Garden State Parkway

Engineers present parkway options
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Thursday, January 26, 2006
Press of Atlantic City
Updated: Thursday, January 26, 2006

— The engineering company designing interchanges to replace three traffic lights on the Garden State Parkway presented on Wednesday eight possibilities for exits 9 and 11.

But at this point, they are just possibilities. Some designs may be too expensive to build, while others may be less desirable due to impact on wetlands or preserved open space.

One design for an exit is named a “single-point urban interchange,” a 12-foot-tall bridgelike structure used primarily in cities. That one in particular is expensive to build, said Dennis Conklin, chief highway engineer for The Louis Berger Group, Inc.

“We'd be spending a lot of money for an exotic bridge in Cape May County,” Conklin said.

In two months, the engineering company will have an analysis of the impacts of each interchange design, Conklin said. The company is reviewing exits 9, 10 and 11.

These will include estimates on construction, environmental impact, right of way and — for a few designs involving exit 10 — possible use of eminent domain.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which runs the parkway, and the state Department of Transportation will review them, Conklin said.

The Turnpike Authority expects that the current preliminary design phase will be completed by 2007. Construction is slated to begin in 2009, with hopes of finishing by 2011.

Last summer, The Louis Berger Group, Inc., hired by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, presented possible design changes to exit 10, where the parkway and the heart of Middle Township meet.

Exit 10, where motorists either head into Cape May Court House or Stone Harbor, will be the largest and perhaps most complicated of the interchanges.

Besides heavy traffic there, Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital and some residential houses are nearby. Jan Dougherty, who lives on nearby Brighton Street, is particularly interested in what becomes of exit 10. The government may want her house.

Exit 11 would affect the Crest Haven Complex, the headquarters of Cape May County government and services.

Cape May County Engineer Dale Foster said he suggested some design modifications to engineers. Some designs would hamper traffic within the Crest Haven Complex, Foster said.

The Turnpike Authority is taking suggestions from local elected officials and residents. At a public meeting Wednesday, the designs were on display for perusal, and comment cards were available.

The designs for exits 9 and 11 can still be viewed by calling the Cape May County Engineer's Office at 465-1035.

Last year, the federal government earmarked $32 million for the parkway improvements.

Conklin said they have not completed cost estimates for the interchanges. However, previous estimates put the overall project at $100 million.

The 173-mile parkway has only three traffic lights, all of which exist in Middle Township.

There are concerns the lights are unsafe and clog traffic.

Middle Township Mayor Nathan Doughty acknowledged that, regardless of the final design, some people will not be happy.

Doughty and others witnessed similar attempts to remove the parkway lights fail through the years.

He said the choice of interchanges depends heavily on their cost and how much federal and state authorities are willing to spend.

“They're showing all this, but at the end of the day, who knows what they're going to do?” Doughty asked.