U.S. Route 202 in New Jersey

U.S. Route 202
Route information
Maintained by NJDOT, DRJTBC, and Morris, Passaic, and Bergen Counties
Length	80.31 mi[1] (129.25 km)
Existed	1934[2]–present
Major junctions
South end	US 202 at New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge near Lambertville
Major intersections	Route 12 / Route 31 in Flemington US 206 near Somerville US 22 in Bridgewater Township I-287 in Bedminster Township US 206 in Bedminster Township Route 10 in Morris Plains I-80 in Parsippany-Troy Hills US 46 in Parsippany-Troy Hills Route 23 in Wayne Route 17 in Mahwah
North end	US 202 at New York border in Mahwah
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris, Passaic, Bergen
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided New Jersey State Highway Routes Interstate US State Scenic Byways
← I-195 → US 206
← Route 120 → Route 122

U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a U.S. Highway running from New Castle, Delaware northeast to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New Jersey, the route runs 80.31 mi (129.25 km) from the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge over the Delaware River at the Pennsylvania border in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County near 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, Morris, Passaic, 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 between Lambertville and Ringoes in Hunterdon County to a two-lane surface 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 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. In 1934, US 122 was renumbered to US 202, and realigned to follow its current route to New York border near Suffern, New York where it continued to 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.