City of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. was joined by U.S. Congressman Jeff Van Drew and city officials on Thursday, August 14, 2025 to announce the Atlantic Avenue Improvement Project through the heart of town is ready to go out to bid, and construction will begin shortly thereafter. The City of Atlantic City has received the remaining funding and approval from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) for the project, which includes the repaving of Atlantic Avenue from Tennessee to Albany Avenues, to proceed. The bidding process will open on Tuesday, August 19th.

 

The $17.6 Million portion of this project is funded by a $10.3 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration, along with other NJDOT grants, and City of Atlantic City funds. Congressman Van Drew assisted with the release of the Federal Highway Administration funding this past spring to NJDOT. The Federal Highway Administration Grant was approved in November 2021. Once the bidding process is complete, pending City Council approval, construction on this phase of the Atlantic Avenue Improvement Project would begin in October of this year with sidewalk and curbing work, fiber connection and resurfacing.

 

The Atlantic Avenue Improvement Project will enhance traffic flow, safety, and accessibility along the key Atlantic Avenue corridor through Atlantic City. The project includes significant infrastructure improvements such as resurfacing roadways, upgrading traffic signals, and enhancing pedestrian facilities. Safety upgrades will include higher visibility crosswalks, lighting, and ADA-compliant ramps that will improve accessibility for all users. These upgrades aim to create a safer, more efficient, and more aesthetically pleasing corridor along Atlantic Avenue. In addition to transportation improvements, the Atlantic Avenue project incorporates beautification and streetscape elements to support economic development and community appeal. Over 200 decorative streetlights and improved signage will help transform the corridor into a vibrant, attractive thoroughfare that better connects neighborhoods, businesses, and regional destinations. By combining functional upgrades with aesthetic enhancements, the project will promote economic growth, improve quality of life, and strengthen Atlantic City’s role as a regional hub.

 

It was also announced that the Pacific Avenue Signal Optimization Project is set to begin. This is a multi-phase initiative aimed at optimizing 35 traffic signals along Pacific Avenue. The scope includes installation of new hardware at each signalized intersection to enable advanced vehicle detection and signal timing, deployment of seven miles of fiber optic cable, system integrating and testing, and roadway resurfacing, which is contingent on the installation of underground conduit and junction boxes from Atlantic Avenue to Hartford Avenue, Arkansas Avenue to Indiana Avenue, and Connecticut Avenue to New Hampshire Avenue. The milling and paving of Baltic Avenue from Maine to Missouri Avenues will begin August 21st, and the paving of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard from Mediterranean Avenue to Route 30 is scheduled to begin this fall.