CR 526 officially begins at an intersection with CR 571 in West Windsor Township, Mercer County, heading south on two-lane undivided South Mill Road. Although the official western terminus is here, signage for CR 526 continues northwest along CR 571 to Route 27 in Princeton. From CR 571, the route passes through residential subdivisions. At Woodmere Way, the road's jurisdiction changes from county to municipal where it curves east and then south on New Edinburg Road with a median. The road crosses CR 644 where county maintenance resumes and continues south, with the center line narrowing past the New Village Road intersection. CR 526 intersects CR 535 and CR 641, turning west for a brief concurrency with CR 535 on Old Trenton Road before heading south on Robbinsville Road. The route into agricultural areas and enters Robbinsville Township, eventually heading into a mix of farms, woods, and homes. Farther south, the road passes through housing subdivisions before turning southeast for a brief concurrency with Route 33 prior to following Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Here, CR 526 passes businesses and crosses an abandoned railroad line before coming to U.S. Route 130. The route officially turns northeast for a brief concurrency with US 130 on a four-lane divided highway before resuming east on two-lane undivided Robbinsville Bypass. The former alignment of Robbinsville-Allentown Road between US 130 and the Robbinsville Bypass is also officially signed as CR 526 and maintained by Mercer County. The road curves south and then southeast as it heads into residential areas. CR 526 passes over the New Jersey Turnpike before turning south near warehouses and coming to an interchange with I-195. South of this interchange, the route heads through a mix of farmland and woodland, curving southeast. CR 526 continues into Allentown in Monmouth County and passes homes before it forms a short concurrency with CR 524 and CR 539 on Main Street. From this point, the route continues east through residential areas on Waker Avenue, leaving Allentown for Upper Freehold Township. First, the road intersects CR 526 Alternate which provides a bypass of Allentown for traffic to and from I-195. In this area, the road passes farms to the north and homes to the south as it intersects CR 526 Spur. CR 526 heads straight through a mix of farmland and woodland with a few areas of development, passing through open areas of farms prior to crossing Sharon Station Road, the Union Transportation Trail, and CR 43, which loops to the south of CR 526 and intersects it again a short distance later. The route passes agricultural areas to the north and woodland to the south before running through a mix of farms, woods, and residences. The road passes Red Valley Lake and heads into Millstone Township, becoming Trenton-Lakewood Road and turning to the northeast. CR 526 passes over I-195 and curves east into more wooded areas before intersecting CR 571 again in developed areas. At this point, CR 526 turns south to run concurrent with CR 571, passing through forested areas with a few homes. Upon crossing CR 537, the road enters Jackson Township in Ocean County and continues through more forests, passing under I-195 before CR 526 splits from CR 571 by turning east onto West Commodore Boulevard. The road passes through more wooded are as of development, with the forests becoming more dense as the route comes to CR 527. At this intersection, CR 526 becomes East Commodore Boulevard and passes near more forested areas of homes before briefly joining CR 638 and becoming Jackson Mills Road. The road passes through wooded areas with some farms and development, with the road name changing to County Line Road. CR 526 heads southeast into increasing residential and commercial development as it widens into a four-lane divided highway with jughandles as it approaches the CR 636 junction. The route passes several businesses before becoming the border between Jackson Township to the northeast and Lakewood Township to the southwest as it intersects CR 641 and becomes a four-lane undivided road. The road heads into more residential surroundings as it fully enters Lakewood Township, intersecting CR 639 before curving to the east and coming to the US 9 junction. Past this intersection, CR 526 narrows to two lanes and passes more homes as it heads to the CR 547 junction. The route crosses Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Southern Secondary line and passes more areas of homes and businesses before entering more wooded areas of development and turning southeast to meet CR 623. At this point, the name of the road changes to Lanes Mill Road and it passes more residential areas before CR 526 comes to its eastern terminus at CR 549.
History
In the 19th century, what is now CR 526 west of Imlaystown was part of two turnpikes; the Trenton and Allentown Turnpike, and the Allentown and Imlayston Turnpike, chartered in 1858 to connect the two points.
Major intersections
CR 526 Spur
County Route 526 Spur is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Completed in 2003 and entirely within Upper Freehold Township, it is known as the Allentown Bypass, as it allows through traffic to bypass the Borough of Allentown. The highway extends from Allentown - Red Valley Road to Old York Road. It is two lanes wide; a farm mostly lines the westside of the road while the east side has the Reed Recreation Area; the only place accessible from the road itself. The road was briefly signed as CR 526 Alternate in early 2018, which agrees with NJDOT documents, though Monmouth County documents indicate it is CR 526 Spur.
