Route description

A 1913 map of the proposed New Jersey State Highway System with an accompanying report shows the route of the Delaware River Drive beginning at the State Capitol on West State Street in Trenton

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

. It then followed West State Street and Sanhican Drive to the city limits, then followed present-day Route 175 to present-day Route 29 to Frenchtown

Frenchtown, New Jersey

Frenchtown is a Borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,373....

.

From Frenchtown north, the Delaware River Drive followed County Route 619 into Milford

Milford, New Jersey

Milford is a Borough located in western Hunterdon County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,233....

, where it met County Route 519

County Route 519 (New Jersey)

County Route 519 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Daniel Bray Highway in Delaware Township to the New York state line in Wantage Township...

, following 519 a short distance to the center of Milford. North of Milford, the route followed County Route 627 as far as Riegelsville, then continued along River Road to Carpentersville, and Carpentersville Road to Phillipsburg

Phillipsburg, New Jersey

Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,950....

.

The Delaware River Drive continued north of Phillipsburg on present-day County Route 646 to County Route 519

County Route 519 (New Jersey)

County Route 519 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Daniel Bray Highway in Delaware Township to the New York state line in Wantage Township...

, following 519 through Harmony

Harmony, New Jersey

Harmony is an unincorporated community within Jackson Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. Harmony is located near Exit 22 on I-195 and is also located nearby CR 526 ....

 and Roxburg to County Route 620, which took the drive into Belvidere

Belvidere, New Jersey

Belvidere is a Town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 2,681. It is the county seat of Warren County....

, the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Warren County

Warren County, New Jersey

Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...

, and beyond to U. S. Route 46.

The route then followed the present U. S. Route 46 through Manunka Chunk to Columbia

Columbia, New Jersey

Columbia is a census-designated place within Knowlton Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07832.As of the United States 2010 Census, the population for Columbia was 229....

; the Delaware River Drive between Columbia and Dunnfield has been obliterated since 1953 by an alignment of the former U.S. Route 611, now part of Interstate Route 80

Interstate 80 in New Jersey

Interstate 80 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from the New York City Metropolitan Area westward to San Francisco, California...

.

North of Route 80, The Delaware River Drive follows the historic Old Mine Road

Old Mine Road

Old Mine Road is a road in New Jersey and New York said to be one of the oldest continuously-used roads in the United States of America. At a length of 104 miles, it stretches from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to the vicinity of Kingston, New York.Among the theories regarding the...

 for much of its route to the New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 state line at Montague Township

Montague Township, New Jersey

-Transportation:One U.S., state, and county route traverse the township. U.S. Route 206 passes through in the western part and crosses the Delaware River at the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge. Route 23 passes through the eastern part and serves as the entrance road to High Point State Park and ends...

 in Sussex County

Sussex County, New Jersey

The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...

. Much of this section is through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service, preserves almost of land along the Delaware River's New Jersey and Pennsylvania shores, stretching from the Delaware Water Gap northward almost to the New York state line...

. North of U. S. Route 206, the Delaware River Drive follows County Route 521

County Route 521 (New Jersey)

County Route 521 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 43.71 miles from High Street in Hope Township to the New York state line in Montague Township....

.

History

Legislated in 1911, this was New Jersey's second state highway. Legislation in 1913 provided for the extension of the Delaware River Drive to Cape May

Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States...

.

The Egan Bill of 1916, and the Edge Bill of 1917 did not provide for a route along the Delaware River; the Delaware River Drive may be considered to have been decommissioned by these acts.

This route, and the Ocean Highway

Ocean Highway (New Jersey)

Ocean Highway was a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Legislated in 1909 as Ocean Boulevard, it was New Jersey's first state highway...

 predated any highway numbering system in New Jersey, and may be considered a transition between the early auto trail

Auto trail

The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on telephone poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in the early days of the automobile.Auto trails were...

s
and modern state highways.