Editing New Jersey Route 29 (section)

==History==
[[Image:SR map Lambertville.svg|thumb|left|150px|A map showing the history of numbered routes in [[Lambertville, New Jersey|Lambertville]].]]
The current route was originally legislated in 1911 as part of the [[Delaware River Drive]], a named state highway that was proposed to run from along the Delaware River from Trenton north to the [[New York (state)|New York]] border in [[Montague Township, New Jersey|Montague Township]].<ref>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1911, Chapter 114</ref> Route 29 was originally defined in 1927 to run from [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]] to [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]].  The original route ran from downtown Trenton along State Street and Sanhican Drive. From there, it followed its current alignment to [[Lambertville, New Jersey|Lambertville]], where it followed present-day [[New Jersey Route 179|Route 179]] to [[Ringoes, New Jersey|Ringoes]] to present-day [[County Route 514 (New Jersey)|CR 514]], which it followed to Woods Tavern. The route turned north on [[U.S. Route 206|US 206]] (also designated Route 31) and followed that route to [[Somerville, New Jersey|Somerville]], where it followed [[U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey|US 22]] to Newark. The current alignment of Route 29 from Lambertville to [[New Jersey Route 12|Route 12]] in [[Frenchtown, New Jersey|Frenchtown]] was designated Route 29A in 1927.<ref name=nj1927>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.</ref><ref name="Map">{{cite map|url=http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|title=1927 New Jersey Road Map|publisher=State of New Jersey|access-date=October 8, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031111034/http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|archive-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref>
{{Infobox road small|type=NJ 1926|route=29A|state=NJ|location=[[Lambertville, New Jersey|Lambertville]]&ndash;[[Frenchtown, New Jersey|Frenchtown]]|established=1927|decommissioned=1953|}}
The alignment of Route 29 between Ringoes and Somerville was eventually shifted to follow present-day [[U.S. Route 202 in New Jersey|US 202]], which was also [[New Jersey Route 30|Route 30]] (now [[New Jersey Route 31|Route 31]]) between Ringoes and [[Flemington, New Jersey|Flemington]] and Route 12 between Flemington and Somerville.<ref name="mwm">{{cite map|publisher=Mid-West Map Co.|title= Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey |year=1941|cartography=[[H.M. Gousha]]|url=http://www.mapsofpa.com/roadcart/1941_1467m.jpg|access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref>  In 1938, Route 29B was planned as an extension of Route 29A from [[Frenchtown, New Jersey|Frenchtown]] to [[New Jersey Route 28|Route 28]] (now [[New Jersey Route 122|Route 122]]) in [[Alpha, New Jersey|Alpha]].  While this road was never built, much of the alignment north of [[Milford, New Jersey|Milford]] is served by [[County Route 519 (New Jersey)|CR 519]].<ref name=nj1938>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1938, Chapter 183.</ref> In 1948, a spur route, [[New Jersey Route S29|Route S29]], was created, running along US 202 (Bridge Street) in Lambertville to the [[New Hope–Lambertville Bridge]].<ref name=nj1948>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1948, Chapter 407.</ref>
[[File:2021-09-22 14 43 53 View north along New Jersey State Route 29 (Daniel Bray Highway) from the overpass for the rail line just north of Mercer County Route 643 (Lower Ferry Road) in Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|View northbound along Route 29 from the West Trenton Railroad Bridge in Ewing, with Route 175 visible to the right]]
In the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], Route 29 was redefined to continue north from Lambertville to Frenchtown on Route 29A, and the Route 29 designation between Lambertville and Newark was removed in favor of US 202 between Lambertville and Somerville and US 22 between Somerville and Newark. The section of former Route 29 between Route 29A and Route S29 became Route 165.<ref name="nj1953">{{Cite book|title=1953 renumbering|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering|publisher=New Jersey Department of Highways|access-date=July 31, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183145/http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1953_New_Jersey_state_highway_renumbering|archive-date=June 28, 2011}}</ref>

Plans for a limited-access route along the Route 29 corridor go back to 1932, when a [[parkway]] was proposed along the [[Delaware River]] between Trenton and Lambertville; this proposal never materialized.<ref name="1932plan">{{cite book|title=Regional Plan of the Philadelphia Tri-State District|publisher=Regional Planning Federation |year=1932}}</ref> Plans to construct a freeway from [[Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey|Hamilton Township]] to [[Interstate 95 in New Jersey|I-95]] (now I-295) in [[Ewing Township, New Jersey|Ewing Township]] were resurrected in the early 1950s. This road was built between 1954 and 1957 from South Warren Street in Trenton to present-day I-295 in Ewing Township. From just south of Calhoun Street north to I-295, Route 29 utilized the right-of-way of what remained of the Trenton Water Power Canal, a 19th century waterway utilized by the mills of Trenton for water power. The freeway's construction resulted in the filling of the canal, and also took up much of Trenton’s available waterfront along the Delaware River, destroying a Stacy Park, a major waterfront park, despite [[Highway revolts in the United States|protests]], which contributed to the population decline and economic impoverishment of Trenton over the ensuing decades.<ref name="njshd1960">{{cite book|title=Report on Route 29 Connection|publisher=New Jersey State Highway Department|year=1960}}</ref><ref name="Trenton Power Canal">{{cite web|url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54eb7fcce4b0a4e937b40d71/t/55033864e4b04d51bd422eec/1426274404233/98050+Route+29+booklet+-+Power+to+the+City.pdf|title=History Traced by Route 29 - Power To the City - The Trenton Water Power|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reconnecting to the River (NJ Route 29) {{!}} Trenton, NJ |url=https://www.trentonnj.org/707/Reconnecting-to-the-River-NJ-Route-29 |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=www.trentonnj.org}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.trentonnj.org/DocumentCenter/View/6120/Chapter-7---Riverfront-District-|title=Wayback Machine|website=www.trentonnj.org}}</ref> The former alignment of Route 29 in the northern part of Trenton and in Ewing Township became [[New Jersey Route 175|Route 175]].<ref name="chevron">{{cite map|publisher=[[Chevron Oil Company]]|title= Map of New Jersey |year=1969|cartography=[[H.M. Gousha]]}}</ref>

[[File:2023-08-06 12 40 47 View north along New Jersey State Route 29 at the south portal of the South Trenton Tunnel in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|Southern portal of the South Trenton Tunnel]]
Between 1990 and 1995, the Route 29 freeway was built between the I-195/I-295 interchange and [[New Jersey Route 129|Route 129]] in Hamilton Township. A two-lane street, Lamberton Road, connected the two freeway sections. Plans were then made to fill the gap between the two freeway sections in Trenton.  Construction began in 1997 on the Route 29 freeway between Route 129 and the [[Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge]]. The road was to include two traffic lights at Cass Street and South Warren Street and a tunnel which was to be built as a covered roadway on the bank of the Delaware River.<ref name="njdot2001">{{cite book|title=Route 29 Construction|publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation|date=2001}}</ref>  The tunnel was originally scheduled to be complete by 2001 but was delayed after the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] discovered many environmental violations that occurred with construction of the tunnel.<ref name=times>{{cite news|last=Hester Jr.|first=Tom|title=Route 29 Work Halt Ordered|work=[[The Trenton Times]]|date=April 6, 2000}}</ref>  The roof was put in place in October 2001 and the tunnel officially opened to traffic on March 2, 2002.<ref name=njdot22702>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2002/022702.shtm|title=Route 29 Tunnel To Open To Traffic Saturday, March 2 New Traffic Patterns In Area For Monday's Commute |date=February 27, 2002|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=April 1, 2012}}</ref> A restriction to trucks over 13 tons was put in place and made permanent in November 2002.<ref name=njdot11602>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2002/110602a.shtm|title=Route 29 truck restriction to be made permanent |date=November 6, 2002|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=April 1, 2012}}</ref>

By the 2000s, the state gave the part of Route 29 (South Main Street) between Route 165 and [[New Jersey Route 179|Route 179]] in [[Lambertville, New Jersey|Lambertville]] to the city, and Route 29 was rerouted to use all of Route 165 and one block of Route 179.  Prior to this, South Main Street had been turned one-way southbound.<ref name=njdot2>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/traffic_orders/one_way/rt29.shtm|title=NJDOT Traffic Regulations - One Way Street - Route 29|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=April 1, 2009}}</ref> Route 165, which is only signed on overhead street signs, still exists, though it is fully concurrent with Route 29.<ref name=165SLD />

[[File:2024-09-13 11 11 24 Stone-faced overpass along northbound New Jersey State Route 29 (John Fitch Parkway) at Mercer County Route 653 (Calhoun Street) in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|A single stone-faced overpass at Calhoun Street is the only hint of Route 29's designation as a parkway]]
A part of Route 29 was designated in 1959 as the '''John Fitch Parkway''', honoring inventor [[John Fitch (inventor)|John Fitch]], "beginning with the bridge crossing over the [[Assunpink Creek]] at the conjunction of Factory Street with John Fitch Way in the city of Trenton and including the traffic circle surrounding the [[Trenton War Memorial|War Memorial building]] and the freeway extending in a westerly direction therefrom, along the bank of the Delaware river, to the city line of the city of Trenton..."<ref>State of New Jersey; ''Laws of 1959, Joint Resolution No. 12'', pg. 806</ref> During the 1960s the War Memorial and the surrounding circle were bypassed by a realignment of Route 29 closer to the Delaware River.

In 1960, the [[New Jersey Legislature]] designated the portion of Route&nbsp;29 north of Trenton as the '''Daniel Bray Highway''' to commemorate [[American Revolutionary War]] Captain [[Daniel Bray]], a native of Kingwood Township.<ref>State of New Jersey; ''Laws of 1960, Joint Resolution No. 10'', pg. 855</ref>

In talks since the 1980s, the section of Route 29 in Trenton has been considered being redeveloped in order to connect city residents with the waterfront once again. In July 2023, Trenton was granted $1.016 million from the [[Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission]] to study proposals for redevelopment of the waterfront.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trenton’s Route 29 Boulevard Project takes a step forward |url=https://whyy.org/articles/trenton-route-29-boulevard-project-funding/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=WHYY |language=en-US}}</ref> The main plan is to turn Route 29 into an urban boulevard, as well as build a new [[Mixed-use development|mixed-used]] community adjacent to the waterfront, which includes a few new streets. The new layout for Route 29 would veer the road slightly inland to open up the waterfront between the [[New Jersey State House|State House]] and [[U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey|Route 1]], aligning the new boulevard with the original road along Stacy Park. Additionally, the area around Riverview Plaza is supposed to receive pedestrian and cycling improvements as a part of the new [[Delaware River Heritage Trail]]. The main area of redevelopment, which mostly consists of parking lots surrounding governmental buildings, will include various developments, including low and mid-rise mixed use residential buildings, an office building in the lot adjacent to the [[New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development|NJ Department of Labor]] building, a [[Town square|public square]], expansion of greenery around the [[William Trent House]], and a new [[Parking garage|parking facility]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Trenton 250 - Actions |url=https://www.trenton250.org/actions/waterfront-reclamation-and-redevelopment-project |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=www.trenton250.org}}</ref> There is currently no timeframe for when construction would begin.