Route 79 is a state highway located in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs from an intersection of US 9 in Freehold Township north to an intersection of Route 34 and Main Street (CR 516 Spur) in Matawan. The route is a mostly two-lane undivided road that passes through a mixture of suburban residential, urban commercial, and open rural areas. The route interchanges with Route 33 in Freehold Township, intersects with Business Route 33 and CR 537 in Freehold, interchanges with Route 18 and intersects with CR 520 in Marlboro, and intersects with CR 516 in Matawan.
In 1927, the current alignment of Route 79 was designated as a part of Route 4, which was to run from Cape May to the George Washington Bridge, and US 9 was additionally designated along the route by the 1940s. After US 9 and Route 4 were moved to a new routing between Freehold and Cheesequake, the former route became Route 4A, a spur of Route 4. In 1953, Route 4A became Route 79 between Freehold and Matawan and an extension of Route 34 between Matawan and Cheesequake.
Route description
thumb|left|Route 79 southbound at Route 34 in [[Matawan, New Jersey|Matawan]]
Route 79 begins at an intersection of US 9 in Freehold Township, heading north on South Street, a two-lane divided highway that soon becomes an undivided road. The route enters Freehold, where it crosses the intersection of Park Avenue (Business Route 33). Route 79 heads into Downtown Freehold, where it crosses the Freehold Industrial Track railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad and intersects with West Main Street (CR 537).
|deleted=1953 This would have roughly followed that Route 79 path. Almost the entirety of the road was maintained in the late 19th century as part of the Monmouth County Plank Road. Before 1927, what is today Route 79 was an unnumbered road. In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering, the route was legislated as part of Route 4, which was to run from Cape May to the George Washington Bridge. Between 1932 and 1934, the State Highway Department took over this section of the route, and US 9 was realigned to follow this portion of road along with Route 4. Beginning with a bypass of Freehold in 1938, US 9 and Route 4 were moved to a new alignment between Freehold and Cheesequake, and the former alignment between these two points became Route 4A, a spur of Route 4. The realignment was completed by 1941. In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 4A became Route 79 between Freehold and Matawan and an extension of Route 34 between Matawan and Cheesequake. On December 15, 2006, a project which rebuilt the intersection between US 9 and Route 79 was completed. This project's goals included improved safety and reduced traffic congestion.