The South Jersey Transportation Authority is widening 12.6 miles of the Atlantic City Expressway between Interchange 31 and New Jersey Route 42, addressing the remaining two-lane section of this critical east-west corridor. STV and project partners are providing design services for the $400 million project, which adds a third travel lane in each direction and advances roadway, bridge and drainage improvements and environmental permitting. The project serves a corridor carrying about 66 million travelers annually and connecting the Greater Philadelphia region with Atlantic City and South Jersey Shore communities.
What challenges is STV addressing?
A 2021 conceptual development study identified the 12.6-mile segment in Gloucester and Camden Counties as the most congested section of the expressway. Insufficient capacity, problematic lane configurations, slow travel times and excessive queues at the Route 42 interchange created mobility challenges along the corridor.
What solutions is STV delivering?
STV and project partners advanced the project through preliminary engineering and final design, developing improvements that add a third lane in each direction from milepost 31.6 to 44.2, including through the Route 42 interchange. The design improves acceleration and deceleration lanes and roadway geometry, eliminates the northbound middle-lane drop and upgrades three mainline bridges over Sicklerville Road, Route 42 and the Great Egg Harbor River. STV’s work also includes drainage improvements and complex environmental permitting.
How will this project benefit the region/?
The widening will improve traffic flow, mobility and reliability along a corridor linking suburban, urban and coastal communities. Additional capacity is expected to reduce traffic density by 45 percent and, compared with projected 2045 no-build conditions, reduce travel times through the Route 42 interchange by 55 percent westbound and 25 percent eastbound. The improvements also increase coastal resilience and emergency evacuation capacity while supporting more reliable access between the Greater Philadelphia region and South Jersey Shore communities.
Key stats and accolades
- Third travel lane in each direction
- Three mainline bridges upgraded
- Approximately 66 million travelers annually use the corridor
- Projected 45% reduction in traffic density within the corridor
- Projected Route 42 interchange travel-time reductions of 55% westbound and 25% eastbound versus projected 2045 no-build conditions
