It Happened In Hillsborough

 Today, if you use the words Hillsborough and bypass in the same sentence, there is no confusion as to
what you are talking about. The Route 206 Bypass and its associated widening projects were first
planned in the 1970s and are still underway today, with construction between Triangle and Valley
Roads. But just a few years ago (well, 35, anyway), the bypass meant something completely different.

The Amwell Road Bypass

The Amwell Road Bypass - officially known as the Amwell Road Realignment - debuted in Hillsborough
thirty-five years ago. The official reason for the construction of the 1.7-mile bypass between Pleasant
View and East Mountain Roads was that it would allow motorists to avoid the dangerous intersection of
Amwell and South Branch Roads - at the site of the Corner Store - although no accident statistics were
ever provided.

The realignment of Amwell Road had been on the drawing board at Somerset County from at least the
1970s, but began to pick up speed with the construction of four residential developments in the area
later in the decade. A common stipulation in developers' agreements was that they include the bypass in
their plans and contribute towards its cost. Because of that, the bypass was built in fits and starts - by
the mid-1980s, the right of way was basically cleared, and some roadbed was laid down between
Pleasant View Road and Ernest Drive.

Ironically, the thing that helped get the project back on the front burner in the 1970s - the
developments - is the thing that threatened to derail it in 1990. As homeowners in the new
developments realized that the right-of-way in their backyards was not for a country lane but rather for
a four-lane 45mph county highway, they protested. In their view, the fact that the bypass literally cut
some developments in two outweighed any benefit for motorists. They quickly formed a group called
Citizens Against Amwell Road Realignment and proposed, as an alternative, much less costly
improvements to the old Amwell Road and the South Branch Road intersection.

Opponents were fighting an uphill battle as much of the work on the $2.2 million road had already been
completed. Besides, residents in favor of the plan blamed the newcomers for contributing to the traffic
woes, which necessitated the bypass in the first place! The Amwell Road Bypass officially opened on
November 27, 1990.

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Gregory Gillette has been writing about local history for 20 years, starting with his Courier News column
“Gillette on Hillsborough” and continuing today with a Facebook page of the same name. He was named
as Hillsborough’s first Local Historian in 2025.