County Route 549 (New Jersey)

County Route 549
CR 549 highlighted in red; spur routes highlighted in blue
Route information
Length	17.8 mi[1] (28.6 km)
Major junctions
South end	Route 166 / CR 527 in Toms River
Major intersections	Route 37 in Toms River CR 571 in Toms River CR 549 Spur in Toms River CR 528 in Brick Route 70 in Brick G.S. Parkway in Brick Route 88 in Lakewood CR 526 in Lakewood CR 549 Spur in Brick
West end	CR 547 / CR 21 in Howell
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Ocean, Monmouth
Highway system
County routes in New Jersey 500-series routes
← CR 548 → CR 550

County Route 549 (CR 549) is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 17.8 miles (28.6 km) from Main Street (Route 166) and Water Street (CR 527) in Toms River to Lakewood-Farmimgdale Road (CR 547) and Old Tavern Road (CR 21) in Howell. The highway has the distinction of being the only 500-series route left with two separate spur routes.

The highway passes through Ocean and Monmouth counties and is maintained by each respective county, but there are several indications that the highway at one point may have been or was originally planned to be state maintained. There are a few mileposts left along the southern section of the highway that have a "NJDT" label on the bottom right corner. Also, the only at-grade cloverleaf in New Jersey exists on CR 549, and on the bridges there exists a stamp in the concrete that reads "1975".

CR 549 mostly travels through Ocean County. The highway makes frequent turns onto separate roads. The route in its northern segment is a two-lane, rural road, but it becomes a four-lane arterial after crossing the Garden State Parkway all the way to Toms River. It is a major link between the townships of Toms River and Brick. As the route is plagued by chronic congestion, the county has invested millions of dollars into upgrading this corridor. The most recent improvement was from Cedar Bridge Avenue (CR 528) to Beaverson Boulevard. It included widening, signal modification, and the extension of Beaverson Boulevard to meet Old Hooper Avenue. Ongoing improvements are being made between Beaverson Boulevard and Church Road, where widening and reconstruction should help alleviate some congestion in that area.