Big Makeover Coming to Margate’s Washington Avenue

The city of Margate is set to move ahead with plans to change Washington Avenue to an entirely one-way street and implement a host of ideas that will transform the street into a more aesthetically pleasing connection of the city's oceanfront and bayside.

Many of the objectives for the project were first proposed during the city's master plan, approved in 2017.

A contract has been awarded for the work projected to cost $3.5 million, and work on phase one from the beach block to Ventnor Avenue in the spring of 2026. Phase two will be completed in the fall of 2026, after a summer break.

Washington Avenue Will Be Completely One-Way

The direction of traffic on Washington Avenue, which is one way headed to the bay from Pacific to Ventnor Avenue, will be extended to one-way from Ventnor Avenue to Amherst Avenue.

Margate collected data on the flow of traffic on Washington Avenue during the summer of 2024, which showed that approximately twice as much traffic on the street was heading toward the bay as the beach.

The city's website says that changing the flow of traffic to one-way for the street's entirety will improve safety for cars, bicycles, and pedestrians.

On-street parking will remain on both sides of the street.

A Detailed Breakdown of Improvements to Washington Avenue

A bike lane will be added to Washington Avenue, connecting with the existing bike lanes on Pacific and Amherst avenues. New bicycle racks are being added at the waterfront park on Amherst Avenue and on the beach block of Washington Avenue.

Existing sidewalks and driveway aprons will be replaced with new brick paver sidewalks and driveway aprons. Curb and gutter will also be replaced.

The project will add 47 new street trees and keep 35 existing street trees. Electric conduits will be installed to allow for holiday lighting in the future.

The project will add 44 new decorative street lights to replace the existing decorative street lights on Washington Avenue. The new street lights will match the existing decorative street lights on Ventnor Avenue.

The project also includes upgrades to the water, sanitary sewer, and drainage utilities on Washington Avenue. Once the project is complete, the roadway will be repaved and re-striped for the new traffic pattern.

The city has secured $1,662,000 in grant funding through the NJDOT for the project.

The additional construction costs will be funded through the City’s ongoing capital improvement program.