U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 is a north–south United States Numbered Highway primarily in the state of New Jersey. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 30 and Route 54 in Hammonton, while its northern terminus is at an intersection with US 209 near Milford, Pennsylvania. For much of its length, US 206 is a rural two-lane undivided road that passes through the Pine Barrens, agricultural areas, and the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern New Jersey, with some urban and suburban areas. The route connects several cities and towns, including Bordentown, Trenton, Princeton, Somerville, Roxbury, Netcong, and Newton. The road is known as the Disabled American Veterans Highway for much of its length.
What is now US 206 in New Jersey was designated as part of several state routes prior to 1927, including pre-1927 Route 2 between Bordentown and Trenton in 1916, pre-1927 Route 13 between Trenton and Princeton in 1917, and pre-1927 Route 16 between Princeton and Bedminster Township in 1921. The current routing along pre-1927 Route 2 became a part of US 130 in 1926. In 1927, current US 206 became Route 39 between Hammonton and White Horse, Route 37 between White Horse and Trenton, Route 27 between Trenton and Princeton, Route 31 between Princeton and Newton, and Route S31 between Newton and the Delaware River. In the later 1930s, US 206 was designated to connect US 30 in Hammonton north to US 6 and US 209 in Milford; the northern terminus was moved to its current location in the 1940s. The state highways running concurrently with US 206 in New Jersey were removed in 1953. In the 1960s, two separate freeways were proposed for US 206 but never built. The first freeway was to connect Hammonton south along the Route 54 corridor toward Route 55 and the planned Route 60 in Vineland and Millville. The other US 206 freeway was planned in northwestern New Jersey, connecting Interstate 80 in Netcong north to Montague Township. Construction began for a bypass of US 206 around Hillsborough Township in 2010 and was completed in 2021. The New Jersey Department of Transportation widened the route in Byram Township to alleviate congestion, with completion in 2013.
Route description
New Jersey
Atlantic and Burlington counties
US 206 begins at US 30 in the town of Hammonton, Atlantic County, heading north-northeast on the two-lane, undivided Disabled American Veterans Highway. South of this intersection, the road continues as Route 54. From its southern terminus, US 206 runs through farmland, which eventually gives way to the heavily forested Pine Barrens. Within this area, the route continues through the Wharton State Forest. Here, the road comes to the eastern terminus of County Route 536.US 206 continues into Shamong Township, Burlington County, passing through more of the Pine Barrens. In Shamong Township, the road makes a turn to the north and crosses an abandoned railroad line before it passes by Atsion Lake. After running northwest, CR 541 splits to the left. After this intersection, US 206 heads north out of Wharton State Forest and into more agricultural areas. At the intersection with CR 648, the route briefly widens into a four-lane undivided road before narrowing back to two lanes. Upon intersecting CR 622, US 206 enters Tabernacle Township. Here, CR 532 crosses the route at a signalized intersection. Following CR 532, residential development increases along the route as it continues into Southampton Township. US 206 becomes a three-lane road with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes as it comes to the Red Lion Circle with Route 70. Past the Red Lion Circle, the route becomes two lanes again and passes more rural surroundings with some development. US 206 comes to a junction with the eastern terminus of Route 38 and the western terminus of CR 530.
A short distance after the Route 38/CR 530 intersection, the route becomes the border between Eastampton Township to the west and Southampton Township to the east before running between Eastampton Township and Pemberton Township. Along this portion, it passes through Ewansville. Continuing entirely into Springfield Township, the route crosses CR 537. Past this intersection, US 206 widens into a four-lane undivided road. The route briefly gains a wide painted median before crossing the Assicunk Creek into Mansfield Township In Mansfield Township, US 206 becomes a divided highway as it bypasses the community of Columbus to the west, and CR 690 continues through Columbus. On the bypass of Columbus, the route has an interchange with CR 543.
Past Columbus, US 206 becomes undivided again, with residential development increasing. It becomes a divided highway again and merges with Route 68, the main access road to the Fort Dix section of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, at a directional intersection. After this intersection, US 206 enters Bordentown Township and reaches an interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike in a commercial area. Following this interchange, the route intersects CR 545. A short distance later, US 206 merges into US 130 at a directional interchange to form a concurrency. The two roads continue north on a six-lane divided highway, briefly entering the eastern edge of Bordentown at the intersection with CR 528. Back in Bordentown Township, US 130 and US 206 split at another directional interchange. Past US 130, US 206 crosses under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Robbinsville Industrial Track railroad line and heads through development as a four-lane divided highway, making a slight northwest bend before resuming north.
Mercer County
US 206 crosses the Crosswicks Creek and enters Hamilton Township, Mercer County. Immediately after the Crosswicks Creek, there is an interchange with I-195. Past I-195, the route reaches the White Horse Circle, where it intersects CR 524 and CR 533. At this point, US 206 turns west-northwest to run along four-lane divided locally maintained Broad Street. Passing through White Horse, the road briefly becomes five lanes with a center left-turn lane before becoming a four-lane divided highway again as it crosses over I-295 without an interchange. Running into more urban areas of development, the route enters Trenton at the crossing of CR 650 After entering Trenton, US 206 narrows into a two-lane undivided street. As the road heads toward downtown Trenton, it crosses NJ Transit's River Line immediately before interchanging with Route 129. From here, the road turns more to the northwest with four lanes and passes by the CURE Insurance Arena before crossing over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor railroad line and the US 1 freeway without an interchange simultaneously. US 206 enters the commercial downtown area, narrowing back to two lanes before reaching Warren Street, where US 206 splits into a one-way pair following Broad Street northbound and Warren Street southbound.This one–way pairing, which carries two lanes in each direction, curves north and continues through downtown Trenton. At the Trenton Battle Monument, the road reaches an intersection with the southern terminus of Route 31 and US 206 turns northeast onto another one-way pairing that follows Brunswick Avenue northbound and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard southbound; each road is two-way but only carryies one direction of US 206. The road continues through neighborhoods, with northbound US 206 passing to the west of Capital Health Regional Medical Center and southbound US 206 forming the border between Ewing Township to the northwest and Trenton to the southeast as a county-maintained road at the Calhoun Street intersection. At this point, southbound US 206 runs concurrently with CR 583. At the junction with Spruce Street, northbound US 206 becomes the border between Lawrence Township and Trenton, becoming state-maintained, while southbound US 206/CR 583 fully crosses into Lawrence Township. Northbound US 206 widens into a four-lane divided highway as it comes to the Brunswick Circle with US 1 Business. At this point, US 1 Business continues northeast on Brunswick Pike while northbound US 206 heads north as a two-lane undivided road called Lawrence Road. CR 645 links the Brunswick Circle to southbound US 206/CR 583.
At this point, both directions of US 206 are in Lawrence Township and rejoin; US 206 continues north as a two-lane undivided road, and CR 583 heads to the northeast. US 206 continues through suburban residential areas within Lawrence Township. The route makes a turn to the northeast before heading north again and passing to the east of Rider University. A short distance later, the road has a cloverleaf interchange with I-295 prior to an intersection with CR 546. In this area, US 206 is briefly a two-lane divided highway. Past CR 546, the route becomes two-lane undivided Main Street and heads north-northeast through Lawrenceville, passing development and the mile-long campus of The Lawrenceville School. Upon leaving Lawrenceville, US 206 turns more to the east through rural surroundings, forming a short concurrency with CR 569. From this point, the route continues northeast and enters Princeton.
In Princeton, CR 533 intersects US 206, and the two routes run concurrently. The road becomes Stockton Street, passing by the Drumthwacket governor's mansion. US 206 turns north onto Bayard Lane, with Route 27 continuing northeast into downtown Princeton on Nassau Street, which provides access to Princeton University through Princeton Downtown. The stretch from Lawrenceville until the intersection with Nassau Street in Princeton is part of the King's Highway Historic District. Bayard Lane carries the route past more wooded developed areas, eventually curving northeast through a park. Here, US 206 becomes State Road and turns north again. Continuing to the north, the amount of development adjacent to the road decreases.
Somerset County
US 206 enters Montgomery Township, Somerset County, where the name of the road becomes Van Horne Memorial Highway. In Montgomery Township, the route runs to the east of Princeton Airport and crosses CR 518. Following this intersection, CR 533 splits from US 206 by heading northeast, and US 206 continues north-northwest through a mix of suburban and rural areas. The road passes through the community of Harlingen before widening to four lanes and reaching Belle Mead. In this area, US 206 passes over CSX's Trenton Subdivision railroad line before making a turn to the northeast and then to the north, narrowing back to two lanes. The road enters Hillsborough Township, where the Van Horne Memorial Highway designation ends. US 206 intersects US 206 Bypass at its southern end and Mountain View Road. The road continues into residential and commercial areas of Hillsborough. It comes to a junction with CR 514 in this area.Past the CR 514 intersection, US 206 makes a curve northeast before heading east to intersect the northern end of US 206 Bypass, where it turns north. Leaving the center of Hillsborough, the road runs northeast past more wooded areas as it crosses under Norfolk Southern's Lehigh Line. The route passes more development as it widens into a four-lane divided highway with jughandles, turning to the north and passing the former Duke Gardens. US 206 briefly becomes six lanes wide at the CR 608 intersection before narrowing back to four lanes as it crosses the Raritan River into Somerville. In Somerville, the road runs northwest parallel to the Raritan River prior to turning north into commercial areas and entering Raritan. US 206 runs under NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line before making a turn to the north-northwest.
US 206 comes to the modified Somerville Circle, where it meets US 202 and Route 28. At this modified traffic circle, US 206 and Route 28 run through it while US 202 passes over it with ramp access. US 206 runs concurrently with US 202 at this point and the two routes continue north into Bridgewater Township, briefly entering Somerville. The road features an interchange with US 22 and heads north with the Bridgewater Commons shopping mall on the east side of the road and the Somerset Corporate Center on the west side of the road. An interchange with Commons Way provides access to both these places. Past Commons Way, the road passes under Garrettson Road and comes to an interchange with I-287 that also provides access to I-78. Past the I-287 interchange, US 202/US 206 continues north as a two-lane undivided road past suburban areas. The road crosses Chambers Brook into Bedminster Township, where it soon passes under I-78. Shortly after I-78, it widens into a four-lane divided highway with a Jersey barrier. US 202/US 206 comes to another interchange with I-287, passes over the North Branch Raritan River and comes to an intersection where the two routes split.
After the US 202 split, US 206 continues north as a four-lane divided highway through commercial areas, with the grass median becoming replaced by a painted median as it comes to a junction with CR 523 in downtown Bedminster. Following this intersection, the route narrows into a two-lane undivided road that runs through less development. US 206 enters Peapack-Gladstone, where it runs a short distance to the west of NJ Transit's Gladstone Branch. In Peapack-Gladstone, the road briefly becomes a four-lane divided highway as it has a trumpet interchange with Pfizer Way, a road that provides access to a Pfizer facility. Past this point, US 206 becomes a two-lane undivided road that runs northwest through rural areas, with CR 512 crossing the road. Just after this intersection, the route enters Bedminster Township again, turning to the north.