U.S. Route 9 in New Jersey

U.S. Route 9 In New Jersey

U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to Champlain, New York. In New Jersey, the route runs 166.34 mi (267.70 km) from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal in North Cape May, Cape May County, where the ferry carries US 9 across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware, north to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, Bergen County, where the route along with Interstate 95 (I-95) and US 1 continue into New York City. From North Cape May north to Toms River in Ocean County, US 9 is mostly a two-lane undivided road that closely parallels the Garden State Parkway and runs near the Jersey Shore. Along this stretch, it passes through the communities of Rio Grande, Cape May Court House, Somers Point, Pleasantville, Absecon, Tuckerton, Manahawkin, and Beachwood. In the Toms River area, US 9 runs along the Garden State Parkway for a short distance before heading northwest away from it and the Jersey Shore into Lakewood Township. Upon entering Monmouth County, the route transitions into a multilane suburban divided highway and continues through Howell Township, Freehold Township, Marlboro Township, Old Bridge Township, Sayreville, and South Amboy. In Woodbridge Township, US 9 merges with US 1 and the two routes continue through northern New Jersey as US 1/9 to the George Washington Bridge.

Prior to 1927, the current alignment of US 9 had been legislated as parts of several state highways, including pre-1927 Route 14 from Cape May to Seaville, pre-1927 Route 19 between Seaville and Absecon, pre-1927 Route 4 between Absecon and Lakewood and South Amboy and Rahway, a spur of pre-1927 Route 7 between Lakewood and Freehold, and pre-1927 Route 1 between Rahway and Jersey City. US 9 was signed through New Jersey in 1926 to run from US 30 in Absecon north to the New York border in Alpine, where it became US 9W; it ran more to the east of its current alignment between Lakewood and South Amboy. In 1927, US 9 became Route 4 between Absecon and Lakewood and South Amboy and Rahway, Route 35 between Lakewood and Belmar and Eatontown and South Amboy (now Route 88 south of Point Pleasant), Route 4N (now Route 71) between Belmar and Eatontown, Route 27 between Rahway and Newark, Route 25 between Newark and Jersey City, and New Jersey Route 1 north of Jersey City. By the 1940s, US 9 had been extended south on Route 4 to Cape May and rerouted to current Route 4 between Lakewood and South Amboy. In addition, the route was moved to its current alignment between South Amboy and Jersey City, following Route 35 and Route 25, and routed to cross the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge, using a part of Route 6. The state highway concurrencies were removed in 1953 and two realignments occurred to the route as a result of the construction of the Garden State Parkway in the 1950s. In the 1970s, US 9 was extended across the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to continue into Delaware with the former route into Cape May becoming Route 109. Also around this time, two freeways were proposed for US 9 in Atlantic and Monmouth counties, but never built.