# U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey

U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a U.S. highway stretching from Cincinnati, Ohio, in the west to Newark, New Jersey, in the east. In New Jersey, the route runs for 60.5 miles (97.37 km) from the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge over the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, Warren County, to I-78, US 1/9, and Route 21 at the Newark Airport Interchange in Newark, Essex County. The road first heads through the Phillipsburg–Alpha area as an arterial road before running concurrent with I-78 through mountainous and agricultural sections of western New Jersey between Alpha and east of Clinton in Hunterdon County. For the remainder of the route, US 22 runs to the south of I-78 through mostly suburban areas as a four- to six-lane arterial road, passing through Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, and Essex counties. Along this portion, it interchanges with US 202 and US 206 in Somerville, I-287 in Bridgewater, and the Garden State Parkway in Union.
What became US 22 in 1926 was first designated as Route 9, a route running from Phillipsburg to Elizabeth, in 1916. In 1927, Route 9 west of Elizabeth became Route 28 while the portion within Elizabeth became Route 27-28 Link. By 1941, US 22 was moved to its current alignment in the Phillipsburg area, following Route 24 and Route 24-28 Link; Route 28 in Phillipsburg became US 22 Alt. (now Route 122). Also, US 22 was moved off Route 28 east of Bridgewater to follow Route 28-29 Link and Route 29 to Newark. In 1953, the long concurrencies with the state highways were removed. In the 1960s, I-78 was constructed close to the US 22 corridor throughout New Jersey. US 22 was moved onto the new interstate between Alpha and Clinton in 1969 with most of the old route becoming Route 173.

## Route description
### Phillipsburg to Annandale

US 22 enters New Jersey from Easton, Pennsylvania, on the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge over the Delaware River and Norfolk Southern Railway's Portland Secondary line. It heads into Phillipsburg, Warren County, as a four-lane undivided freeway maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. East of the bridge, the westbound lanes pass through the bridge toll plaza, and the route has an eastbound exit and westbound entrance for Broad and Main streets. From the previous exit, US 22 runs eastward as a four-lane divided freeway maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation that ends in an interchange with Morris Street (CR 677) and Hillcrest Boulevard. At this point, the route becomes at-grade unnamed; a commercial four to six-lane arterial road with a wide median consisting of U-turn ramps and jughandles. The median narrows as the road forms the border between Lopatcong Township to the north and Phillipsburg to the south. The route fully enters Lopatcong Township and comes to an interchange with Route 57, with an eastbound exit and a westbound entrance. After passing the interchange with Route 57, US 22 takes a southeasterly turn and passes over the Washington Secondary line that is owned by Norfolk Southern Railway and operated by the Dover & Delaware River Railroad before entering an agricultural area. The route forms the border between Pohatcong Township to the west and Greenwich Township to the east as it passes to the east of former Phillipsburg Mall. A short distance later, US 22 intersects with St. James Avenue/Uniontown Road (CR 519) before heading back into a business district and meeting the intersection of Greenwich Street (CR 638). East of Alpha, the route intersects with New Brunswick Avenue (Route 122), which is the final intersection of the at-grade section of US 22.
Past the intersection of New Brunswick Avenue (Route 122), US 22 has an interchange with exit 3 of I-78 and the western endpoint of Route 173. From there, US 22 is concurrent with I-78 through a mountainous and rural area of western New Jersey. I-78/US 22 follow a six-lane freeway east through Greenwich Township, coming to a westbound exit and eastbound entrance with South Main Street (CR 637). The road turns southeast and has an eastbound exit and westbound entrance with Bloomsbury Road (CR 632) in Franklin Township. Within the ramps for this interchange, there are weigh stations in both directions. A short distance after this interchange, I-78/US 22 crosses the Musconetcong River into Bloomsbury, Hunterdon County. In Bloomsbury, the road has an interchange with Route 173. After this interchange, the freeway enters Bethlehem Township, with Route 173 closely running to the north of I-78/US 22. The road comes to a bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway's Central Running Track line and has rest areas in both directions before it passes over Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line and turns southeast to cross the Musconetcong Mountain.
The freeway turns east again and enters Union Township, coming to an interchange with Pattenburg Road (CR 614) and Route 173. From here, I-78/US 22 continue east directly to the south of Route 173, coming to another interchange with that route as well as Mechlin Corner Road (CR 625). Entering more commercial areas, Route 173 merges onto I-78/US 22 at exit 13. At exit 15, the highway meets an interchange with CR 513, and Route 173 splits from I-78/US 22 by heading north on CR 513. At this point, the freeway runs along the border of Franklin Township to the south and Clinton to the north before entirely entering Clinton and crossing the South Branch of the Raritan River. I-78/US 22 turns northeast and leaves Clinton for Clinton Township, where it has an eastbound exit and westbound entrance for Route 173 that also provides access to Route 31. Immediately after is the interchange with Route 31. At the next interchange near the community of Annandale, US 22 splits from I-78, heading closely to the south of that route.

### Annandale to Somerville

Upon splitting from I-78, US 22 becomes a four-lane arterial road that runs through rural areas with some development and crosses NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line. It enters Lebanon, passing to the north of the town center. Upon leaving Lebanon, the route heads back into Clinton Township. In the community of Potterstown, US 22 enters Readington and takes a southeasterly turn away from I-78. Here, the road passes to the southwest of the Merck Headquarters Building before reaching the community of Whitehouse Station, where it intersects with Oldwick Road (CR 523). US 22 briefly runs concurrently with CR 523 until it splits by heading southwest on Main Street. Past Whitehouse Station, US 22 continues through a mix of residential and commercial areas.
US 22 continues into Branchburg, Somerset County, where development near the road increases but remains mostly rural. CR 614 parallels US 22 to the north to pass through the community of North Branch before US 22 intersects with Readington Road/Raritan Valley College Road (CR 637) and crosses the North Branch of the Raritan River into Bridgewater. In Bridgewater, the route comes to an interchange with Easton Turnpike (CR 614) and the western terminus of Route 28. Past this interchange, US 22 passes business parks and the Raritan Valley Country Club, widening to six lanes in the process. Afterward, it comes to an interchange with US 202/US 206. Past this interchange, US 22 quickly transitions from a rural to a more suburban setting and heads east along the border of Somerville to the south and Bridgewater to the north, passing south of the Bridgewater Commons shopping mall. The median of the route widens as it runs immediately to the south of I-287, fully entering Bridgewater again as it comes to an interchange with I-287 at exits 14A and 14B.

### I-287 to the Newark Airport Interchange

East of I-287, US 22 continues east as a four-lane arterial road passing to the south of the Watchung Mountains. The road comes to an interchange with Chimney Rock Road (CR 675), where it also passes under Norfolk Southern Railway's Middle Brook Industrial Track line. The route then has an interchange with Thompson Avenue (CR 525), where the wide grassy median narrows to a jersey barrier. The road continues through wooded surroundings and passes through Bound Brook, widening back to six lanes before meeting the interchange with Mountain Avenue (CR 527). From here, the route takes a northeasterly course, entering Bridgewater again and narrowing to four lanes before crossing into Green Brook while designated a short distance north of the Middlesex–Somerset county line. US 22 continues through business areas as an arterial with jughandles, crossing the intersection of Washington Avenue (CR 529). In North Plainfield, the route widens to six lanes and has an interchange with Watchung Avenue (CR 531). Past this interchange, the road continues along the border of Watchung to the west and North Plainfield to the southeast before crossing the Green Brook.
At this crossing, US 22 heads north-northeast into Scotch Plains, Union County, coming to an interchange with New Providence Road (CR 655). The route continues northeast as a four- to five-lane arterial road, passing near former Bowcraft Amusement Park. The road continues east along the border of Mountainside to the north and Westfield to the south before fully enters Mountainside. US 22 turns northeast before entering Springfield, where it has an interchange with Springfield Avenue (CR 577). Past this interchange, for 1.8 miles (2.9 km), US 22 has a wide median that contains commercial businesses and numerous U-turn ramps. In this area, the road comes to a level crossing with the abandoned Rahway Valley Railroad. It crosses the Rahway River into Union, where the wide median continues. The route briefly forms the northern border of Kenilworth before the median narrows back into a jersey barrier. US 22 splits into two carriageways at the interchange with exits 140 and 140A of the Garden State Parkway and Route 82, site of the Union Watersphere.
Past this interchange, the route comes to an exit for Vauxhall Road (CR 630) before crossing the Elizabeth River into Hillside, where it heads east through more urban areas. The road has an interchange at Bloy Street before passing over Liberty Avenue (CR 509) and Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Irvington Industrial Track line. After an interchange with Broad Street, US 22 turns northeast as a four-lane freeway. It heads into Newark in Essex County, where the highway crosses under Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Lehigh Line, which also carries NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line, and passes through wooded Weequahic Park parallel to the railroad tracks. Past the park, US 22 turns to the east into urban areas and closely runs to the south of I-78, where it comes to an eastbound exit and westbound entrance for Empire Street, which provides access to Route 27. A short distance later, the freeway has a direct westbound exit and eastbound entrance with Route 27. Past this interchange, US 22 continues parallel to I-78, passing over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor before reaching the Newark Airport Interchange; south of Downtown Newark and northwest of Newark Airport. US 22 eastbound merges with US 1/9, with one southbound ramp and two northbound ramps (one for local and another for express lanes). The main line follows the US 1/9 local northbound ramp for another 0.4 miles (0.64 km), with an intermediate exit for Route 21. The official eastern terminus of US 22 is at the ramp split for I-78 and northbound US 1/9.

## History

The portion of US 22 between Phillipsburg and Somerville roughly follows the alignment of the Jersey Turnpike, which was chartered in 1806 to run from New Brunswick to Philipsburg. This was originally built on a branch of the Great Minisink Trail that ran from what is now Metuchen to Lopatcong village in what is now Phillipsburg. The portion of the modern route that now enters Philipsburg was originally part of the Washington Turnpike, before being incorporated into the William Penn Auto Trail by 1916.
What became US 22 across New Jersey was originally designated as Route 9 in 1916, a route that ran from Phillipsburg east to Elizabeth. When the U.S. Numbered Highway System was established in 1926, US 22 was designated through New Jersey from the Northampton Street Bridge in Phillpsburg and followed Route 9 east to US 1/9 in Elizabeth. A year later, in the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 9 was replaced by Route 28, which itself was rerouted to continue to the Goethals Bridge. As a result, the alignment of US 22 in Elizabeth was designated Route 27-28 Link. By 1941, US 22 underwent two significant realignments within the state. In Phillipsburg, the route was moved from Route 28 to follow its current alignment on what was Route 24 between the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge and present-day Route 57 (then a part of Route 24) and Route 24-28 Link between there and Route 28. The approach to the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge, which opened in 1938, had been planned to be designated Route 24N, but instead became a part of Route 24. With the realignment of US 22 in Phillipsburg, the old alignment was designated as US 22 Alt. (now Route 122). In addition, US 22 was moved off from Route 28 east of Bridgewater to follow Route 28-29 Link and Route 29 to Newark; Route 29 had been legislated in the 1927 renumbering while Route 28-29 Link was legislated in 1938.
In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, the state highways running concurrent with US 22 were removed. With the planning of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s, an Interstate Highway connecting the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area to New York City was planned to run roughly along the US 22 corridor in New Jersey. This Interstate was designated as I-78 in the final plans in 1958. The new Interstate roughly followed the alignment of the unconstructed Route 11, which had been legislated in 1927 to run from US 22 between White House and Warrenville. Between the Alpha area and Annandale, I-78 was to directly follow US 22; the portion between exits 11 and 13 involved the creation of new eastbound lanes for I-78 and conversion of the eastbound lanes of US 22 into the westbound lanes of I-78. The westbound lanes of US 22 were turned into a two-lane frontage road. This construction took place during the 1960s. US 22 was moved to the I-78 alignment between these two points in 1969. The former alignment between Alpha and Clinton became Route 173 while the portion east of there became county-maintained Beaver Avenue (currently designated CR 626). Originally, I-78 had been planned to use the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge across the Delaware River and follow US 22 through Phillipsburg and along the Lehigh Valley Thruway west through the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. However, opposition within Phillipsburg led to the cancelation of this routing, and I-78 was rerouted to head to the south of the Lehigh Valley. In addition to the construction of I-78 along the US 22 corridor, US 22 itself evolved into a multilane divided highway from a two-lane road.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Delaware River | Delaware River | 0.0 | 0.0 | | US 22 west to PA 611 – Easton | Continuation into Pennsylvania |
| Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge (westbound toll; cash or E-ZPass) |||
| Warren | Phillipsburg | 0.2– 0.6 | 0.32– 0.97 | | Main St/Broad St (EB) South Main St – Phillipsburg (WB) | Signed for Broad Street eastbound, Phillipsburg westbound |
| Warren | Phillipsburg | | | Eastern end of the freeway section | Eastern end of the freeway section | Eastern end of the freeway section |
| Warren | Lopatcong Township | 2.0 | 3.2 | | Route 57 east – Washington | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; western terminus of Route 57; interchange |
| Warren | Pohatcong Township | 3.6 | 5.8 | | CR 519 (Uniontown Rd/St. James Ave) – Harmony Township, New Jersey, Belvidere, Alpha | |
| Warren | Pohatcong Township | 4.3 | 6.9 | | Route 122 west (New Brunswick Ave) – Alpha | Eastern terminus of Route 122 |
| Warren | Greenwich Township | 4.6 | 7.4 | Western end of the freeway section | Western end of the freeway section | Western end of the freeway section |
| Warren | Greenwich Township | 4.6 | 7.4 | | I-78 west – Pennsylvania Route 173 east – =Bloomsbury | Western end of the concurrency with I-78Western terminus of Route 173 |
| Warren | Greenwich Township | 6.3 | 10.1 | 4 | Warren Glen, Stewartsville | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access via CR 637 |
| Warren | Franklin Township | 7.9 | 12.7 | 6 | Warren Glen, Asbury, WEIGH STATION | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; access via CR 632 |
| Hunterdon | Bloomsbury | 8.3 | 13.4 | 7 | Route 173 – West Portal, Bloomsbury | |
| Hunterdon | Union Township | 12.6 | 20.3 | 11 | Route 173 – W Portal, Pattenburg | |
| Hunterdon | Union Township | 14.3 | 23.0 | 12 | Route 173 – Jutland, Norton | |
| Hunterdon | Union Township | 15.9– 15.9 | 25.6– 25.6 | 13 | Route 173 west (Service Rd) | Western end of the concurrency with Route 173; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former routing of US 22 |
| Hunterdon | Franklin Township | 16.9 | 27.2 | 15 | Route 173 east – Clinton, Pittstown | Eastern end of the concurrency with Route 173; to Red Mill Museum, Hunterdon Art Museum, and Clinton Business Dist |
| Hunterdon | Clinton Township | 18.2– 18.7 | 29.3– 30.1 | 17 | Route 31 – Clinton, Washington, Flemington, Trenton | Signed as exits 16 (NORTH) and 17 (SOUTH) eastbound |
| Hunterdon | Clinton Township | 19.2 | 30.9 | | I-78 east – Newark | Eastern end of the concurrency with I-78; eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| Eastern end of the freeway section |||
| Hunterdon | Readington Township | 25.6 | 41.2 | | CR 523 north (Oldwick Rd) – Oldwick, Bedminster | Western end of the concurrency with CR 523 |
| Hunterdon | Readington Township | 25.8 | 41.5 | | CR 523 south (Main St) – Whitehouse Sta, Flemington | Eastern end of the concurrency with CR 523; to White House Station |
| Somerset | Branchburg | 30.8 | 49.6 | | North Branch Station | Interchange; access via CR 679 |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 31.5 | 50.7 | | Route 28 east to US 202 south / US 206 south – Somerville, RaritanNorth Branch | Interchange; western terminus of Route 28; to Raritan Station; access westbound US 22 to Route 28 via Garreston RoadEastern terminus of CR 614; to Raritan Valley Community College |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 33.8 | 54.4 | | US 202 / US 206 to I-287 north – Morristown, Netcong, Flemington, Princeton | Interchange |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 34.0 | 54.7 | | Mountain Ave – Somerville | Eastbound exit and entrance; interchange; access via CR 643 south |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 34.3 | 55.2 | | Commons Way | No eastbound exit; interchange; to Bridgewater Commons |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 34.7 | 55.8 | | N Bridge St / Grove St – Somerville, Bridgewater | Westbound exit and entrance; interchange; access via CR 639 |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 36.3 | 58.4 | | Finderne Ave / Foothill Rd – Manville | Westbound exit and entrance; interchange; access via CR 633 |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 36.6– 36.8 | 58.9– 59.2 | | I-287 to I-78 / I-95 / N.J. Turnpike – Morristown, Mahwah, Perth Amboy | No eastbound access to I-287 north; Exits 14A-B northbound, 14A southbound (I-287) |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 37.2 | 59.9 | | CR 675 (Chimney Rock Rd) to Route 28 – Martinsville (U-TURN) | Interchange; to Bridgewater Station and Local Businesses; access eastbound US 22 to Chimney Rock Road via US 22 Service Road |
| Somerset | Bridgewater Township | 37.5 | 60.4 | | CR 525 (Thompson Ave) to I-287 – Bound Brook, Martinsville | Interchange |
| Somerset | Bound Brook–Bridgewater Township line | 39.0 | 62.8 | | CR 527 (Mountain Ave) – Bound Brook, US Veterans Hospital | Interchange |
| Somerset | Green Brook Township | 42.1 | 67.8 | | CR 529 (Washington Ave) – Green Brook, Dunellen, Washington Rock Park | To Dunellen Station |
| Somerset | North Plainfield | 44.7 | 71.9 | | Somerset St – The Plainfields | Interchange; access via CR 631; to Plainfield Station |
| Somerset | North Plainfield | 44.8 | 72.1 | | CR 531 (Watchung Ave) – Watchung, Plainfield, VA Hospital | Interchange |
| Union | Scotch Plains | 47.4 | 76.3 | | Park Ave to I-78 – Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Berkeley Hts, New Providence | Interchange; access via CR 655; to Fanwood Station |
| Union | Mountainside | 51.5 | 82.9 | | Mountain Ave TO Sheffield St | Interchange; access via CR 635 north |
| Union | Springfield Township | 52.0 | 83.7 | | CR 577 (Springfield Ave) – Westfield, Springfield | Interchange; to Westfield Station; access eastbound US 22 to southbound CR 577 via Farm Road and Dundar Road |
| Union | Union Township | 55.3– 55.7 | 89.0– 89.6 | | G.S. Parkway – Paterson, Woodbridge Route 82 – Union, Springfield, Elizabeth, Kean University, Newark Airport | No eastbound access to the Garden State Parkway south/Route 82 west; no westbound access to the Garden State Parkway north; Exit 140B (Garden State Parkway); to Union Station |
| Union | Union Township | 56.1 | 90.3 | | Vauxhall Rd to G.S. Parkway north – Union, Millburn, Hillside (U-TURN) | Interchange; G.S. Parkway not signed northbound; Exit 141 (Garden State Parkway); access via CR 630 |
| Union | Hillside | 56.9 | 91.6 | | Bloy St | Interchange; access via CR 631 |
| Union | Hillside | 58.0 | 93.3 | Western end of the freeway section | Western end of the freeway section | Western end of the freeway section |
| Union | Hillside | 58.0 | 93.3 | | Hillside, Irvington (U-TURN) | Access via CR 628; access westbound US 22 to CR 628 via Hilldale Place |
| Essex | Newark | 59.4– 59.6 | 95.6– 95.9 | | Frelinghuysen Ave – Newark (EB) Frelinghuysen Ave / Empire St (WB) (U-TURN) | Access eastbound US 22 to Frelinghuysen Avenue via Victoria Street |
| Essex | Newark | 59.9 | 96.4 | | US 1-9 south – Main Terminals, Elizabeth | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| Essex | Newark | 60.2 | 96.9 | | Route 21 north – Newark | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; to Prudential Center |
| Essex | Newark | 60.5 | 97.4 | | I-78 / US 1-9 north to I-95 / N.J. Turnpike – Clinton, Holland Tunnel, North Area / South Area, Port Newark | Eastern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Tolled |||||||