New Jersey Route 28

New Jersey Route 28

Route 28 is a state highway in the central part of New Jersey, United States that is 26.44 mi (42.55 km) long. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 22 in Bridgewater Township, Somerset County while its eastern terminus is at Route 27 in Elizabeth, Union County. From its western terminus, Route 28 heads east through Raritan, intersecting County Route 567 and then U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 206 at the Somerville Circle before heading through the central part of Somerville. Past Somerville, the route interchanges with Interstate 287 in Bridgewater Township before intersecting many 500-series county roads including County Route 525 and County Route 527 in Bound Brook, County Route 529 in Dunellen, Middlesex County, County Route 531 in Plainfield, Union County, and County Route 509 in Westfield. Route 28 continues east, intersecting Route 59 and the Garden State Parkway in Cranford before heading to Elizabeth, where it crosses Route 439 before ending at Route 27. Route 28 is a two- to four-lane road its entire length that passes through suburban areas and runs within a close distance of New Jersey Transit’s Raritan Valley Line for much of its length.

Prior to 1927, Route 28 was known as Route 9, which was designated in 1917 to run from Phillipsburg east to Elizabeth. With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, U.S. Route 22 was designated along with Route 28. In 1927, most of pre-1927 Route 9 became Route 28, with the exception of the route through Elizabeth, which became Route 27-28 Link as Route 28 followed present-day Route 439 to the Goethals Bridge. Also legislated at this time was a spur of Route 28 called Route S28, which became Route 18 in 1953. By 1941, U.S. Route 22 was moved off the Route 28 alignment in Phillipsburg, with U.S. Route 22 Alternate (now Route 122) taking its place, as well as east of Bridgewater Township, where it was realigned to follow Route 28-29 Link and Route 29 to Newark. In 1953, the western terminus of Route 28 was moved to its current location to avoid the concurrencies with U.S. Route 22 and U.S. Route 22 Alternate while the portion of the route in Elizabeth was realigned to replace Route 27-28 Link, with the former route becoming Route 439.