Route 35 was designated in 1927 to run from Lakewood to South Amboy, from Lakewood to Belmar and from Eatontown to South Amboy. It was realigned onto its current alignment between Brielle and Belmar in 1929 and saw a northward extension along U.S. Route 9 from South Amboy to Iselin in 1947. In 1953, Route 35 was realigned to run from Point Pleasant to Seaside Heights along a former part of Route 37, with Route 35 between Lakewood and Point Pleasant becoming Route 88. At the same time, Route 35 was removed from U.S. Route 9 between South Amboy and Iselin and realigned to follow a former piece of Route 4 between South Amboy and Rahway. From the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, there were plans to build a freeway along the Route 35 corridor from Seaside Heights north into Monmouth County; the only portion that was built became part of Route 18. Route 35 was extended south to the Island Beach State Park entrance by the 1980s. Recent improvements to the route have removed many traffic circles and replaced the first cloverleaf interchange in the United States, built in 1929, at U.S. Route 1/9 in Woodbridge Township with a partial cloverleaf interchange.