Existed: 1955 – present Length 1.3 km | Counties: Middlesex Constructed 1955 | |
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West end: Commercial Avenue in New Brunswick
(continues as CR 527) East end: Route 18 / CR 527 in New Brunswick County Middlesex County, New Jersey | ||
Route 172 is a short state highway in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. The designation runs along the southernmost leg of George Street, which is county and city-maintained the rest of the way. Route 172 is 0.81 miles (1.30 km) long, serving as a connector from an interchange with Route 18 to an intersection with County Route 527. The highway was assigned in the 1950s, when nearby Route 18 was realigned onto a new freeway over Burnet Street in New Brunswick. Route 172 underwent a major upgrade during the reconstruction of Route 18, including a roundabout at an intersection with CR 617, and a brand-new interchange with the local lanes of Route 18.
Contents
Map of NJ-172, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Route description
Route 172 begins at an interchange with the local lanes of Route 18 in the city of New Brunswick. The highway heads northward and passes through the Douglass Campus of Rutgers University. Route 172 then intersects with a local road, which serves the purposes of the university. The highway then progresses towards County Route 617 (CR 617; Ryders Lane), which heads southward from a roundabout with Route 172. Route 172 then turns to the west along George Street. After the roundabout, the highway intersects with Nichol Avenue and Route 172 continues into downtown New Brunswick. There, the highway intersects with Bishop Street, and terminates at an intersection with Commercial Avenue and CR 527 continues along George Street, the right-of-way.
History
Route 172 originated as alignment of State Highway Route S-28, which was assigned in the 1927 state highway renumbering. In the 1953 renumbering, State Highway Route S-28 was reassigned as Route 18. However, just a few years after the designation of NJ 18 in New Brunswick along George Street, construction of a bypass around New Brunswick began. The highway was constructed along Burnet Street, which became state-maintained by the State Highway Department. The route was completed to Route 27, and Route 18 was moved onto that alignment. The former alignment of Route 18 remained state-maintained up to the intersection with Commercial Avenue, which was eventually re-designated as Route 172.
When the New Jersey Department of Transportation started construction on upgrading the bypass, the fly-over ramp and on-ramp to and from Route 172 were torn down for construction of a new interchange along a new local/express format. The overpass was closed on October 12, 2007 to begin the construction. The bridge was built by 1955 and was replaced in 2008. On January 2, 2009, the new exit ramp for Route 18 to Route 172 was reopened to traffic.
Major intersections
The entire route is in New Brunswick, Middlesex County.