By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Local advocates for creating a full interchange at Exit 20 of the Garden State Parkway have seen their first glimmer of hope in some time, in the form of the capital plan presented as part of the rationale for a proposed toll hike.
Township engineer Paul Dietrich mentioned the report at the April 27 Township Committee meeting, held remotely because of ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19.
“Interestingly enough, the good news I saw in there was the projects for Exit 20, 13 and 17 for a full interchange,” Dietrich told council. “That’s something we can definitely keep an eye on.”
He suggested the township continue to push for the change if the toll increase is approved.
Released by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority in March, the Turnpike Authority plan outlines billions of dollars’ worth of capital improvements on the Parkway and Turnpike, including $20 million for Exit 20, in the Seaville section of Upper Township.
The exit is close to the intersection of Route 9 and Route 50. Northbound traffic can exit there, just past the toll, while drivers can enter the Parkway going south. But those heading south can only exit at Marmora or the Sea Isle City exit, which is also a partial interchange, while those heading north take Route 9 to Marmora.
The proposed project would create a southbound exit and a northbound entrance, which would include replacing the overpass crossing the southbound lanes.
“It is planned to complete this as a full interchange to serve communities including Seaville, Tuckahoe and Corbin City,” the plan states. It cites both safety and customer satisfaction as reasons for the project.
Locals have advocated for the project for decades, reaching the point of a study completed in 2004. Members of the Upper Township Business Association have consistently pushed for the project, even when it seemed hopelessly stalled.
Last summer, UTBA member Blanche Adams successfully urged Township Committee to adopt a new resolution supporting the improvement, the latest in a series, and last fall she continued to advocate for action. Adams attended the virtual meeting and said she was glad to hear the news.
“I hope that that happens, although I know that the Atlantic City Chamber is not in favor of that toll increase, but we’ll see where that goes,” she said at the meeting.
The plan lists the status of the project as “To be programmed,” and says the planning and design will take an estimated 27 months, and 18 months more for completion. The proposal envisions coordinating with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, CAFRA, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Pinelands Commission and other agencies, and indicates there may be wetlands issues with the project.
The plan also includes another $20 million for a similar project to create a full interchange at Exit 17, connecting with Sea Isle Boulevard, and $15 million for the completion of a full interchange at Exit 29 at Somers Point. There, traffic heading north can enter the parkway on the nearby Exit 30, while southbound cars exit at 29.
“The combination of Interchanges 29 and 30, each of which is a two-ramp incomplete interchange when considered separately, provides all movements between the Parkway and Somers Point, including access to Ocean City by way of NJ Route 52,” reads the report. “However, the connection to Interchange 30 follows Laurel Drive, a residential road that has become congested with Parkway traffic. To improve traffic flow and to keep through traffic on State and County roads as a community and regional benefit, it is planned to complete missing movements at Interchange 29 and to close Interchange 30.”
Elsewhere in Cape May County, the plan envisions an additional $15 million for the completion of the interchange at Exit 13, leading to Avalon Boulevard. In Middle Township, the plan includes $10 million for the completion of Interchange 6 in the Burleigh section.
These projects alone have already added up to $80 million, but that is a fraction of the proposed spending included in the plan, which includes projects throughout the state and $550 million to repave the entire roadway system over a 10-year period.
The plan also includes $400 million to upgrade software and the authority’s Intelligent Transportation Systems, or ITS, and another $500 million for conversion of the toll collection to entirely electronic means.
That’s still dwarfed by several proposals in the billions of dollars, including $2.86 billion for bridge rehabilitation and replacement throughout the Parkway and Turnpike system.
As proposed, the toll increase would put the cost of the toll for most cars at $1.90 for the Great Egg and Cape May toll plazas, and at 65 cents for the northbound exit at Wildwood. The increase would be 27 percent for the Parkway, 36 percent on the Turnpike, with an estimated increase of 30 cents to the average trip on the Parkway.
The Turnpike Authority held hearings on the plan in March, in Woodbridge and Camden, with some sharply criticizing the authority for moving forward with the hearings as Gov. Phil Murphy imposed strict guidelines on movement and public gatherings in hopes of curbing the spreading pandemic.
“In uncertain economic times, the Turnpike Authority does not want to delay consideration of a capital program expected to sustain tens of thousands of jobs in coming years. The hearing arrangements will allow that process to continue while protecting public health and without limiting public participation,” reads a statement posted to the Turnpike Authority website.
The authority argues that the projects will improve the quality of life for those using its roadways and for the surrounding communities.