Route 82 is a short state highway in Union County of the US state of New Jersey. It runs southeast from an intersection with Route 124 in Springfield Township along Morris Avenue to Route 439 in the Elizabeth general area. Along the 4.92 miles (7.92 km) route, it serves local businesses and the main arterial of Union Township. Near its eastern terminus at Route 439, Route 82 passes through Kean University, a state college in New Jersey. Route 82 originates as one of two Route S24 alignments designated in the 1927 state highway renumbering. A spur of Route 24, it lasted for 26 years untouched until the 1953 state highway renumbering, when Union County's Route S-24 was designated as Route 82 and a portion of Route 439. The route's alignment has changed little since the 1953 renumbering.

Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's seventh-most-populous county with a population of 575,345, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 38,846 (+7.2%) from the 2010 census count of 536,499. Its county seat is Elizabeth, which is also the most populous municipality in the county, with a 2020 census population of 137,298, and the largest by area, covering 13.46 square miles (34.9 km2). The county serves as a transition point between the Central Jersey and North Jersey regions of the state.