New Jersey Dept. of Transportation recently leveraged $70 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to proceed with the second phase of a major replacement project on the Route 52 causeway near Atlantic City, improving a key link to the southern Jersey shore. Traffic volume tops 40,000 vehicles daily in summer, NJDOT says.
Agency spokesman Tim Greeley says the $251-million project will create 500 new construction jobs throughout its three-year duration. There are about120 workers on-site now, Greeley says.
The project will replace two existing lift bridges at each end of the causeway with fixed spans and improve approach roads. The second phase will eventually create a new visitors center, multi-use sidewalks for bicyclists and pedestrians as well as several fishing piers.
| Jobs Created | Total: 500 Current: 121 |
|---|---|
| ARRA Contract Amount | $70 Million |
| Actual Contract Value | $251 Million |
A joint venture of R.E. Pierson Construction Co., Pilesgrove Township, N.J., and G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc., York, Pa., is driving piles for the new bridge leading into Ocean City as well as performing excavation and dredging operations in the harbor. Project completion is scheduled for the end of 2012.
