Hightstown Bypass | ||||
Route information | ||||
Auxiliary route of Route 33 | ||||
Maintained by the NJDOT and NJTA | ||||
Length | 4.0 mi[1] (6.4 km) | |||
Existed | November 30, 1999 (opened)–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | CR 571 in East Windsor | |||
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East end |
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Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New Jersey | |||
Counties | Mercer | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Route 133 (also known as the Hightstown Bypass) is a 4.4-mile-long (7.1 km) freeway located entirely in East Windsor, Mercer County, New Jersey in the United States. The route runs as a four-lane bypass of Hightstown from Princeton-Hightstown Road (CR 571) and Windsor Center Drive to the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) at exit 8. Originally, Route 133 did not have any direct connections to any other freeways until a new Turnpike interchange opened in January 2013.
The plans for the original bypass of Hightstown originated in 1929, when locals looked for a way to remove traffic from downtown. The New Jersey State Legislature followed up in 1938 by designating a new spur off of State Highway Route 31 (then part of US 206, State Highway Route 31A as a freeway from Princeton to the Jersey Shore. During the 1970s, the highway proposed as Route 92 gained momentum, running from Princeton (at I-95's proposed Somerset Freeway) all the way to Route 33 at Hightstown. However, after several setbacks, Route 92 was moved northward in 1988 and the bypass was truncated to a short portion of highway bypassing Hightstown. Construction on the new US$57 million Route 133 commenced on September 20, 1996, by Schiavone Construction Company and was completed and opened on November 30, 1999.