page_title: U.S. Route 206
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: U.S. Route 206 / History
context_page_description: U.S. Route 206 is a 130.23-mile-long north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delaware River into New Jersey, where the remainder of the route is. 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.
context_section_description: What is now US 206 was part of several Lenape trails: the Shamong Trail, later known as the Cape May Road, ran from what is now Crosswicks to Cape May; a trail running from Trenton through Crosswicks; the Assanpink Trail, later known as the Old Dutch Road, running from Trenton north to New Brunswick; and the Great Minisink Trail, running from Navesink through Netcong to Minisink Village in modern-day Montague Township. In 1801, the Morris Turnpike was legislated to run from Elizabeth through Netcong to Culver's Gap. In 1804, the Union Turnpike was chartered to run from Morristown to the crossing at Dingman's Ferry in Montague Township. In 1814, the Deckerton and Newton Turnpike branched from Newton through Deckerton, now Sussex, to New York. The Crosswicks and Trenton Turnpike was chartered in 1854; the road is now locally known as Broad Street, and was included in U.S. 206 west of White Horse.
  Prior to 1927, what is now US 206 in New Jersey was legislated as part of several routes. Between Bordentown and Trenton, the current alignment was designated as a part of pre-1927 Route 2 in 1916. Between Trenton and Princeton, present-day US 206 became the southernmost part of pre-1927 Route 13 in 1917. In 1921, the current route from Princeton north to Bedminster Township was legislated as part of pre-1927 Route 16.
  After the U.S. Highway System was created in 1926, the route between Bordentown and Trenton became the northernmost part of US 130 while it became a part of US 1 between Trenton and Princeton.  In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, several state highways were legislated along present-day US 206. Route 39 followed the route from Hammonton to White Horse, while Route 37 was designated along it between White Horse and Trenton. From Trenton north to Princeton, pre-1927 Route 13 was replaced by Route 27. Present-day US 206 between Princeton and Newton became part of Route 31, a route that was to go past Newton to the New York border near Unionville, while the portion north of Newton to the Delaware River in Montague became Route S31, a spur of Route 31. Another spur of Route 31, Route 31A, was legislated in 1941 to run from Route 31 in Princeton to Route 33 in Hightstown; only a small portion of this was built over the Northeast Corridor railroad line and is now Route 64.
  US 206 was designated in the later 1930s, running from US 30 in Hammonton, New Jersey north to US 6 and US 209 in Milford, Pennsylvania. By this time, the US 1 and US 130 designations were removed from the route onto new alignments. In 1938, US 206/Route 31 was designated to bypass Somerville, the former alignment was known as Route 177 from the 1960s until 1974.  In the 1940s, US 206/Route 39 was realigned to the south of White Horse; the former alignment was known as Route 160 between the 1960s and the 1980s. Also in the 1940s, the northern terminus of US 206 was moved to its current location at US 209 in Dingman Township, Pennsylvania.
  In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, the state highways running concurrent with US 206 were removed.  When US 206's current alignment bypassing Columbus was built by the 1960s, the designation of Route 170 was given to the old alignment through Columbus; this road was turned over to Burlington County in the 1980s and is now CR 690. In the late 1960s, a freeway was proposed for the US 206/Route 54 corridor, running from US 30 in Hammonton  south to Route 55 and the proposed Route 60 near Vineland and Millville. Originally, a parkway had been planned in 1932 to serve the US 206 corridor between Hammonton and Trenton, but never materialized. The freeway between Vineland/Millville and Hammonton was to cost $47 million and was intended to provide a better route between the two areas than the existing two-lane roads. However, it was never built due to environmental and financial issues.
  A freeway was also proposed for US 206 in northwestern New Jersey during the 1960s.  In 1964, a Route 94 freeway was planned to follow US 206 between Netcong and Newton on its way to the proposed Route 23 freeway in H
caption: Route S31 (1927-1953)