Emergency Agencies to Conduct a Hurricane Evacuation Exercise on Thursday

The New Jersey Department of Transportation in partnership with several state agencies will be conducting an emergency evacuation exercise on Thursday to practice and refine a response in the event of a major hurricane.

Officials advise that no roads will be closed during this drill, but drivers may see an increased presence of state troopers and NJDOT crews along several highways. Roads involved in the drill are as follows:

- The entire length of the Atlantic City Expressway.

- The Garden State Parkway between exits 0 and 38.

- Interstate 195 between Robbinsville and Wall.

- Route 72 between Woodland Township and Ship Bottom.

- Routes 47 and 347 in Dennis and Maurice River Townships.

According to a press release, the main element of the exercise is preparing to set up a contra flow (reversing traffic on a section of road so people can drive in the opposite direction) on highways that serve as evacuation routes for the shore. Crews will be staging cones, barrels, and message boards along the sides of those roads, but they won't actually be setting anything up.