Editing New Jersey Route 12

{{Short description|State highway in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, US}}
{{about|the current New Jersey Route 12|the Route 12 that existed before 1927|U.S. Route 46}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{redirect-synonym|NJ 12|New Jersey's 12th congressional district}}
{{Infobox road
|state=NJ
|type=NJ
|route=12
|maint=[[NJDOT]], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]], and [[Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission|DRJTBC]]
|length_mi=11.69
|length_ref=<ref name=SLD>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/pdf/00000012__-.pdf|title=Route 12 straight line diagram|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Transportation]]|access-date=March 17, 2020}}
</ref>
|map={{maplink-road}}
|map_custom=yes
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a=[[Uhlerstown–Frenchtown Bridge]] at the [[Pennsylvania]] state line
|junction={{plainlist|
*{{jct|state=NJ|NJ|29}} in [[Frenchtown, New Jersey|Frenchtown]]
*{{jct|state=NJ|CR|513}} in Frenchtown
*{{jct|state=NJ|CR|519}} in [[Kingwood Township, New Jersey|Kingwood Township]]
*{{jct|state=NJ|CR|579}} in [[Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Delaware]] / [[Raritan Township, New Jersey|Raritan Township]]
*{{jct|state=NJ|CR|523}} in Raritan Township
}}
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=NJ|US|202|NJ|31}} in [[Flemington, New Jersey|Flemington]]
|established=1927
|counties=[[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon]]
|previous_type=NJ-old
|previous_route=11
|next_type=NJ
|next_route=13
}}
'''Route 12''' is a state highway located in [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]], [[New Jersey]], [[United States]]. It runs {{convert|11.69|mi|km|2|abbr=on}} from the [[Uhlerstown–Frenchtown Bridge]] at the [[Delaware River]] border with [[Pennsylvania]] in [[Frenchtown, New Jersey|Frenchtown]] east to an intersection with [[U.S. Route 202 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 202]] (US 202) and [[New Jersey Route 31|Route 31]] at the [[Flemington Circle]] in [[Flemington, New Jersey|Flemington]]. The route is mostly a two-lane undivided road that passes through rural areas of woodland and farmland. It intersects [[New Jersey Route 29|Route 29]] and [[County Route 513 (New Jersey)|County Route 513]] (CR 513) in Frenchtown, [[County Route 519 (New Jersey)|CR 519]] in [[Kingwood Township, New Jersey|Kingwood Township]], [[County Route 579 (New Jersey)|CR 579]] on the border of [[Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Delaware Township]] and [[Raritan Township, New Jersey|Raritan Township]], and [[County Route 523 (New Jersey)|CR 523]] in Raritan Township.

The route was designated in 1927 to run from Frenchtown to [[Raritan, New Jersey|Raritan]], [[Somerset County, New Jersey|Somerset County]], running along its current alignment to Flemington and following present-day US 202 between Flemington and Raritan. By the 1940s, US 202 and Route 29 replaced Route 12 east of Flemington, and the route was officially designated to end in Flemington in 1953. There are currently plans to modify or eliminate three [[traffic circle]]s along the route in Flemington to ease traffic congestion.

==Route description==
[[File:NJ Route 12 CR 610 westbound.jpg|thumb|left|County-maintained portion of Route 12 in Frenchtown signed as CR 610]]
Route 12 begins at the Uhlerstown–Frenchtown Bridge over the Delaware River in Frenchtown at the Pennsylvania&nbsp;/ New Jersey border, where it connects to [[Pennsylvania Route 32]].<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google">{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=uhlerstown-frenchtown+bridge&daddr=Unknown+road+%4040.502779,+-74.854069&geocode=%3BFfsFagIdS9GJ-w&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=40.529328,-75.032158&sspn=0.05767,0.109863&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12|title=overview of New Jersey Route 12 |access-date=2008-02-11}}</ref> The bridge and short portion of its eastern approach is maintained by the [[Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission]].<ref name=SLD/> The route continues through the downtown area of Frenchtown as county-maintained (designated and signed by Hunterdon County as '''County Route 610''')<ref name=RouteLog>{{cite journal |title=Hunterdon County Route Log |date=June 2014 |publisher=Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders}}</ref><ref name=GM>{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5228962,-75.0503553,3a,75y,304.45h,89.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHVca579COVHvCLuhwMbiFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en-US |title=StreetView image showing CR 610 sign |access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref> two-lane undivided Bridge Street.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> Here, it intersects Trenton Avenue which is also the northern terminus of Route 29 before turning north onto Race Street and intersecting the southern terminus of CR 513.<ref name=SLD/> Route 12 heads east on Kingwood Avenue and passes through residential areas.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> The route crosses into Kingwood Township, where it becomes maintained by the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] with two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane.<ref name=SLD/> As Route 12 climbs into the [[Hunterdon Plateau]], it heads through a mix of woods and farms with intermittent residences, narrowing to one lane in each direction at the top of the plateau before crossing CR 519 in [[Baptistown, New Jersey|Baptistown]].

[[File:2018-06-14 18 39 50 View east along New Jersey State Route 12 (Frenchtown-Flemington Road) just east of Hunterdon County Route 579 (Croton Road-Easton-Trenton Turnpike) in Raritan Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|View east along Route 12 at CR 579 in Raritan Township]]
Route 12 continues southeast through rural areas, crossing the [[Lockatong Creek]] before intersecting CR 615, where it becomes the Samuel Hill Highway.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> A short distance past this intersection, the route briefly passes through the southern corner of [[Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Franklin Township]] before entering Delaware Township. Here, the road crosses [[Wickecheoke Creek]] before coming to an intersection with CR 579.<ref name=SLD/> Past this intersection, Route 12 enters Raritan Township, where it continues through rural areas with some residences. The residential development along the road increases before it reaches the Dvoor's Circle (a [[traffic circle]]) with CR 523.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/> Past the traffic circle, the route crosses a small stream and enters Flemington.<ref name=SLD/> Here, Route 12 passes businesses and heads south of a [[park and ride]] lot serving [[Trans-Bridge Lines]] buses before crossing the [[Black River and Western Railroad]] and coming to the Main Street Circle, a modern-designed [[roundabout]], where it intersects CR 611 and Reaville Avenue.<ref name=SLD/><ref name="google"/>  From here, the route continues east a short distance as a four-lane [[divided highway]] before ending at US 202 and Route 31 at the Flemington Circle.<ref name=SLD/>

==History==
Route 12 was legislated as a new route in the [[1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering]] that was to run from Frenchtown east to [[New Jersey Route 28|Route 28]] in Raritan borough, running along its current alignment to Flemington and following present-day US 202 to Raritan.<ref name=nj1927>State of New Jersey, Laws of 1927, Chapter 319.</ref><ref name="Map">{{cite web|author= Williams, Jimmy and Sharon|url= http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|title= 1927 New Jersey Road Map|publisher= 1920s New Jersey Highways|access-date= 2008-10-08|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071031111034/http://www.jimmyandsharonwilliams.com/njroads/1920s/images/1927_routes.gif|archive-date= 2007-10-31}}</ref> By the 1940s, US 202 and Route 29 were designated along the alignment of Route 12 between Flemington and Raritan, cutting the route's eastern terminus back to Flemington.<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=2009-03-29}}</ref> In the [[1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering]], Route 12 was officially legislated to run from Frenchtown to US 202 and [[New Jersey Route 69|Route 69]] (now Route 31) in Flemington.<ref name="nj1953">{{Cite journal|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> There are currently plans to modify or eliminate the three traffic circles along Route 12 in Flemington in order to ease traffic congestion along the route. The Main Street Circle was converted to a modern roundabout in 2010 while plans are still being thought out for the other two traffic circles.<ref name=tsl>{{cite news |last=Slaght|first=Veronica|access-date=2009-06-24|title=Confusing Flemington traffic circles to go in new directions |newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]] |date=March 15, 2009|url=http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/03/traffic_circles_are_as_new.html}}</ref><ref name=Circle2>{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2014/09/makeover_of_big_flemington_tra.html |title=Makeover of big Flemington traffic circle is on track for 2015 or '16 |author=Epstein, Rick |newspaper=[[Hunterdon County Democrat]] |date=September 2, 2014 |access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref>

By Joint Resolution No. 1, approved April 22, 1940, the [[New Jersey Legislature]] designated Route&nbsp;12 from the junction with present-day Route 31 to [[Croton, New Jersey|Croton]] as the Samuel Hill Highway, in memory of local industrial pioneer Samuel Hill.<ref>State of New Jersey; ''Laws of 1940, Joint Resolution No. 1''</ref>

==Major intersections==
{{Jcttop|length_ref=<ref name=SLD/>|state=NJ|county=Hunterdon}}
{{Jctint
|location_special=[[Delaware River]]
|lspan=2
|mile=0.00
|mspan=2
|road={{jct|state=PA|PA|32|to1=yes|name1=River Road|city1=Uhlerstown}}
|notes=Continuation into [[Pennsylvania]] 
}}
{{jctbridge
|mile=none
|bridge=[[Uhlerstown–Frenchtown Bridge]]
}}
{{NJint
|location=Frenchtown
|lspan=2
|mile=0.21
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|29|dir1=south|name1=Trenton Avenue|city1=Lambertville|city2=Trenton}}
|notes=Northern terminus of Route 29
}}
{{NJint
|mile=0.27
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|513|dir1=north|name1=Race Street|city1=Milford|city2=Pittstown}}
|notes=Southern terminus of CR 513
}}
{{NJint
|location=Kingwood Township
|mile=3.23
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|519|name1=Kingwood Road|location1=[[Mount Pleasant, Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Mt. Pleasant]]|city2=Stockton}}
}}
{{NJint
|township1=Delaware
|ctdab1=Hunterdon
|township2=Raritan
|mile=7.48
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|579|name1=Croton Road|city1=Croton|city2=Quakertown|city3=Sergeantsville}}
}}
{{NJint
|location=Raritan Township
|mile=10.73
|road={{jct|state=NJ|CR|523|NJ|29|to2=yes|city1=Flemington|city2=Stockton}}
|notes=Dvoor's Circle
}}
{{NJint
|location=Flemington
|mile=11.69
|road={{jct|state=NJ|US|202|NJ|31|city1=Somerville|city2=Newark|city3=Lambertville|city4=Trenton|city5=Clinton}}
|notes=[[Flemington Circle]]; eastern terminus
}}
{{jctbtm}}

==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}
*{{Portal-inline|New Jersey}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|New Jersey Route 12}}
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
*[http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/nj_12/ New Jersey Roads: Route 12]
*[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/traffic_orders/speed/rt12.shtm Speed Limits for Route 12]

{{good article}}

[[Category:State highways in New Jersey|012]]
[[Category:Transportation in Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]