Route 13 is a short state highway in the communities of Point Pleasant and Bay Head, New Jersey, both of which are in Ocean County. The route consists of the Lovelandtown Bridge, a vertical-lift bridge over the Point Pleasant Canal, and a part of Bridge Avenue, which is mostly maintained by the county as County Route 632 (CR 632). The route was unsigned until new mileposts were installed in 2017. Route 13 was designated in the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering as a re-designation of Route 13E from Hollywood Boulevard to Bay Avenue.
The route was first assigned in 1938, when the state took over maintenance of the fifth segment of Ocean County Route 13 built in 1929, intending it to reach old Route 37 (now part of Route 35) in Bay Head from Beaver Dam Road, a distance of . The takeover did not reach that point, and the bridge and its approaches count for of the intended length. The original bridge collapsed in 1962, and a temporary structure was erected later that year. Planning for a permanent replacement bridge continued for several years until construction finally began in 1970. This structure opened in 1972, but closed immediately afterward due to a failure of the lift mechanism, which was fixed by the end of the year. In late 2004, the bridge and its approaches received a rehabilitation.
Route description
thumb|left|View east at milepost 0 at the west end of Route 13 in Point Pleasant
Route 13 begins at an intersection where CR 632 meets Hollywood Boulevard in Point Pleasant. There, the state-maintenance begins. The route heads eastward along Bridge Avenue, passing to the south of local businesses and to the north of local residences. There, Route 13 begins a curve to the northeast onto the Lovelandtown Bridge approach, passing a marina before reaching the Point Pleasant Canal (part of the Intracoastal Waterway) and heading onto a lift bridge called the Lovelandtown Bridge. After crossing the canal, Route 13 parallels Elm Avenue for a short distance before turning away to the southeast. The route heads into downtown Bay Head, where it reaches an intersection with Bay Avenue, which is its eastern terminus. CR 632 continues eastward to Route 35. Route 13 is concurrent with CR 632 for its entire length.