Route 29 labelled in red (Section co-designated with Route 165 backed in blue) | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by NJDOT and Hunterdon County | ||||
Length | 34.76 mi[1] (55.94 km) | |||
Existed | 1927–present | |||
Tourist routes | ![]() | |||
Restrictions | Hazmats, bottled gas, and trucks over 13 tons GVWR prohibited in South Trenton Tunnel | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() ![]() | |||
| ||||
North end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New Jersey | |||
Counties | Mercer, Hunterdon | |||
Highway system | ||||
| ||||
|
Route 29 is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Signed north-south, it runs 34.76 mi (55.94 km) from an interchange with Interstate 295 (I-295) in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, where the road continues east as I-195, northwest to Route 12 (Bridge Street / Race Street) in Frenchtown, Hunterdon County. Between the southern terminus and I-295 in Ewing Township, the route is a mix of expressway and boulevard that runs along the Delaware River through Trenton. This section includes a truck-restricted tunnel that was built along the river near historic houses and Riverview Cemetery. North of I-295, Route 29 turns into a scenic and mostly two-lane highway. North of the South Trenton Tunnel, it is designated the Delaware River Scenic Byway, a New Jersey Scenic Byway and National Scenic Byway, that follows the Delaware River in mostly rural sections of Mercer County and Hunterdon County. The obsolete Delaware & Raritan Canal usually stands between the river and the highway. Most sections of this portion of Route 29 are completely shaded due to the tree canopy. Route 29 also has a spur, Route 129, which connects Route 29 to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Trenton.
Route 29 was initially designated in 1927 to run from downtown Trenton northeast to Newark, following present-day Route 179 and US 202 between Lambertville and Somerville and US 22 between Somerville and Newark. The route between Lambertville and Frenchtown was originally Route 29A. In 1953, Route 29 was shifted to follow the alignment of Route 29A to avoid the concurrencies with the U.S. Routes. Route 29 between South Warren Street in Trenton and I-95 (now I-295) in Ewing Township was upgraded to a four-lane expressway, with a portion of freeway, in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1995, the southern freeway part of Route 29 between I-195/I-295 and Route 129 in Hamilton Township was completed. This freeway section was linked to the rest of Route 29 by a tunnel completed in 2002. A realignment of Route 29 in Lambertville by the 2000s made the route concurrent with the entire length of 0.26-mile-long (0.42 km) Route 165.