New Jersey: Route 40 Resiliency Project

A Crucial Garden State Roadway Gets a BIG RAISE

Challenge: Route 40 in southern New Jersey is the primary conduit to the Garden State’s entertainment mecca, Atlantic City, which generates $3 billion in annual economic activity and supports over 27,000 jobs. But it’s also a main evacuation route for motorists whenever a major storm, like Hurricane Sandy, hits the coastline. The area experiences severe flooding at least 20 times a year, and according to Shore Local News, “even on a clear night with a full moon.”  Route 40 itself becomes submerged from storm surges and standing water, making the route almost impassable.  

Solution: Efforts to fix the flooding problem have been an ongoing priority of the New Jersey Department of Transportation. But the effort recently got a big boost from a $20 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). By raising portions of Route 40, the frequency of lane closures from tidal surges will be significantly reduced, improving overall storm management.  The project will mitigate flooding conditions with a new drainage main and outfall, new tidal check valves at outfalls, and an 800-foot extension of the existing seawall at Brenta Avenue. A new wall along the Route 40 ramp to West End Avenue, which will improve roadway drainage and extend the route’s service life. It will also reduce standing water on the roadway, a major catalyst for vehicle crashes.  

What they’re saying: “Route 40 is supposed to be a highway, not a U-turn. Far too often police officers have to line up orange cones and turn cars around because the intersection of Route 40 and West End Avenue becomes a flooded lake,” State Sen. Chris Brown told Shore Local News in 2021, before the RAISE award was granted in 2022.