Route 71 begins at large grade-separated interchange with
Route 35 in the community of
Brielle. The route heads northward through Brielle as Union Avenue, passing through the commercial district and residential after the intersection with Union Lane. Route 71 continues northward through Brielle as a two-lane highway before beginning a parallel with
NJ Transit's
North Jersey Coast Line. After entering the community of
Manasquan, the highway enters a large commercial district and crosses over the Stockton Brook before curving onto Seventh Avenue. After the intersection with
County Route 49 (CR 49, Sea Girt Avenue), Route 71 enters the community of
Sea Girt. The route continues north through Sea Girt until the intersection with
CR 20 (Manasquan Turnpike), where it enters a short portion of
Wall Township. There, the route crosses over the North Branch of the Wreck Pond and enters
Spring Lake Heights. Route 71 quickly passes the Spring Lake Golf Club and the nearby
Spring Lake train station before entering the downtown portions of Spring Lake Heights. Most of Spring Lake Heights is residential, with a large condominium complex surrounding the southbound direction on Route 71. The highway continues northward, intersecting with
CR 524 (Alliare Road) and passes Marucci Park. Route 71 intersects with
CR 30 (Eighteenth Avenue), where the highway enters the
Belmar community of
West Belmar. After crossing the intersection with
CR 18 (Sixteenth Avenue), Route 71 enters the downtown portion of Belmar, intersecting with Route 35 (River Road). There, Route 35/Route 71 runs concurrently through Belmar, passing the local
Belmar train station. At the intersection with Eighth Avenue, Route 71 turns off to the east and crosses parallel to Route 35 over the
Shark River to the community of
Avon-by-the-Sea, becoming Main Street. There, the two routes continue to parallel, with Route 71 becoming a divided one-way street through Avon-by-the-Sea. The route continues northward through the residential seashore community, crossing the Sylvan Creek and entering
Bradley Beach. Through Bradley Beach, Route 71 intersects with
CR 2 (Brinley Avenue), which serves access to the
Bradley Beach train station. The highway continues northward through the residential district, and enters
Neptune Township. There, Route 71 intersects with the eastern terminus of the cross-state
Route at Corlies Avenue before entering the large city of
Asbury Park. Through Asbury Park, Route 71 intersects with several local streets at traffic lights as Main Street. The route also serves as the terminus of both
CR 16 and
CR 18. After crossing through Sunset Park, Route 71 approaches
Deal Lake, where the highway turns to the east along Deal Lake Drive. Route 71's right-of-way on Main Street becomes
CR 15 and Route 71 continues through the lakeshore community as a two-lane arterial. Soon after, Route 71 turns on Park Avenue, crosses over Deal Lake and enters
Loch Arbour. However, the highway heads northward into the community of
Allenhurst soon after. Route 71, now known as Norwood Avenue, crosses out of Allenhurst after an intersection with Cedar Avenue, entering the community of
Deal. Before the intersection with Roseld Avenue, the highway becomes a divided one with a center median. The route continues this way through the residential portions of Deal, crossing into
Ocean Township. There, the route comes back together, crossing over the North Jersey Coast Line once again near the
Elberon train station. Route 71 continues along the Ocean Township–
Long Branch border until entering the community of
West Long Branch near Whale Pond Brook. At that point, Route 71 serves as the main road to access
Monmouth University. At the intersection with Cedar Avenue, Norwood Avenue ends, and Route 71 northbound turns westward along Cedar. The route crosses through Monmouth University and enters the residential portions of West Long Branch, intersecting with CR 15 and
CR 32 within a mile of each other. At the intersection with CR 15, Route 71 turns to the northwest through a residential area. Route 71 parallels the
Glenwood Cemetery before intersecting with
Route 36 in West Long Branch. Here, Route 71 continues northwestward on Monmouth Road through large commercial complexes and the local country club. The highway continues northward into
Eatontown, where it enters a local residential area and intersects with
CR 547 (Eatontown Boulevard), which become concurrent. Route 71 and CR 547 enter downtown Eatontown as Broad Street, heading westward as CR 547 splits at Wyckoff Road. The highway continues into the commercial district of Eatontown, where it intersects
Route 35 once again but Route 71 terminates. ==History==