Route 88 begins at an intersection with US 9 and CR 547 in Lakewood Township, and heads eastward on Main Street, a two-lane undivided road.^[1] The road heads through the downtown, passing south of the Lakewood Bus Terminal and crossing the Southern Secondary railroad line operated by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad, before heading into wooded residential areas, where it becomes Ocean Avenue at the Pearl Street intersection before coming to a junction with CR 20. Past this intersection, the route heads through a mix of residences and businesses with some woodland. Route 88 intersects CR 623, where it heads through a commercial district, crossing CR 549.^[1][3] A short distance later, the route passes under the Garden State Parkway without an interchange before crossing the Metedeconk River into Brick Township.^[1] Here, the road heads through a mix of residential and commercial areas, intersecting CR 64, CR 44, CR 40, and CR 16. It turns south and passes west of Ocean Medical Center, intersecting CR 40 before crossing Route 70.^[1][3]

Past this intersection, Route 88 briefly splits into a one-way pair. Here, the eastbound direction follows Princeton Avenue southeast before turning north onto Post Road, with CR 630 continuing along Princeton Avenue, while westbound Route 88 follows Princeton Post Road.^[1] Past the one-way pair, the route continues northeast on Princeton Post Road, which passes by numerous businesses.^[1][3] Along this stretch of road Route 88 intersects several county routes, including CR 64 again, CR 42, CR 10, and CR 54. The route heads into Point Pleasant, where it intersects CR 56 before crossing Beaver Dam Creek and becoming Sea Avenue.^[1] From here, the road crosses CR 632 before heading east and intersecting CR 549 Spur and CR 630. After this intersection, Route 88 crosses the Point Pleasant Canal (part of the Intracoastal Waterway) on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, a lift bridge, before heading east through residential areas with some businesses.^[1][3] Here, the road intersects CR 633/CR 10, CR 6, and CR 604. A short distance later, Route 88 ends at an intersection with Route 35 on the border of Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach.^[1]

What is modern-day Route 88 was first built as a hard gravel county road back in 1903, the first such road in Ocean County.^[4] This road was incorporated into the Camp Dix Way, an auto trail running from Camden to Seaside Heights.^[5] In 1916, this road was designated as a part of pre-1927 Route 4, a state road that was to run from Absecon north to Rahway.^[6] With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, US 9 was also designated along this route, running concurrent with Route 4.^[7][8] In the 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering a year later, Route 35 replaced this portion of pre-1927 Route 4 as part of its route from Lakewood to South Amboy.^[9][10] By the 1940s, US 9 was moved off this portion of Route 35 to follow its current alignment along Route 4 between Lakewood and South Amboy.^[11] In the 1953 New Jersey state highway renumbering, Route 35 was realigned to follow what was a part of Route 37 between Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights, and Route 88 was designated along the former alignment of Route 35 between Lakewood and Point Pleasant.^[12][13] A traffic circle called the Laurelton Circle, built in 1937, once existed at the intersection with Route 70; it was replaced with its current configuration by the 1990s.^[14] The current lift bridge that crosses the Point Pleasant Canal, the Veterans Memorial Bridge, opened in 1986 replacing an obsolete bascule lift bridge completed in 1928.^[15][16]

Route 88 was referred to in the 1973 song "Spirit in the Night" by Bruce Springsteen on his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J..^[17][18]

The entire route is in Ocean County.

•   U.S. Roads portal
•   New Jersey portal

• New Jersey Roads: Route 88
• Speed Limits for State Roads: Route 88