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New Jersey Route 79

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Route 79 marker
Route 79
Map
Route 79 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT
Length12.13 mi[1] (19.52 km)
ExistedJanuary 1, 1953[2]–present
Major junctions
South end US 9 / Route 33 in Freehold Township
Major intersections
North end
 Route 34 / CR 516 Spur in Matawan
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountiesMonmouth
Highway system
← I-78→ I-80

Route 79 is a state highway located in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs 12.1 mi (19.5 km) from an intersection of US 9 in Freehold Township north to an intersection of Route 34 and Main Street (CR 516 Spur) in Matawan. The route is a mostly two-lane undivided road that passes through a mixture of suburban residential, urban commercial, and open rural areas. The route interchanges with Route 33 in Freehold Township, intersects with Business Route 33 and CR 537 in Freehold, interchanges with Route 18 and intersects with CR 520 in Marlboro, and intersects with CR 516 in Matawan.

In 1927, the current alignment of Route 79 was designated as a part of Route 4, which was to run from Cape May to the George Washington Bridge, and US 9 was additionally designated along the route by the 1940s. After US 9 and Route 4 were moved to a new routing between Freehold and Cheesequake, the former route became Route 4A, a spur of Route 4. In 1953, Route 4A became Route 79 between Freehold and Matawan and an extension of Route 34 between Matawan and Cheesequake.

Route description

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Route 79 southbound at Route 34 in Matawan

Route 79 begins at an intersection with US 9 in Freehold Township, heading north on South Street, a two-lane divided highway that soon becomes an undivided road.[1] It intersects Route 33 and continues through a mix of residential and commercial areas.[3] The route enters Freehold, where it crosses the intersection of Park Avenue (Business Route 33). Route 79 heads into Downtown Freehold, where it crosses the Freehold Industrial Track railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad and intersects with West Main Street (CR 537).[1][3] Here, the route heads northeast on West Main Street to run concurrently with CR 537 for a short distance. It eventually splits from CR 537 by forking to the left to head northeast on Broadway while CR 537 continues east-northeast on East Main Street.[1] The route continues to travels north on Broadway, as it heads past homes and eventually passes by Freehold High School at the intersection of Route 79 and Dutch Lane Road (CR 46). Route 79 crosses back into Freehold Township, where it continues through suburban residential areas, with intermittent farms and woods. It heads into Marlboro. The route passes some businesses before it widens into a four-lane divided highway and comes to an interchange with Route 18.[1][3]

Route 79 northbound at the split with CR 537 eastbound in Freehold

Past this interchange, Route 79 heads through a mix of homes and businesses, narrowing back into a two-lane undivided road. The route continues as Route 79 at the intersection of School Road. The road passes through residential and commercial areas with some farm fields, along with passing by Marlboro High School, and then intersecting with Newman Springs Road (CR 520).[1][3] Past this intersection, Route 79 continues north and heads into more suburban areas, with the Henry Hudson Trail parallel to the west of the road before it splits to the west.[3] The road heads through wooded areas with some development, intersects with Tennent Road (CR 3) in Morganville, forming a short concurrency with that route that lasts until CR 3 heads northeast on Lloyd Road. Route 79 continues north through wooded neighborhoods and enters Matawan, where it becomes Main Street. It passes through residential areas and heads across the Henry Hudson Trail before the road crosses the intersection with Broad Street/New Brunswick Avenue (CR 516) in a commercial area.[1][3] Route 79 continues a short distance north past this intersection to its northern terminus at the intersection of Route 34. At this intersection, unsigned CR 516 Spur continues northeast on Main Street.[1][3]

History

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Route 4A marker
Route 4A
LocationFreehold–Cheesequake
Existed1940s[4]–1953[5]

What has become Route 79 is an original road for the area. On June 7, 1701, a patent was granted to John Johnstone for a road from old Oysterbank Landing (Matawan Creek) to Wickatunk.[6] This would have roughly followed that Route 79 path. Almost the entirety of the road was maintained in the late 19th century as part of the Monmouth County Plank Road. Before 1927, what is today Route 79 was an unnumbered road.[7] In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, the route was legislated as part of Route 4, which was to run from Cape May to the George Washington Bridge.[8][9] Between 1932 and 1934,[10] the State Highway Department took over this section of the route, and US 9 was realigned to follow this portion of road along with Route 4. Beginning with a bypass of Freehold in 1938,[11] US 9 and Route 4 were moved to a new alignment between Freehold and Cheesequake, and the former alignment between these two points became Route 4A, a spur of Route 4. The realignment was completed by 1941.[12] In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 4A became Route 79 between Freehold and Matawan and an extension of Route 34 between Matawan and Cheesequake.[5] On December 15, 2006, a project which rebuilt the intersection between US 9 and Route 79 was completed. This project's goals included improved safety and reduced traffic congestion.[13]

Major intersections

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The entire route is in Monmouth County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Freehold Township0.000.00 US 9 – Lakewood, The AmboysSouthern terminus
0.150.24 Route 33 – Trenton, Asbury ParkInterchange
Freehold Borough0.741.19
 Route 33 Bus. (Park Avenue) – Trenton, Asbury Park, Inspection Station
1.432.30
 CR 537 west (West Main Street)		Southern end of CR 537 concurrency
1.592.56
 CR 537 east (East Main Street) / Spring Street / Center Street		Northern end of CR 537 concurrency
Marlboro Township5.108.21 Route 18 – New Brunswick, Point PleasantInterchange; exits 25A-B on Route 18
6.8210.98

 CR 520 (Newman Springs Road) to G.S. Parkway south – Robertsville, Marlboro State Hospital, Holmdel
Matawan11.8419.05 CR 516 (New Brunswick Avenue/Broad Street) – Old Bridge, Keyport
12.1319.52 Route 34 – The Amboys, Asbury Park
Main Street – Keyport		Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Route 79 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "New Route Markers Go Up Next Month" (PDF). The Hackettstown Gazette. December 18, 1952. p. 17. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Overview of Route 79" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  4. ^ Mid-West Map; H.M. Gousha (1941). Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Map). Mid-West Map. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "1953 renumbering". New Jersey Department of Highways. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  6. ^ Nelson, William, ed. (1902). The New Jersey Coast in Three Centuries: History of the New Jersey. Vol. 2. p. 188.
  7. ^ Williams, Jimmy; Williams, Sharon. "1927 Tydol Trails Map: South". 1920s New Jersey Highways. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  8. ^ State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.
  9. ^ Williams, Jimmy; Williams, Sharon. "1927 New Jersey Road Map". 1920s New Jersey Highways. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  10. ^ New Jersey State Highway Commission (1934). Road Map of New Jersey (Map). Scale not given. Trenton: New Jersey State Highway Commission. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries.
  11. ^ "Asks Federal Help For Freehold By-Pass". Monmouth Democrat. November 3, 1938. p. 5. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  12. ^ "Will Receive Bids For Shore Highway". The Central New Jersey Home News. December 6, 1940. p. 31. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "NJDOT improves Route 9 in Freehold Township". New Jersey Department of Transportation. December 21, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
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