City of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. announced that the milling and paving portion of the final phase of the Atlantic Avenue Improvement Project from Tennessee Avenue to Albany Avenue is now scheduled to begin this fall, with an anticipated completion before the end of this year.

 

The original timeline announced in April called for paving to begin this summer. However, several factors required the schedule to be adjusted, including revisions to the project design, supply chain delays, and a harsh winter following the awarding of the construction contract to South State, Inc last fall. In addition, the City of Atlantic City, the State of New Jersey, and Atlantic City Electric worked collaboratively to finalize a tariff agreement for the corridor's new lighting system. Under the agreement, Atlantic City Electric will own, operate, and maintain the lighting infrastructure, creating significant long-term savings for Atlantic City taxpayers. During that process, Atlantic City Electric proposed additional improvements to the lighting system, including enhanced fixtures and expanded lighting coverage, which were incorporated into the project.

 

Contractors had initially planned to postpone paving until next year. However, at the urging of Mayor Small, the construction team agreed to accelerate the schedule by reallocating crews from other projects so paving could be completed this year. To cover costs, the city is utilizing funding remaining from a New Jersey Department of Transportation safety project that came in under budget to construct new sidewalks connecting Atlantic City High School and the Chelsea Heights neighborhood.

 

The timeline now calls for paving to begin no later than early October, right after Atlantic City’s peak tourism season concludes, and have the work wrapped up in time for the city’s Holiday Parade & Market down Atlantic Avenue on December 12^th. Mayor Small emphasized that the delays have never been the result of a lack of funding or the diversion of project funds. No city spending on unrelated initiatives has impacted the paving of Atlantic Avenue.