This 2019 photo shows the westbound NJ 133 Freeway just beyond the EXIT 8A toll plaza from the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95). The initial stretch of freeway from Mercer CR 571 east to NJ 33 opened in 1999, though the opening of the connector to the New Jersey Turnpike was delayed until 2013, when it was completed in conjunction with the relocation of EXIT 8A and the Turnpike widening project. (Photo by Steve Anderson.)

Length:
Constructed:

4.1 miles (6.5 kilometers)
1966-2013

THE PRINCETON-HIGHTSTOWN BYPASS: The concept for the Hightstown Bypass first appeared in 1929, when local officials sought a solution to redirect through traffic from downtown Hightstown. In 1938, state officials proposed legislation for a "Route 31A," an expressway running from just west of Princeton through Hightstown, and east to the Atlantic Ocean along the NJ 33 corridor.

In 1950, Governor Alfred Driscoll cited the need for the cross-state highway as follows:

My studies have very definitely indicated that it is unwise to expect city streets to bear the brunt of through, truck and passenger traffic. A continuous line of trucks, or, for that matter, passenger cars, bound from the Trenton area to the seashore, or desiring to get on the (New Jersey) Turnpike after it is completed, may constitute a (brick wall) "Chinese Wall" just as effectively as an underpass or overpass.

In the late 1950s, the New Jersey Highway Department unveiled plans for the Princeton-Hightstown Bypass, a four-lane, 14-mile freeway connecting US 206 in Montgomery Township with NJ 33 in East Windsor Township in northern Mercer County. The proposed Princeton-Hightstown Bypass, which was then re-designated NJ 92, was to connect US 206, NJ 27, US 1, US 130 and NJ 33 with the New Jersey Turnpike. The western terminus of the NJ 92 Freeway was to be at the unbuilt section of I-95 near Rocky Hill.

In 1967, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) described the route of the $34.1 million freeway in New Jersey Highway Facts as follows:

The NJ 92 Freeway is on new alignment and connects US 206 north of Princeton with NJ 33 just east of Hightstown, near EXIT 8 of the New Jersey Turnpike. It is needed to provide a limited-access bypass of Hightstown, Kingston, Princeton and Trenton for through traffic. This facility will provide more efficient distribution of traffic throughout the rapidly expanding Somerset-Middlesex-Mercer area.

The project commences at the intersection of County Road 571 and Windsor Center Drive and terminates at the intersection of NJ Route 33 and Milford Road, East Windsor Township, Mercer County. All construction is on an alignment crossing over a total of seven existing arterial roadways and drainage waterways. Over a million cubic yards of embankment fill will be put in place.

Prior to bid, the Department of Transportation obtained key initial environmental permits. The Design-Build team is addressing environmental wetlands and endangered species issues and is securing the final permits.

Planning for the freeway resumed as Federal funds became available. Over the next two decades, the project encountered intense opposition in Princeton and Plainsboro, where residents feared that the road would destroy wetlands, reduce the amount of open space and adversely affect the quality of life.

Soon after the toll-free I-95 (Somerset Freeway) through central New Jersey was officially de-designated in 1982, a public-private partnership was formed to decide where the $228 million in exchanged funds should be distributed. The NJ 92 Freeway was one of the six projects recommended by the NJDOT. Final design was underway for the project in 1986 - the deadline for Interstate de-designation projects established by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) - but not without controversy. In 1987, the NJDOT formally dropped the section west of US 1.

The empty westbound lanes of the NJ 133 Freeway (Hightstown Bypass) in Hightstown. This photo was taken in October 1999, more than one month before the highway was opened to traffic. The original eastern terminus of the NJ 133 Freeway was at a signalized intersection with NJ 33. In 2013, the eastern terminus was shifted south to a new EXIT 8A on the New Jersey Turnpike; the extension included a new grade-separated interchange with NJ 33. (Photo by Steve Anderson.)

AFTER DECADES OF DELAY, CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY: In 1994, the NJDOT revived plans to construct an east-west freeway from the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) at EXIT 8 in Hightstown west to Princeton. These plans were altered in 1995 after public hearings revealed that opposition to the road remained intense in Princeton and Plainsboro. The new plans for the Hightstown Bypass, now designated as the NJ 133 Freeway, called for a four-lane, 3.8-mile bypass of Hightstown and East Windsor.

The NJDOT and the FHWA describe the NJ 133 Freeway as follows:

The Hightstown Bypass is the first project awarded under New Jersey's Modified Design-Build program. It is being undertaken without the use of federal funds. When completed, this will be a 3.8 mile-long, four-lane divided roadway through a semi-rural section of central New Jersey that is experiencing a general transition from its original pre-existing farming and light commercial background to one of controlled upscale growth with cluster residential and white collar office developments.

The Schiavone Construction Company was the successful low bidder for this project at approximately $57 million. The company subsequently entered into a lump sum contract with the professional design firm of Goodkind and O'Dea, Inc. Design commenced in June 1996, and will be completed by July 1998. Construction started on September 20, 1996.

The project commences at the intersection of County Road 571 and Windsor Center Drive and terminates at the intersection of NJ Route 33 and Milford Road, East Windsor Township, Mercer County. All construction is on an alignment crossing over a total of seven existing arterial roadways and drainage waterways. Over a million cubic yards of embankment fill will be put in place.

Prior to bid, the Department of Transportation obtained key initial environmental permits. The Design-Build team is addressing environmental wetlands and endangered species issues and is securing the final permits.

The NJ 133 Freeway begins at NJ 33, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike near EXIT 8 in Hightstown. Crossing over the New Jersey Turnpike, the freeway continues west around Hightstown. A three-quarter cloverleaf interchange is provided at US 130, and a partial diamond interchange is provided at One Mile Road. The freeway ends at Mercer CR 571 in East Windsor, just east of Mercer CR 535. Traffic lights are located at the eastern and western termini of the bypass.

After four decades in the planning stages, and nearly three years of construction, the NJ 133 Freeway opened to traffic on November 30, 1999. The final construction cost was $65 million. Possibly owing to community opposition along the route, the NJ 133 Freeway has more and sharper curves - and therefore shorter sight distances - than the average new freeway. To provide an added margin of safety, the NJDOT established a 45 MPH speed limit along the entire length of the freeway. (This limit was raised recently to 50 MPH.) Continuous sound and visual mitigation measures, consisting of both natural vegetation and sound walls, were implemented close to the edge of the roadway.

DEFININTION OF MODIFIED DESIGN-BUILD: The NJ 133 Freeway was the first "modified design-build" project in New Jersey to take advantage of the time saving and cost-cutting benefits that such projects were expected to offer. Under "modified design-build," the NJDOT must provide more qualitative information up-front to interested bidders than it would under conventional "design-build." With "modified design-build," the NJDOT prepared plans so that design is approximately 35% complete, compared with 10% complete before bidding commences under conventional "design-build."

Time and cost savings are realized because design and construction are phased so construction commences as portions of the design are completed. According to the NJDOT, the "modified design-build" nature of the project has shaved 26 months off the overall design and construction time.

EXTENDING TO A RELOCATED TURNPIKE EXIT: On December 31, 2006, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) announced plans to relocate the existing EXIT 8 in East Windsor Township as part of the turnpike's dual-dual expansion project. The project included the removal of the existing trumpet interchange at NJ 33 connecting to the turnpike; this was to be replaced with a new connection to NJ 33 and the NJ 133 Freeway east of the turnpike.

The NJTA considered a few different interchange alternatives for the New Jersey Turnpike-NJ 133 connection, including diamond and cloverleaf interchange alternatives with NJ 33. Ultimately, a single-point urban interchange ("SPUI") was built at NJ 33, with an additional slip ramp for Milford Road built just beyond the toll plaza on westbound NJ 133. The flyover "SPUI" was the first of its type built in the Garden State. Another highlight of the project was the construction of a new 258-foot (79-meter)-long, single-span curved girder structure connecting the NJ 133 Freeway to the toll plaza approach. Work on the $35 million interchange relocation began in 2011 and was completed in 2013.

This 2019 photo shows the westbound NJ 133 Freeway at US 130 in Hightstown. Mitigation measures incorporated during construction included landscaping, sound barriers, and lower design speeds that were achieved through sharper curves and shorter sight distances. Note that the exits on NJ 133 are not numbered. (Photo by Steve Anderson.)

SOURCES: Regional Highways: Status Report, Tri-State Transportation Commission (1962); Transportation 1985: A Regional Plan, Tri-State Transportation Commission (1966); New Jersey Highway Facts, New Jersey Department of Transportation (1967); "Public Hearing for Proposed Route 92 Freeway," New Jersey State Legislature (12/17/1991); "New Jersey's Modified Design-Build Program: Hightstown Bypass," Federal Highway Administration and New Jersey Department of Transportation (June 1998); "Hightstown Bypass to Ease Congestion" by Dorothy Fischer, Mercer Business (8/01/1999); "Long Wait Is Over" by Michael Arnone, The Trenton Times (12/01/1999); "Market-Based Solutions for Peak-Hour Congestion in the Trenton-New Brunswick Route 1 Corridor" by Meghan K. Fehlig, Princeton University (2002); "Pike Plan Causes Concern," The Trenton Times (1/01/2007); New Jersey Turnpike Authority; Urban Engineers, Inc.; Phil Case; Steve Kimmelman; Raymond C. Martin; Christopher G. Mason; Dan Moraseski; Mike Pepe; Charles Toutant; Randal Wilson; William F. Yurasko.


  • NJ 133 and NJ 92 shields by Ralph Herman.
  • Lightposts by Millerbernd Manufacturing Company.
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NJ 133 FREEWAY LINKS:

NJ 133 FREEWAY CURRENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS:

NJ 133 FREEWAY VIDEO LINK:

THE EXITS OF METRO NEW YORK:

  • NJ 133 Freeway exit list by Steve Anderson.

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