After Years of Delays, $41 Million Black Horse Pike Flood Project Moves Toward Construction

ATLANTIC CITY — After years of delays, repeated funding announcements and continued flooding on one of Atlantic City's primary gateways, a massive project to raise a flood-prone section of the Black Horse Pike has finally reached the construction-contract stage.

New Jersey Department of Transportation records show the state opened bids in May for a project that would raise approximately one mile of Route 40/322 in West Atlantic City and make extensive drainage and infrastructure improvements.

The apparent low bid came in at nearly $41.3 million.

For Atlantic City Councilman Jesse Kurtz, however, movement on the project comes after years of frustration — including yet another encounter with flooding just days before he appeared Monday on WOND's Talking with Anne with Anne Baker.

"Just yesterday, Black Horse Pike was flooded so much in West Atlantic City that people that are using the Black Horse Pike to get into town either have to turn around and go into the Expressway, or they have to drive through salt water," Kurtz said during the interview.

Kurtz said the long-awaited project has become an example of what he sees as the state's failure to follow through on infrastructure commitments to Atlantic City and the surrounding area.

"Not just your administration, but the Murphy administration multiple times committed to giving money and to going forward with the Department of Transportation project to elevate Black Horse Pike in West Atlantic City, and yet it doesn't happen," Kurtz said, referring to Gov. Mikie Sherrill and former Gov. Phil Murphy.

"Let's see you put a priority on that."

State Has Now Put Project Out to Bid

While Kurtz focused on the years of delay, South Jersey NewsBeat's review of current NJDOT records found the project has advanced significantly in 2026.

NJDOT advertised the Route 40 Atlantic County Drainage project for construction this spring and opened bids May 21.

The project stretches from Naples Avenue to east of Bayport Drive and includes the ramp to West End Avenue in Egg Harbor Township and Atlantic City.

Seven contractors submitted bids.

South State Inc. of Bridgeton submitted the apparent low bid of $41,294,993.92.

NJDOT cautions that apparent bid results remain subject to examination and that bid amounts and rankings can change before a contract is formally awarded. The department's publicly available fiscal 2026 awards listing reviewed by South Jersey NewsBeat does not currently show a final award for the Route 40 project.

The state has previously programmed $43.2 million for construction, including $23.2 million through the federal National Highway Performance Program and $20 million through a federal RAISE grant.

The project is designed to raise approximately one mile of Route 40/322 to reduce chronic flooding.

Construction is also expected to include new pavement, curbs and sidewalks, utility relocation and new drainage infrastructure.

A Project Years in the Making

The project is hardly new.

Plans presented years ago called for raising portions of the Black Horse Pike by approximately 2½ feet to address a roadway that has repeatedly been inundated by tidal flooding.

At the time, the project was estimated at approximately $27.5 million, with construction once projected to begin in 2022 and finish in 2025.

That timetable came and went.

The current project has grown considerably in both cost and scope.

NJDOT bid documents describe extensive work that includes nearly 47,500 cubic yards of excavation, more than 40,000 cubic yards of lightweight soil aggregate, more than 23,000 tons of asphalt, nearly 12,700 linear feet of concrete curb and substantial water-main, retaining-wall and structural work.

The bid documents list an estimated completion date of Nov. 29, 2030.

For motorists who regularly encounter flooding on the route, that means the ultimate solution remains years away even as the project finally advances.

Kurtz: 'A Lot of Broken Promises'

Kurtz told Baker the repeated delays are particularly frustrating because the Black Horse Pike is a critical route into Atlantic City.

"There have been a lot of broken promises when it comes to addressing things here in town, and that's one of them," Kurtz said.

He said his own recent experience trying to use the roadway brought the issue back into sharp focus.

"It struck me literally a couple days ago, Ann, where I was having trouble getting through Black Horse Pike to get into town," Kurtz said.

He said he recalled funding for the project being announced multiple times.

"I know there's been three times that the funding has been announced," Kurtz said.

South Jersey NewsBeat independently confirmed that the project and its funding have appeared in state and federal planning documents over a period of years, although the available records reviewed for this story do not independently establish Kurtz's precise count of three separate funding announcements.

Kurtz credited state Sen. Vince Polistina and Assemblyman Don Guardian with continuing to push for the project, while criticizing the pace of action by state government.

"They have made the commitment of seeing it through, but the state folks just have really dropped the ball when it comes to getting that project done," Kurtz said.

Flooding Problem Goes Back Years

The flooding problem along Route 40 has been a concern for Atlantic City and neighboring communities for years.

In 2018, Atlantic City and neighboring Absecon Island communities were already pressing NJDOT to elevate and improve portions of the roadway because recurring tidal flooding interfered with commuters, businesses and access to the resort.

Kurtz was among those calling for action at the time.

The concern extends beyond inconvenience. Route 40 is a major access route into Atlantic City and part of the transportation network serving Absecon Island during emergencies.

NJDOT's current project is intended to address a particularly vulnerable section of the highway through West Atlantic City by raising the roadway and improving drainage.

Finally Moving — But a Long Road Ahead

The latest state records present a more complicated picture than one of a project simply sitting idle.

After years of missed timelines, the state has completed design work, assembled federal funding, advertised a construction contract and received competitive bids.

But for Kurtz and motorists who continue to encounter saltwater covering the Black Horse Pike, the progress has been a long time coming.

Kurtz said state leaders should recognize the importance of the infrastructure serving Atlantic City, particularly as the resort remains a major economic engine and tourist destination.

He pointed to Gov. Sherrill's recent visit to the area as exactly the kind of opportunity local officials should use to make the case.

"I would hope that when some of our local leaders were taking the governor around in a boat ... they also pointed out to her that, listen, we're on water. We're enjoying it," Kurtz said.

Then, he said, show her what happens when that same water covers a principal road into Atlantic City.

For the first time in years, state documents indicate the long-promised solution is moving closer to construction.

But with the current contract documents projecting completion in late 2030, the Black Horse Pike's flooding problem isn't disappearing anytime soon.