Major Changes Could Be Coming to the Garden State Parkway And More
Some major transportation changes could be coming to South Jersey, including projects that could finally address two Garden State Parkway interchanges that Shore drivers have complained about for years.
This past week New Jersey transportation officials discussed plans involving the Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City Expressway and Atlantic City International Airport, and while some of these projects are still years away, they are going to make life so much easier driving to the jersey shore.
For those of us here in Cape May County, two of the biggest projects involve Garden State Parkway Exit 6, which serves North Wildwood, and Exit 17, which serves Sea Isle City.
Major Changes Could Be Coming to the Garden State Parkway And More
Garden State Parkway Exit 6
Anyone who regularly drives into the Wildwoods knows the unusual setup at Exit 6.
The interchange connects the Parkway with Route 147, also known as North Wildwood Boulevard, but it isn’t a full interchange.
Drivers traveling south on the Parkway can take Exit 6 toward North Wildwood, while drivers leaving the Wildwoods can use Route 147 to enter the Parkway northbound.
The problem is going the other way.
There is currently no direct ramp from Route 147 to the Parkway southbound and no direct northbound Parkway exit onto Route 147.
This makes it so annoying for those traveling in those directions.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has previously studied completing this interchange. In its 2020 Long-Range Capital Plan, the authority included a project specifically called “Garden State Parkway Interchange 6 Completion.”
At the time, the preliminary project called for constructing the missing ramps along with full shoulders and acceleration and deceleration lanes.
The plan had also anticipated widening two Parkway bridges over Route 147 and potentially acquiring additional right-of-way.
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Back in 2020, the project carried an estimated price tag of around $10 million.
What is important is that this shows the idea of completing Exit 6 has been sitting on the state’s radar for years.
Now it appears to be getting another look.
Transportation officials recently indicated that Exit 6 is among four Cape May County Parkway interchanges being considered for conversion into full four-way interchanges. Exit 6 isn’t yet as far along as some of the other projects, with preliminary design still ahead.
Exit 17 Could Finally Become a Full Interchange
Then there is Exit 17.
If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t make certain movements between the Parkway and Sea Isle Boulevard, you’re certainly not alone.
Exit 17 currently does not provide a direct connection from the northbound Parkway to Sea Isle Boulevard or from Sea Isle Boulevard to the southbound Parkway.
Completing those missing connections has been discussed for more than two decades.
NJDOT transportation documents from the mid-2000s included a project for a “Full Interchange to Sea Isle Boulevard,” and the proposal resurfaced again in the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s 2020 capital plan.
That plan estimated the project at roughly $20 million at the time.
Again, that’s an old planning estimate and shouldn’t be confused with what the project would cost today.
For northbound drivers trying to reach Sea Isle, the missing Parkway movement can also result in motorists traveling farther south and using another interchange before doubling back.
This is something local officials and residents have wanted addressed for years.
Now, once again, it appears there is movement.
More Changes Coming to the Atlantic City Expressway
The Parkway isn’t the only major South Jersey highway being targeted for improvements.
The South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) is moving ahead with a major widening of the Atlantic City Expressway.
The plan would add a third lane in both directions between approximately milepost 31.6 and the Expressway’s western end at Route 42.
Once completed, the entire Atlantic City Expressway would essentially have three travel lanes in each direction.
The project is estimated to cost around $300 million.
Unlike the Parkway interchange proposals, this project is already much further through the planning process.
Final design began in 2025, and advance construction work is expected to begin after the 2026 summer season.
That early work is expected to include shoulder repairs and improvements around Interchange 7. Larger construction contracts would follow, with major work currently expected to get underway in 2027.
These projects have appeared in transportation plans before, and anyone who follows major infrastructure projects in New Jersey knows that planning, environmental approvals, engineering and funding can take years.
But the fact that state transportation leadership is publicly discussing these interchanges again is significant.
For Cape May County, completing Exit 6 and Exit 17 would fix two unusual gaps in a highway system that millions of residents and visitors depend on every year.
Now the big question is how quickly these projects can move from plans on paper to actual construction.