Editing New Jersey Route 133

{{Short description|State highway in New Jersey, US}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox road
|state=NJ
|type=NJ
|map={{maplink-road}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=Map of Route 133, which is highlighted in red.
|alternate_name=Hightstown Bypass
|maint=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation|NJDOT]] and [[New Jersey Turnpike Authority|NJTA]]
|route=133
|length_mi=4.06
|length_ref=<ref name="sld">{{cite web|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|year=2009|title=Route 133 straight line diagram|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/pdf/00000133__-.pdf|accessdate=March 17, 2020}}</ref>
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{jct|state=NJ|CR|571|road|Windsor Center Drive}} in [[East Windsor, New Jersey|East Windsor]]
|junction=*{{jct|state=NJ|US|130}} in East Windsor
*{{jct|state=NJ|NJ|33}} in East Windsor
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=NJ|I-Toll|95|NJTP2}} in East Windsor
|established=November 30, 1999
|counties=[[Mercer County, New Jersey|Mercer]]
|previous_type=US
|previous_route=130
|next_type=NJ
|next_route=138
|spur_type=NJ
|spur_of=33
}}

'''Route&nbsp;133''' (also known as the '''Hightstown Bypass''') is a {{convert|4.06|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[Controlled-access highway|freeway]] located entirely in [[East Windsor, New Jersey|East Windsor]], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], in the United States. The route runs as a four-lane bypass of [[Hightstown, New Jersey|Hightstown]] from Princeton-Hightstown Road ([[County Route 571 (New Jersey)|County Route 571]] [CR&nbsp;571]) and Windsor Center Drive to the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] ([[Interstate 95 in New Jersey|Interstate&nbsp;95]] [I-95]) at exit&nbsp;8. Originally, Route&nbsp;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&nbsp;31 (then part of [[U.S. Route&nbsp;206]] [US&nbsp;206]), [[New Jersey Route 31A|State Highway Route&nbsp;31A]] as a freeway from [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]] to the [[Jersey Shore]]. During the 1970s, the highway proposed as [[New Jersey Route 92|Route&nbsp;92]] gained momentum, running from Princeton (at I-95's proposed [[Interstate 95 in New Jersey#Routing through Central New Jersey: Somerset Freeway|Somerset Freeway]]) all the way to Route&nbsp;33 at Hightstown. However, after several setbacks, Route&nbsp;92 was moved northward in 1988 and the bypass was truncated to a short portion of highway bypassing Hightstown. Construction on the new $57 million Route&nbsp;133 commenced on September 20, 1996, and was completed and opened on November 30, 1999.

==Route description==
[[File:NJ 133 EB past CR&nbsp;571.jpeg|thumb|left|Route 133 eastbound past western terminus at CR&nbsp;571 in East Windsor Township]]
Route&nbsp;133 begins at an at-grade intersection with Princeton-Hightstown Road (CR&nbsp;571) and Windsor Center Drive in East Windsor. The intersection includes a [[jughandle]] for eastbound traffic to use to access the highway. After the jughandle allowing westbound CR&nbsp;571 traffic to access Windsor Center Drive which continues southwest from the freeway, Route&nbsp;133 begins to progress its way northward as a four-lane freeway,<ref name="sld" /> crossing through surroundings of trees and open fields. Along a large bend, the highway turns eastward, paralleling to CR&nbsp;571 to the south and Old Trenton Road ([[County Route 535 (New Jersey)|CR&nbsp;535]]) to the north. Passing to the southeast of a [[S&P Global|McGraw Hill Financial]] office building, Route&nbsp;133 curves to the southeast through fields and crosses over the locally maintained One Mile Road heading eastbound and interchanges westbound. Heading eastbound, the on-ramp to Route&nbsp;133 from One Mile Road merges in,<ref name="sld" /> and the highway continues, passing to the north of homes and commercial buildings through East Windsor.<ref name="bing">{{bing maps|url= http://www.maps.bing.com/maps/?FORM=Z9LH9#JmNwPTQwLjI3NjgxMDk3Mzg4Mjd+LTc0LjUyODY5Mzg1NDgwODgxJmx2bD0xMyZzdHk9ciZydHA9cG9zLjQwLjI4MjU3OTA2NDM2OTJfLTc0LjU1NzY1OTAyOTk2MDYzX25lYXIlMjBXaW5kc29yJTIwQ2VudGVyJTIwRHIlMkMlMjBIaWdodHN0b3duJTJDJTIwTmV3JTIwSmVyc2V5JTIwMDg1MjAlMkMlMjBVbml0ZWQlMjBTdGF0ZXNfX19hX35wb3MuNDAuMjY4ODgxMDIyOTMwMTQ1Xy03NC40OTk5NDA1NzQxNjkxNl9fX19hXyZydG9wPTB+MH4wfg==|title=Overview map of Route 133||access-date=November 11, 2009}}</ref>

[[File:2021-08-26 13 54 57 View west along New Jersey State Route 133 (Hightstown Bypass) from the overpass for Milford Road in East Windsor Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|right|thumb|Route 133 westbound at interchange with Route 33 in East Windsor Township]]
A short distance later, Route&nbsp;133 crosses over [[Rocky Brook]]. The highway's surroundings then change drastically, with residential homes surrounding the freeway in each direction (though blocked from view by trees and [[noise barrier]]s). A short distance later, Route&nbsp;133 crosses over [[U.S. Route 130|US&nbsp;130]] with a [[cloverleaf interchange]] with some movements missing. After US&nbsp;130, the highway continues eastward, crossing over North Main Street ([[County Route 539 (New Jersey)|CR&nbsp;539]]).<ref name="sld" /> The highway crosses the right-of-way of the historic [[Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company|Camden and Amboy Railroad]]; there is no bridge over the trackbed that is abandoned only a short few feet to the north and a few miles south around the Hightstown area. Route&nbsp;133 turns to the southeast once again, continuing to the south of a condominium complex. Leaving the condos behind, the highway turns southward through lands and runs parallel to the south of Cranbury Station Road.<ref name="bing" /> Route&nbsp;133 continues southward, crossing over Wyckoff Mills Road, which serves as the southern terminus of Cranbury Station Road. As the road parallels Wyckoff Mills Road, the four-lane freeway continues eastward, crossing over the 12&nbsp;lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95). (The Route&nbsp;133 bridge over the turnpike was built with provisions for the New Jersey Turnpike to be widened with additional sets of three lanes in each direction, which was completed in November 2014.) To the south of Wyckoff Mills Road, Route&nbsp;133 continues as a four-lane freeway. Soon after, Route&nbsp;133 turns southward, heading away from Wyckoff Mills Road and reaches a [[single-point urban interchange]] with [[New Jersey Route 33|Route&nbsp;33]]. The mainline of Route&nbsp;133 becomes the jurisdiction of the [[New Jersey Turnpike Authority]] as it passes over Route&nbsp;33 and heads underneath Milford Road before ending at the toll plaza for exit&nbsp;8 of the turnpike.<ref name="sld" /> The roadway past the toll plaza becomes part of the [[Interchange (road)#Trumpet interchange|trumpet interchange]] for the turnpike.<ref name="bing" />

==History==

===Route 92, the original proposal===
{{main article|New Jersey Route 92}}
[[File:Elongated circle 92.svg|right|thumb|75px|alt=Black and white circle depicting the number "92"|Route&nbsp;133 was going to be part of Route&nbsp;92 until the 1990s]]
The original concept for a bypass of Hightstown dates back to 1929, when local members of community requested a solution to relieve traffic on current-day CR&nbsp;571 away from the downtown. However, nothing was ever produced, until 1938, when the [[New Jersey State Legislature]] designated State Highway Route&nbsp;31A, a modern expressway crossing from the borough of Princeton eastward to Hightstown and further to the Atlantic Ocean along current-day Route&nbsp;33.<ref name="1938law">{{citation|title=Route No. 31A. Beginning in State highway route No. 31 in or near Princeton, and thence to a point at or near Hightstown and connecting there with State highway route No. 33 eastwardly of Hightstown. |year=1938|publisher=New Jersey State Assembly}}</ref> In 1950, Governor [[Alfred E. Driscoll]] promoted the statewide expressway, citing that "it is unwise to expect city streets to bear the brunt of through, truck and passenger traffic."<ref name="driscoll">{{cite book|quote=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.|author=Alfred E. Driscoll|publisher=State of New Jersey|year=1950}}{{full|date=October 2024}}</ref> However, State Highway Route&nbsp;31A was truncated in the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering|1953 state highway renumbering]] to a short portion of highway in [[West Windsor, New Jersey|West Windsor]] as [[New Jersey Route 64|Route&nbsp;64]].<ref name="nj1953">{{citation|title=1953 renumbering|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering|publisher=New Jersey Department of Highways|accessdate=July 31, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183145/http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering|archivedate=June 28, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[File:2023-09-20 09 54 01 View west along New Jersey State Route 133 (Hightstown Bypass) just west of U.S. Route 130 in East Windsor Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|View west along Route&nbsp;133 just west of US&nbsp;130 in East Windsor Township]]
During the 1950s, the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation|New Jersey State Highway Department]] released plans to construct the Princeton–Hightstown Bypass, a {{convert|14|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}, four-lane freeway connecting US&nbsp;206 in the [[Montgomery Township, New Jersey|Montgomery Township]] community of [[Skillman, New Jersey|Skillman]] to Route&nbsp;33 in East Windsor. The freeway, designated as Route&nbsp;92, was to connect US&nbsp;206 with [[New Jersey Route 27|Route&nbsp;27]], [[U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey|US&nbsp;1]], and US&nbsp;130, Route&nbsp;33 and the New Jersey Turnpike. While the eastern terminus was to be at the New Jersey Turnpike, the western terminus of Route&nbsp;92 was to be at an interchange with the Somerset Freeway (I-95) near Rocky Hill.<ref name="region">{{cite book|title=Regional Highways: A Status Report|publisher=Tri-State Transportation Commission|year=1962}}</ref><ref name="1969plan">{{cite book|year=1969|title=Transportation 1985: A Regional Plan|publisher=Tri-State Transportation Commission}}</ref> Although plans for Route&nbsp;92 remained, the Somerset Freeway proposal was decommissioned in 1982, leaving open funds for use on other projects. The [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] suggested serving funds to the Route&nbsp;92 project along with five other transportation projects. The project was working on its final studies and proposals in 1986, which was the year new interstates could be proposed to the [[Federal Highway Administration]], however, the portion west of US&nbsp;1 was dropped from the plans a year later.<ref name="public">{{cite book|date=December 17, 1991|title=Public Hearing for the Proposed Route 92 Freeway|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|location=Trenton}}</ref>

===The down-scaled route===
[[File:Route 130 Exit.jpg|right|thumb|Signage for the interchange with US&nbsp;130 in East Windsor Township. Although Route&nbsp;133 is a freeway, none of its interchanges have exit numbers.]]
After Route&nbsp;92 was shifted northward by the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] (NJDOT) due to the belief that it would better serve residents further north, the proposal went into shadows.<ref name="pubhearing">{{cite book|title=Public Hearing for Proposed Route 92 Freeway|date=December 17, 1991|location=Trenton, New Jersey|publisher=New Jersey State Legislature}}</ref> In 1994, six years after plans changed for the Route&nbsp;92 Freeway, NJDOT revived the plans, attempting to build the freeway from Princeton to Hightstown. However, the next year, the plan had to be altered due to public opposition from the communities of Princeton and [[Plainsboro Township, New Jersey|Plainsboro]]. This plan was to construct a {{convert|3.8|mi|km|adj=on}} bypass of Hightstown and East Windsor, now designated as Route&nbsp;133. The bid for the construction of the new four-lane freeway was accepted from the Schiavone Construction Company in 1996 for a cost of $57 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|57000000|1996}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}). Design began that June and construction of the new freeway started on September 20. The project was constructed as New Jersey's first modified-[[design–build]] freeway, which helped save money and costs for construction, reducing 26&nbsp;months off the average construction time for the style of freeway.<ref name="1998 report">{{cite book|date=June 1998|title=New Jersey's Modified Design-Build Program: Hightstown Bypass|publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration]]; New Jersey Department of Transportation|location=Trenton, New Jersey; Washington D.C.}}</ref> On November 30, 1999, the roadway, which was completed, was opened to commuter traffic,<ref name="133opens">{{cite news|title=Long Wait is Over|last=Armone|first=Michael|date=December 1, 1999|newspaper=[[The Times (Trenton)|The Times]]|location=Trenton, New Jersey}}</ref> over a year later than originally estimated (July 1998).<ref name="1998 report" /> Part of this delay was due to passage of [[Hurricane Floyd]] over the region during September 1999, whose heavy rains resulted in substantial erosion at the project site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/1999/112999b.shtm|title=Hightstown Bypass Opens to Traffic|date=November 29, 1999|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|accessdate=January 7, 2010|location=Ewing}}</ref> At the time of the opening, the freeway carried a {{convert|45|mph|kph|adj=on}} [[speed limit]]; this was increased to {{convert|50|mph|kph}} in August 2001.<ref name=SpeedLimit>{{cite news |title=Hightstown Bypass speed hike OK'd |author=Fixmer, Andrew H. |date=August 9, 2001 |newspaper=The Times |location = Trenton, New Jersey |quote=After a six-month investigation into the nearly two-year-old Hightstown Bypass, the state Department of Transportation has agreed to raise the speed limit from 45 to 50 mph and allow motorists heading to the New Jersey Turnpike to turn right when the light at Route 33 is red.}}</ref>

===Extension to the New Jersey Turnpike===
[[File:Route_133_with_new_NJTP_Exit_8.png|thumb|right|Entire length of Route&nbsp;133 with the new turnpike interchange]]

On December 31, 2006, the [[New Jersey Turnpike Authority]] (NJTA) released its proposals regarding exit&nbsp;8 of the New Jersey Turnpike and its possible replacement. The current exit&nbsp;8 would be demolished and replaced with a new interchange. The new exit&nbsp;8 would end at the intersection with Route&nbsp;33, Milford Road, and the Route&nbsp;133 bypass (on the east side of the expressway, instead of the west). This new exit&nbsp;8 would grant direct access to the bypass (without going through any traffic lights), as well as to Route&nbsp;33, using grade-separated interchanges. The new toll gate would feature a total of 12&nbsp;booths at the toll gate. The second option would be a grade-separated [[diamond interchange]] would be constructed, which would lead the ramps towards Route&nbsp;33. At the intersection with Route&nbsp;33 and the interchange ramps (from the turnpike and Route&nbsp;133), a traffic signal would be built underneath the exit&nbsp;8 ramps/Route&nbsp;133. In lieu of a connector road, a jughandle would be built on Route&nbsp;33 west. This would intersect at Route&nbsp;33 (with a traffic light) and become the relocated Milford Road (after crossing Route&nbsp;33).<ref name="pikeplan">{{cite news|title=Pike plan raises concern|date=January 1, 2007|newspaper=The Times |location=Trenton, New Jersey}}</ref>

[[File:2017-10-06 12 29 37 View west along New Jersey State Route 133 (Hightstown Bypass) at the exit for Milford Road in East Windsor Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|left|thumb|Route 133 heading westbound from the eastern terminus at I-95/NJ Turnpike in East Windsor Township]]
The third option was an unusual cloverleaf interchange would be built in lieu of a diamond interchange. After exiting the turnpike from the toll gate, a ramp on the right would lead to Milford Road or Route&nbsp;33. The mainline of the turnpike ramp would cross over Route&nbsp;33 and turn into Route&nbsp;133. A relocated Milford Road would be built across from Monmouth Street ([[County Route 633 (Mercer County, New Jersey)|CR&nbsp;633]]) and Route&nbsp; 33 (without connecting Monmouth Street and Milford Road) towards the intersection with the current Milford Road and Daniel Street. The new Milford would cross over the turnpike ramps. A leaf would be built from the turnpike ramp approaching the exit&nbsp;8 toll gate, which would connect to Milford Road. An entrance ramp would be constructed from Milford Road to the exit&nbsp;8 toll gate. Traveling north on Milford Road, a ramp would be constructed, which would diverge into two ways; one way would merge into the turnpike ramp heading towards Route&nbsp;133, and the other would intersect at a new traffic light at Route 33, {{convert|0.1|mi|km}} east of the current Route&nbsp;33/Route&nbsp;133/Milford Road intersection.<ref name="pikeplan" />

Ultimately, the NJTA chose the first option for the interchange. But the connector road was eliminated and an exit ramp from the new tollgate to Milford Road south was added to the proposal.

The new exit&nbsp;8 interchange and toll plaza partially opened in January 2013 with a combination of some temporary and some permanent ramps connecting to the turnpike, at which point the old interchange was closed,<ref name="tpke">{{cite web|publisher=[[New Jersey Turnpike Authority]]|year=2013|title=Construction activity notices|url=http://www.njturnpikewidening.com/pdf/603%20Construction%20Activity%20Notice%20revisions_1-18-13.pdf|accessdate=January 22, 2013}}</ref> though the old interchange remains in use to access an maintenance depot. The new overpass crossing over Route&nbsp;33 was opened in September 2013, followed by completion of the interchange by 2014.

==Exit list==
{{Jcttop|state=NJ|unnum=yes|county=Mercer|location=East Windsor|length_ref=<ref name="sld" />}}
{{NJint
|mile=0.00
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|571|name1=Princeton-Hightstown Road|road|Windsor Center Drive|city1=Princeton|city2=Hightstown}}
|notes=Western terminus; [[at-grade intersection]]
}}
{{NJint
|type=incomplete
|mile=0.72
|road=One Mile Road
|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
}}
{{NJint
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.61
|road={{jct|state=NJ|US|130|city1=New Brunswick|city2=Bordentown}}
|notes=No eastbound access to US&nbsp;130 south
}}
{{NJint
|mile=3.59
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|33|road|Milford Road|city1=East Windsor|city2=Hightstown|city3=Twin Rivers|location4=[[Freehold Township, New Jersey|Freehold]]}}
|notes=[[Single-point urban interchange]]; last eastbound exit before toll
}}
{{NJint
|mile=4.06
|mspan=2
|type=toll
|place=Exit&nbsp;8 Toll Plaza
}}
{{NJint
|mile=none
|road={{jct|state=NJ|I-Toll|95|NJTP2||city1=Trenton|location2=[[New York City]]}}
|notes=Eastern terminus; exit&nbsp;8 on I-95 / Turnpike
}}
{{Jctbtm|keys=incomplete,toll}}

==See also==
{{Portal|U.S. Roads|New Jersey}}
*[[County Route 522 (New Jersey)|CR&nbsp;522]], a four-lane road from US&nbsp;130 west to US&nbsp;1 in the same general corridor as Route&nbsp;92
{{-}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}

*[http://www.nycroads.com/roads/NJ-133/ The Roads of Metro New York – NJ 133 Freeway]
*[http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/MERCER_COUNTY/MercerCounty_1976.jpg 1976 Mercer County map]
*[http://policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/documents/Events..APA_03.22.05.pdf Hightstown Bypass Study]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDaWchUjcCw Eastbound] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGhfk--CvT8 westbound] video tours of Route 133
*[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/traffic_orders/speed/rt133.shtm Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 133]

[[Category:Transportation in Mercer County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:State highways in New Jersey|133]]
[[Category:Limited-access roads in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Freeways in the United States]]
[[Category:East Windsor, New Jersey]]