Six Mile Run (New Jersey)

Six Mile Run
	Six Mile Run near its mouth in the Millstone River
	Map of area with Six Mile Run highlighted
Country	United States
Physical characteristics
Main source	39 ft (12 m); 40°27′35″N74°29′11″W / 40.45972°N 74.48639°W
River mouth	40°28′21″N74°34′20″W / 40.47250°N 74.57222°W Coordinates: 40°28′21″N74°34′20″W / 40.47250°N 74.57222°W
Basin features
Progression	Millstone River, Raritan River, Atlantic Ocean
Tributaries	Left:; Steep Hill Brook, Middlebush Brook ; Right:; Cross Brook, Nine Mile Run ;

Last updated February 22, 2019

Six Mile Run is a tributary of the Millstone River that drains a large area in central Franklin Township in Somerset County and as well western portions of North Brunswick and South Brunswick Townships in Middlesex County, New Jersey in the United States.

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean.

The Millstone River is a 38.6-mile-long (62.1 km) tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.

Franklin Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 62,300, reflecting an increase of 11,397 (+22.4%) from the 50,903 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 8,123 (+19.0%) from the 42,780 counted in the 1990 Census.

Name

Six Mile Run derives its name (along with other area streams including Mile Run, Three Mile Run, Nine Mile Run, and Ten Mile Run) from the distance early surveyors estimated it was from the point where the historic King's Highway (now Rt. 27) left the Raritan River at New Brunswick to the point the roadway crossed the stream. The estimates were not very accurate but the stream names have remained in use ever since.

Nine Mile Run, known as Ninemile Run according to the USGS GNIS, is a moderately large tributary of the Six Mile Run, one of the branches of the Millstone River, in central New Jersey in the United States.

Ten Mile Run is a tributary of the Millstone River, draining an area in southern South Brunswick and southern Franklin Park, New Jersey in the United States.

Route 27 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs 38.53 mi (62.01 km) from U.S. Route 206 in Princeton, Mercer County northeast to an interchange with Route 21 and Broad Street in Newark, Essex County. The route passes through many communities along the way, including New Brunswick, Metuchen, Rahway, and Elizabeth. Route 27 is a two- to four-lane undivided highway for most of its length, passing through a variety of urban and suburban environments. It intersects many roads along the way, including Route 18 in New Brunswick, Interstate 287 in Edison, the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge Township, Route 35 in Rahway, Route 28 in Elizabeth, and U.S. Route 22 in Newark. Route 27 crosses the Raritan River on the Albany Street Bridge, which connects Highland Park on the east with New Brunswick on the west.

Course

Six Mile Run starts near Corporate Road in North Brunswick 40°27′35″N74°29′11″W / 40.45972°N 74.48639°W / 40.45972; -74.48639 . It crosses Cozzens Lane, then flows through a residential development. It joins up with the drainage from a lake then crosses Rt. 27. It then joins with the Nine Mile Run, a major tributary, and crosses South Middlebush Rd. It then crosses Canal Road and drains into the Millstone River 40°28′21″N74°34′20″W / 40.47250°N 74.57222°W / 40.47250; -74.57222 .

Accessibility

Six Mile Run is easily accessible in several places, including Cozzens Lane and the residential development. It also can be accessed at Route 27, South Middlebush Road, and Canal Road, as well as the D&R Canal Trail. It can be also accessed by trails in the Six Mile Run Reservoir Site.

The D&R Canal trail is a recreational trail in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The 77-mile (124 km) trail is made up of three segments that transverse three counties: a canal towpath from New Brunswick to Trenton; a canal towpath/rail trail from Trenton to Bull's Island; and a rail trail from Bull's Island to Frenchtown. The three combined trails together form the largest completed trail in New Jersey. Much of the trail runs along the existing Delaware & Raritan Canal within the New Jersey state park of the same name.

The Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, part of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, is located in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal. It covers 3,037 acres (12.29 km²). The reservoir plan was to flood the Six Mile Run watershed. The Six Mile Run is a tributary of the Millstone River that, with its tributaries, drains a large area in central Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey and western portions of North Brunswick and South Brunswick Townships in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It derives its name, along with other streams, from the distance early surveyors estimated it was from the point where the historic King's Highway left the Raritan River at New Brunswick to the point the roadway crossed the stream. The estimates were not very accurate but the stream names have remained in use ever since.

Terrain

Six Mile Run is generally between rocky and muddy terrain. Near Cozzens Lane, the streambed is rocky with a muddy covering. It is quite deep in many places. Farther downstream in the residential development, the stream becomes more rocky and fast flowing. It then becomes rocky and deep near Route 27, and remains like that for most of its downstream course. It widens considerably when it joins the Nine Mile Run. Near its mouth, it has a mixture of pebbles and sand for its streambed. Many large fish are found in the deep pools near the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s, that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia and New York City, especially coal from the anthracite fields in eastern Pennsylvania. The canal allowed shippers to cut many miles off the existing route from the Pennsylvania coal fields, down the Delaware, around Cape May, and up along the Atlantic Ocean coast to New York City.

Tributaries

Cross Brook
Middlebush Brook
Nine Mile Run
Steep Hill Brook

The Six Mile Run has a large unnamed tributary that flows northward, crossing Skillmans Lane, Bennets Lane, and Veronica Avenue.

Sister Tributaries

Gallery

Six Mile Run crossing Cozzens Lane
Six Mile Run running through a residential development
Six Mile Run at Route 27
Six Mile Run at South Middlebush Road
Six Mile Run at South Middlebush Road, other side
Six Mile Run at Canal Road, near its mouth to the Millstone River
Six Mile Run after the D&R Canal and before the Millstone River, viewed from the canal towpath

External links

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Related Research Articles

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Six Mile Run is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 3,184.

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