UPPER TOWNSHIP — During his state-of-the-township address to the Upper Township Business Association, Mayor Rich Palombo described the as-yet unsuccessful effort to bring a full interchange to Exit 20 of the Garden State Parkway in the Seaville section of the township as one of the disappointments of his more than two decades in office.
Local businesses and township officials have campaigned for the change for years. On March 8, members of Township Committee indicated they were willing to keep trying, unanimously approving a resolution supporting a full interchange there.
Drivers can enter the parkway heading south, and those heading north can exit, using a bridge to pass over the southbound lanes. But that bridge is one-way, meaning drivers heading north must use the entrance in Marmora or outside Sea Isle City, and those heading south on the parkway cannot exit there to reach the intersection of Route 50 and Route 9.
Throughout the campaign — which has gone on for years — advocates have argued that a full interchange there would help revitalize businesses and prove a convenience for visitors and residents.
That project was included in a list of potential improvements used to justify an increase in road tolls, part of a long-term capital plan released in 2020. It included $20 million for the project but did not include a timeline for that work to start. The overall plan outlined billions of dollars’ worth of projects in the long term.