Long-Awaited Atlantic City Expressway Widening Finally Begins
Work on eliminating one of South Jersey's biggest traffic bottlenecks will ceremoniously begin this Wednesday.
We all know the drill: It's a Sunday in the summer and westbound traffic on the Atlantic City Expressway is heavy but moving -- that is until you hit the area of Exit 31 for Route 73. That's where the Expressway goes from three lanes to two, creating a familiar slowdown for drivers heading home from the Jersey Shore.
But after years of planning, the Atlantic City Expressway is finally getting wider, and the groundbreaking ceremony for the project is happening Wednesday.
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The South Jersey Transportation Authority will be joined by federal, state, and local officials at 10 AM to mark the official start of the Atlantic City Expressway Third Lane Widening Project, a more than $400 million investment in one of the most heavily traveled corridors in South Jersey.
The project will add a continuous third travel lane in both directions between Route 42 and Route 73, with the goal of increasing capacity, improving safety, and reducing the kind of congestion that anyone who's driven toward Atlantic City on a summer Friday knows all too well.
A Project Years in the Making
This isn't a new idea. Plans to widen the Atlantic City Expressway were announced in 2022, when the project was expected to cost approximately $180 million, with groundbreaking anticipated in 2024.
At the time, the South Jersey Transportation Authority said the project would add a third lane in both directions and include improvements to bridges over Route 42 and the Great Egg Harbor River, along with the reconstruction and widening of drainage culverts along the route.
The project has since moved through preliminary engineering and final design. In 2024, engineering studies were conducted, and design plans were finalized in 2025, when construction contracts were put out to bid.
Now, the estimated price tag has climbed to more than $400 million.
The widening will cover approximately 12.6 miles between the Route 42 interchange and the area of Exit 31 in Winslow Township, eliminating the last major two-lane stretch of the Expressway.
Why This Stretch of the Expressway Matters
The Atlantic City Expressway opened to traffic in the 1960s, providing a direct route between the Philadelphia-area highway system and Atlantic City.
Over the decades, portions of the road were widened to accommodate growing traffic. The Expressway was expanded between Atlantic City and Exit 7 in the mid-2000s, and the westbound lanes between Exits 7 and 31 were widened in 2014.
But the stretch between Route 42 in Washington Township and Route 73 in Winslow Township remained two lanes in each direction.
That has made the area a familiar source of backups, particularly during the busy summer travel season, when drivers from South Jersey, the Philadelphia region, and beyond head toward Atlantic City's casinos, beaches, and boardwalk.
Adding a third lane in each direction is intended to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and provide operational and safety improvements for motorists. The Expressway also serves as an important coastal evacuation route.
Once the entire project is complete, the toll road will have three continuous travel lanes in each direction along the full 44-mile highway.
When Will Construction Be Finished?
Although Wednesday's ceremony marks a major milestone, drivers shouldn't expect the entire Expressway widening to happen overnight.
The work is being divided into multiple construction packages.
The first major contract is scheduled to begin in 2027 and covers widening and related improvements between the Route 42 interchange and milepost 40, near Exit 41. That phase is currently scheduled to run through 2029.
Additional contracts will cover the eastbound and westbound roadways between milepost 40 and milepost 31.6, near Exit 31. The schedules for those later phases have not yet been determined.
Some advance work is also planned for fall 2026, including widening the Sicklerville Road ramp and making isolated shoulder repairs along the Expressway to accommodate future traffic shifts.
In other words, Wednesday's groundbreaking is the beginning of a much larger, phased construction effort.
Who Will Be at Wednesday's Groundbreaking?
Scheduled speakers will include Congressman Donald Norcross, South Jersey Transportation Authority Vice Chair Barbara Holcomb, and SJTA Executive Director Stephen F. Dougherty.
The ceremony is scheduled for 10 AM at 611 Berlin-Cross Keys Road in Sicklerville, in the rear parking lot next to Urban Trampoline Park, behind Texas Roadhouse near Exit 41 of the Atlantic City Expressway.
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Gallery Credit: Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman is a South Jersey native and has been a cornerstone of the Atlantic City radio market since 1998. He serves as Brand Manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 and afternoon on-air personality for WPUR Cat Country 107.3. A five-time President's Circle award winner and Townsquare Media's 2024 Content Creator of the Year, Chris covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com.
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