Originally, the highway crossed the Goethals Bridge and connected to NY 439, Forest Avenue, across Staten Island. With the completion of the Staten Island Expressway, New York eliminated the NY 439 designation from the books completely, leaving the bridge and the new expressway as I-278. In turn, New Jersey truncated NJ 439 before the bridge. Its origin is now at a county road from which one can find ramps to and from the bridge.
While NJ 439 intersects NJ 27 twice, it does not provide much of a shortcut, as the road is generally very busy through the Elmora Avenue shopping district. Perhaps its only advantage is that it is better signed than NJ 27 through downtown Elizabeth.
| Mile | Street Name | Feature | ||
Road continues eastward as  North Ave |
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| 3.95 | Northern terminus of , Elizabeth City, Union Co |
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| 3.95 | North Ave |  Newark Ave |
 |
Newark Ave |
| 3.65 | North Ave |  North Broad St |
|
North Broad St |
| 3.48 | North Ave | Salem Ave | |
Salem Ave; |
| 3.44 | North Ave | Elizabeth City, Union Co Hillside Twp, Union Co |
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| 3.37 | North Ave | Westminster Ave | |
Westminster Ave |
| 3.10 | North Ave | Kean University | |
Riverside Dr |
| 3.01 | North Ave | Branch Elizabeth River | bridge | Branch Elizabeth River |
| 2.96 | North Ave | Hillside Twp, Union Co Union Twp, Union Co |
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| 2.96 | North Ave | Elizabeth River | bridge | Elizabeth River |
| 2.83 | North Ave |  Morris Ave |
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Morris Ave |
| 2.70 | North Ave | Branch Elizabeth River | bridge | Branch Elizabeth River |
| 2.59 | North Ave | Union Twp, Union Co Elizabeth City, Union Co |
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| 2.43 | |
Union Twp, Union Co Elizabeth City, Union Co |
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| 2.38 | Elmora Ave | Floral Ave | |
Chilton St |
| 2.24 | Elmora Ave |  Magie Ave |
|
Magie Ave |
| 2.00 | Elmora Ave |  Westfield Ave |
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Westfield Ave |
| 1.94 | Elmora Ave | Jersey Central Railroad | underpass | Jersey Central Railroad |
| 1.88 | Elmora Ave |  Grand St |
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Grand St |
| 1.80 | Elmora Ave | Pennington Ave | |
Pennington Ave |
| 1.71 | Elmora Ave |  Jersey Ave |
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Jersey Ave |
| 1.60 | Elmora Ave |  Linden St |
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Linden St |
| 1.30 | Elmora Ave | Rahway Ave |
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Rahway Ave |
| 1.09 | Elmora Ave |  Fay Ave |
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Fay Ave |
| 1.05 | Elmora Ave | Pennsylvania Railroad | underpass | Pennsylvania Railroad |
| 0.87 | Elmora Ave |  Lidgerwood Ave |
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Lidgerwood Ave |
| 0.76 | Elmora Ave | Edgar Rd | |
Washington Ave |
| 0.68 | |
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| 0.51 | Bayway Ave | Grier Ave | |
Grier Ave |
| 0.34 | Bayway Ave | |
South Broad St |
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| 0.23 | Bayway Ave | Thomas St | |
Maple Ave |
| 0.16 | Bayway Ave | Clarkson Ave | |
Clarkson Ave |
| 0.00 | Bayway Ave |  Brunswick Ave |
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Bayway Ave Connector |
| 0.00 | Southern terminus of , Elizabeth City, Union Co |
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