Along this stretch, it passes through the communities of Rio Grande, Cape May Court House, Somers Point, Pleasantville, Absecon, Tuckerton, Manahawkin, Beachwood, and Berkeley Township.

In Toms River, US 9 runs along the GSP for a short distance before heading northwest away from it and the Jersey Shore into Lakewood Township.

[2][3] In Woodbridge Township, US 9 then merges with US 1 and the two routes run concurrently through northern New Jersey as US 1/9 to the George Washington Bridge, where they continue into New York.

US 9 was initially only signed through New Jersey in 1926 to run from US 30 in Absecon north to the New York border in Alpine, where it became US 9W; it ran more to the east of its current alignment between Lakewood and South Amboy.

Shore Road, which is maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), carries the route northward through a mix of woods and marshland containing some development, with the Cape May Seashore Lines tracks running immediately to the west and the GSP a short distance to the east.

[1][4] The road passes near Historic Cold Spring Village prior to a brief bend farther to the east of the railroad tracks as the route continues west of the Cape May National Golf Club and through Erma.

[1][4] At this intersection, US 9 turns southeast to run concurrent with CR 623 on Roosevelt Boulevard, while Shore Road continues north into Beesley's Point to a dead end at the site of the former Beesley's Point Bridge; this section of Shore Road is still inventoried as part of US 9 by NJDOT even though it no longer carries through traffic along US 9 since the bridge was closed and demolished.

The parkway, which has a wide median, carries the route through wooded areas between Beesley's Point to the west and marshland to the east.

US 9 enters Pleasantville, intersecting US 40/US 322 (Black Horse Pike), a surface route to nearby Atlantic City to the east.

[1][4] The road turns more north-northeast past this intersection, crossing a trail and the Southern Railroad of New Jersey's Pleasantville Industrial Track line.

[1] The road continues into Galloway Township, with residential development becoming less dense as it runs a short distance to the west of inland bays, intersecting with the southern terminus of CR 561.

[4] The road turns slightly north-northwest as it crosses the marshy Nacote Creek, entering Port Republic and continuing north.

From this point, the road resumes a north-northeast bearing, passing more of the Pine Barrens as it continues back into Little Egg Harbor Township and runs through Parkertown.

Leaving Waretown, the road heads north through areas of woodland and businesses before crossing Oyster Creek into Lacey Township.

[4] A crossing of the Cedar Creek takes the route into Berkeley Township and US 9 continues north as Atlantic City Boulevard.

[4] The road briefly forms the border between Berkeley Township to the southwest and Pine Beach to the northeast prior to crossing into Beachwood.

[1] Upon entering Lakewood Township, the road then passes commercial establishments containing Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus and running through the tree-covered residential neighborhoods.

After intersecting the western terminus of Route 88, Madison Avenue continues north through the commercial and residential center of Lakewood as a four-lane undivided road, with CR 547 splitting from US 9 by turning east.

[1][4] US 9 enters Howell Township, Monmouth County, where it becomes the Lila W. Thompson Memorial Highway and at the point where it crosses over the North Branch Metedeconk River.

[1] After this interchange, the highway continues north and passes west of the Howell Park & Ride, with a bus stop next to the northbound lanes serving NJ Transit busses.

[1] The road then enters Old Bridge Township and Middlesex County, where it becomes the Joann H. Smith Memorial Highway and interchanges with the Route 18 freeway.

[1][4] Past CR 516, the highway passes a mix of woodland and farmfields and then crosses Jake Brown Road, where a park-and-ride lot is located on the northeast corner.

[1] The concurrent US 9 and Route 35 head northwest as a four-lane divided highway through commercial areas and woodland, crossing over Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO)'s Amboy Secondary before turning north and interchanging with CR 535 (Raritan Street) and Kearney Road, crossing back into Sayreville at the interchange with the former.

Upon crossing the Raritan River, US 9 enters Woodbridge Township, where it reaches a complex interchange with the Garden State Parkway, the Route 440 freeway, and CR 656.

Along this stretch, the road passes under CSAO's Perth Amboy Running Track line and there are ramps to and from CR 616 and to the parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95).

[4] After passing under CSAO's Port Reading Secondary line, US 9 then junctions with CR 604 prior to merging with US 1 at a southbound exit and northbound entrance, becoming US 1/9.

US 1/9/US 46 come to an interchange with I-95, US 9W, and Route 4, where it joins I-95 and the I-95 extension to head east towards the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River.

Also at that time, or possibly earlier, the offramp from Route 139 was moved to the right side, and entered the Circle where the connector to Hudson County Boulevard had.

[39] In the mid-1960s, a limited-access toll road called the Garden State Thruway (GST) was planned along the US 9 alignment between Toms River and Woodbridge.

A ramp was added to permit vehicles heading southbound on Tonnele Avenue to access the Pulaski Skyway without entering the circle.