S. Route 22 in White House. US 122 New Jersey 1926

Eventually, Route 29 was realigned to follow present-day U.S. Route 202 between Ringoes and Somerville, replacing Route 12 between Flemington and Somerville. In 1934, U.S. Route 122 was renumbered to U.S. Route 202 and was extended to head to the New York border at Suffern, where it would continue to Bangor, Maine. U.S. Route 202 would follow proposed Route 29 from Flemington northeast to Somerville; proposed Route 31 north to Bedminster; Route 32 northeast to Mountain View, which was state maintained south of Route 5N (now Route 53) in Morris Plains; Route 23 in Wayne; and county roads from Route 23 northeast to the New York border. At the time, U.S. Route 202 would follow a temporary alignment between Flemington and Bedminster by way of White House and Lamington. In 1939, U.S. Route 202 was rerouted to follow its current alignment between Flemington and Bedminster along Route 29 between Flemington and Somerville and Route 31 between Somerville and Bedminster. In 1948, Bridge Street in Lambertville from the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge to Route 29 was designated as Route S29.State of New Jersey, Laws of 1948, Chapter 407. 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 ...

, which eliminated long concurrencies between U.S. and state routes, many of the state routes that followed U.S. Route 202 were removed from the route. Route 29 was removed from U.S. Route 202 and rerouted to follow former Route 29A to Frenchtown, and Routes S29, 31, and 32 were entirely eliminated. In addition, Route 30 was renumbered to Route 69 as it conflicted with

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

in southern New Jersey.1953 renumbering On June 13, 1950, the New Jersey Legislature designated US 202 as the Thomas Paine Highway, in honor of American Founding Father

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

Freeway upgrades

Plans for a limited-access highway along the U.S. Route 202 corridor date back to 1932 when a parkway was planned to continue into Pennsylvania along U.S. Route 202; this proposal never came to fruition. In the 1960s, a bypass around Ringoes opened for U.S. Route 202 and Route 69 (which became Route 31 in 1967) with the former alignment of U.S. Route 202 through town becoming Route 179. In 1966, a freeway was proposed along the U.S. Route 202 corridor between the Pennsylvania border and Interstate 287 in Bridgewater Township. The portion of this freeway between the Pennsylvania border and the Route 179 interchange in Ringoes was legislated in 1969 with the

opening in 1971. The freeway opened in October 1974, and the former alignment of U.S. Route 202 between Lambertville and Ringoes became an extension of Route 179. Meanwhile, the portion of the proposed U.S. Route 202 freeway between Lambertville and Bridgewater Township was cancelled due to opposition from residents along the route. In the 1980s, upgrades were made to the portion of U.S. Route 202 concurrent with Route 23. This portion of road, which was originally a four-lane undivided road, saw an upgrade to a six-lane freeway south of the Alps Road interchange and to a six-lane surface road north of there. Construction on these improvements was completed in 1986. There were also plans to replace the Flemington Circle with an interchange as part of a project that would have also built a limited-access bypass of Flemington for Route 31; however, this plan was never realized.

Major intersections

References

External links

New Jersey Roads – US 202Speed Limits for Route 202Speed Limits for Route 202-Route 206
{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 202 in New Jersey Limited-access roads in New Jersey Transportation in Bergen County, New Jersey Transportation in Hunterdon County, New Jersey Transportation in Morris County, New Jersey Transportation in Passaic County, New Jersey Transportation in Somerset County, New Jersey 02-2 New Jersey