U.S. Route 206 (
US 206) is a north–south
United States highway in
New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the
Milford-Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the
Delaware River into New Jersey, where it is the remainder of the route. The highway's northern terminus is near
Milford, Pennsylvania at an intersection with
US 209; some sources and signs show an
overlap with US 209 to end at its parent route
US 6. Its southern terminus is in
Hammonton, New Jersey at an intersection with
Route 54 and
US 30. For much of its length, US 206 is a rural two-lane undivided road that passes through the
Pine Barrens, agricultural areas, and the
Appalachian Mountains of northwestern New Jersey, with some urban and suburban areas. The route connects several cities and towns, including
Bordentown,
Trenton,
Princeton,
Somerville,
Netcong, and
Newton. The road is known as the
Disabled American Veterans Highway for much of its length. What is now US 206 in New Jersey was designated as part of several state routes prior to 1927, including
Pre-1927 Route 2 between Bordentown and Trenton in 1916,
pre-1927 Route 13 between Trenton and Princeton in 1917, and pre-1927 Route 16 between Princeton and
Bedminster Township in 1921. The current routing along pre-1927 Route 2 became a part of
US 130 in 1926. In 1927, current US 206 became
Route 39 between Hammonton and
White Horse,
Route 37 between White Horse and Trenton,
Route 27 between Trenton and Princeton,
Route 31 between Princeton and Newton, and
Route S31 between Newton and the Delaware River. In the later 1930s, US 206 was designated to connect US 30 in Hammonton north to US 6 and US 209 in Milford; the northern terminus was moved to its current location in the 1940s. The state highways running concurrent with US 206 in New Jersey were removed in 1953. In the 1960s, two separate
freeways were proposed for US 206 but never built. The first freeway was to connect Hammonton south along the Route 54 corridor toward
Route 55 and the planned
Route 60 in
Vineland and
Millville. The other US 206 freeway was planned in northwestern New Jersey, connecting
I-80 in Netcong north to
Montague Township. Construction has begun for a bypass of US 206 around
Hillsborough in 2010 after being planned since 1974. The NJDOT is currently widening the route in
Byram Township to alleviate congestion, with completion in 2013.