Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by NJDOT and Middlesex County | ||||
Length | 38.5 mi[1] (62.0 km) | |||
Existed | 1927–present | |||
Tourist routes | Millstone Valley Scenic Byway | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | US 206 in Princeton | |||
| ||||
North end | Route 21 in Newark | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New Jersey | |||
Counties | Mercer, Somerset, Middlesex, Union, Essex | |||
Highway system | ||||
| ||||
|
Route 27 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs 38.5 mi (61.96 km) from US 206 in Princeton, Mercer County, northeast to an interchange with McCarter Highway (Route 21) and Broad Street in Newark, Essex County. The route passes through many communities along the way, including New Brunswick, Highland Park, Edison, Metuchen, Rahway, and Elizabeth. Route 27 is a two- to four-lane undivided highway for most of its length, passing through a variety of urban and suburban environments. It intersects and interchanges many roads along the way, including Route 18 in New Brunswick, I-287 in Edison, the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge, Route 35 in Rahway, Route 28 in Elizabeth, and U.S. Route 22 in Newark. Route 27 crosses the Raritan River on the Albany Street Bridge, which connects Highland Park on the east with New Brunswick on the west.
Route 27 was part of the alignment through New Jersey of the Lincoln Highway, the United States' first transcontinental highway that was established in 1913. Route 27 is still referred to as the Lincoln Highway in many municipalities, such as Edison. The Lincoln Highway became part of pre-1927 Route 1 between New Brunswick and Elizabeth in 1916 and pre-1927 Route 13 between Trenton and New Brunswick in 1917. In 1927, the Lincoln Highway was renumbered as Route 27 between Trenton and Newark. U.S. Route 1 was designated on this portion of the road until it was relocated by the 1940s. U.S. Route 206 followed the route from Trenton to Princeton until 1953, when the southern terminus of Route 27 was cut back to Princeton to avoid the concurrency with US 206.