Hillsborough to pseudo Princeton (areas that have the zip but aren't even in the same county) went from 15 mins when my sister did it in 1988 to 1 hour 15 minutes when I did it in the late 00s. It's accrued development and traffic.

County and backroads were always faster than 206 for me, but still about 50 minutes total commute. Have a friend working at Princeton U and living in Bridgewater, the Bypass helps a bit since it shaves off 15-20 mins in rush hour, but direct routes always get the most traffic.

You gotta learn to do the county road boogie and avoid all possible times when school buses will mess with your commute. But unfortunately, people find those, too. RIP Dukes Parkway West/Auten Road in Hillsborough.