New Jersey Route 29

New Jersey Route 29

Route 29 is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs 34.76 mi (55.94 km) from an intersection with Interstate 295 in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, where it continues as Interstate 195, to Route 12 (Bridge Street / Race Street) in Frenchtown, Hunterdon County. Between the southern terminus and Interstate 95, the route is a mix of freeway and four-lane divided highway that runs along the Delaware River through Trenton. This section includes a truck-restricted tunnel that was built along the river near historic houses and Riverview Cemetery. North of Interstate 95, Route 29 turns into a scenic and mostly two-lane highway. North of the South Trenton Tunnel, it is designated the Delaware River Scenic Byway, a New Jersey Scenic Byway and National Scenic Byway, that follows the Delaware River in mostly rural sections of Mercer County and Hunterdon County. The obsolete Delaware & Raritan Canal usually stands between the river and the highway. Most sections of this portion of Route 29 are completely shaded due to the tree canopy. Route 29 also has a spur, Route 129, which connects Route 29 to U.S. Route 1 in Trenton.

Route 29 was initially designated in 1927 to run from downtown Trenton to Newark, following present-day Route 179 and U.S. Route 202 between Lambertville and Somerville and U.S. Route 22 between Somerville and Newark. The route between Lambertville and Frenchtown was originally Route 29A. In 1953, Route 29 was shifted to follow the alignment of Route 29A to avoid the concurrencies with the U.S. Routes. Route 29 between South Warren Street in Trenton and Interstate 95 in Ewing Township was upgraded to a four-lane highway, with a portion of freeway, in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1995, the southern freeway part of Route 29 between Interstate 195/Interstate 295 and Route 129 in Hamilton Township was completed. This freeway section was linked to the rest of Route 29 by a tunnel completed in 2002. A realignment of Route 29 in Lambertville by the 2000s made the route concurrent with the entire length of 0.26 mi (0.42 km) long Route 165.