Atlantic Avenue Road Work Ramps Up as Long-Awaited Paving Project Moves Forward

ATLANTIC CITY — After years of complaints, delays and questions about when Atlantic Avenue would finally be repaved, motorists are now encountering something many have been waiting to see: crews actively tearing into portions of the roadway.

Atlantic City Public Information Officer Andrew Kramer said Thursday that construction activity is now clearly visible along the heavily traveled corridor as work progresses toward the milling and paving of Atlantic Avenue.

Kramer experienced it himself on his way from City Hall to an appearance on The AC Mike Lopez Show on WOND.

“I usually time it out perfectly from City Hall to here,” Kramer said. “Got a little detoured because they are ripping Atlantic Avenue up right now, and I mean that in a good way.”

Kramer cautioned motorists to leave additional time when traveling through the work zones but said businesses and other destinations remain accessible.

“Everything's still open,” Kramer said. “You have to leave yourself extra time, of course.”

The visible construction is particularly significant because the Atlantic Avenue project has endured repeated delays and generated frustration among residents, businesses and motorists.

“But anybody who had any doubts that this paving project was real and it was finally happening, take a drive out right now,” Kramer said. “They are tearing those roads up in preparation.”

The work is part of the final phase of the Atlantic Avenue Improvement Project, which calls for milling and paving from Tennessee Avenue to Albany Avenue.

The approximately $17.6 million final phase also includes traffic signal synchronization, new decorative pedestrian lighting, ADA improvements, surveillance cameras, high-visibility crosswalks and other pedestrian and traffic improvements.

Funding includes a $10.3 million Federal Highway Administration grant, along with money from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and Atlantic City.

The city announced in April that preparatory work for the final phase had begun. At that time, officials anticipated moving toward milling and paving, but the schedule was subsequently pushed back.

In July, Mayor Marty Small Sr. announced another revised schedule, saying the milling and paving would begin in the fall and be completed before the end of the year.

Small acknowledged at the time that residents had reason to be frustrated by how long the project had taken.

The work Kramer encountered Thursday is part of the preparation leading up to the actual milling and paving of the roadway.

Kramer said seeing tangible progress is welcome after the repeated questions surrounding the project.

“We were just talking about doubters for the road project, Atlantic Avenue,” Kramer said later in the interview. “They're being proven wrong.”

The condition of Atlantic Avenue has been a persistent complaint among Atlantic City residents, visitors and business owners, with potholes and deteriorating pavement making the city's main east-west artery a source of frustration.

The project has also become a recurring issue for city officials as deadlines shifted.

The initial phase of the Atlantic Avenue project was completed in 2023 and included paving and restriping from Maine Avenue to Tennessee Avenue, along with lighting replacement and traffic signal work. Fiber and conduit were extended farther along the avenue to Albany Avenue in preparation for subsequent improvements.

The final phase is designed to finish improvements through the heart of the city.

For the moment, that means motorists should expect construction-related delays.

But Kramer said this may be one of the rare occasions when getting caught in Atlantic City road construction is welcome news.

“This is probably the one example of getting stuck in traffic where you're actually smiling and relieved a little bit,” Kramer said.