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May 3

Is anyone in favor of the Atlantic City road diet? – Press of Atlantic City

Diet Comments Off on Is anyone in favor of the Atlantic City road diet? – Press of Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY Eric Alvarez, the owner of Popa Pizza, said he is in favor of any projects that would help generate more traffic to his business.

But that doesnt mean Alvarez supports the citys plans to cut a lane in each direction on Atlantic Avenue for a road diet, something that would generate the kind of traffic he doesnt want at his business located at the busy intersection of South Pennsylvania and Atlantic avenues.

Business owners like Alvarez think the city should focus on synchronizing lights, repaving roads and mitigating traffic concerns without turning Atlantic Avenue into a two-lane road.

Theres too much traffic. Getting rid of a lane is a bad idea, said Alvarez. I dont think its a good idea.

The road diet, another term for a roadway reconfiguration, will make Atlantic Avenue into a two-vehicle-lane road, down from its current four-vehicle-lane configuration. The idea is to improve safety by increasing mobility and access to different modes of transportation, such as bike lanes, roads and bus stops. Repaving roads, synchronizing lights, improving traffic flow and slowing down cars are just some ways a road diet can help improve Atlantic Citys quality of life.

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The multimillion-dollar project calls for repaving Atlantic Avenue, installing Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks, adding bike lanes and LED streetlights, and making drainage improvements.

Road diets reduce crashes anywhere from 19% to 47%, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The program has worked in the Downbeach communities of Margate and Longport. Although it was highly debated by Margate residents and officials at first, the city went ahead and completed the $400,000 street configuration project in 2021 with the help of a $271,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

ATLANTIC CITY The Democratic mayor and Republican state senator have decided to work toget

In Atlantic City, the project is expected to cost an unclear number of millions, with $10.7 million covered by a federal infrastructure grant.

The estimated cost of Phase 1 is $5,061,891.80. The estimated cost of the first part of Phase 2 (2A) is around $2.2 million, said city spokesperson Andrew Kramer. Because the remaining phases are in the design stage, there are no estimated costs at this time.

The first phase of the road diet will start at Maine Avenue in the Inlet section of the city and run to Tennessee Avenue in midtown. Additional phases will complete the work 2.7 miles down to Albany Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood.

But while City Council has already approved the first phase of the project, several council members have said they would not vote to continue past that point.

State Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, said traffic throughout the city should remain two lanes in each direction, and that major transportation changes shouldnt happen without a complete traffic study that analyzes how the redistribution of traffic on adjacent roads will affect those roads.

The first phase at the north end doesnt have the same traffic as the center or southern portions of the town, so I think the road diet should be stopped after phase one, Polistina said.

Greater Atlantic City Chamber President Michael Chait also agreed that the city shouldnt carry out the road diet without a proper traffic study, and wouldnt know how city businesses and the citys economy would be affected until a full study was done.

Kramer said the city had illustrations to show what work will be done to each road and what they will look like. The city also has done a traffic study that showed how many vehicles approach traffic lights at about six intersections, how many vehicles turn left, how many bicyclists and pedestrians pass, and other traffic information.

ATLANTIC CITY The casino industry has concerns about the citys planned road diet for At

We dont know how much the synchronization of the lights will impact potential congestion. Its possible that this could improve traffic flow. But its difficult to understand what that is without the true study, said Chait. We would love to see the city implement a traffic study that would show potential additional congestion, or lack thereof. Paving the roads as part of this, which is obviously critical, a huge need for synchronization of the lights, would be fantastic. But without seeing an engineering firm conduct a traffic study, theres some cause for concern.

Mark Giannantonio, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey and CEO of Resorts Casino Hotel, also had concerns. He expressed his opinion during a recent city Clean and Safe committee meeting, wondering whether the road diet would be a turn-off to travelers coming to Atlantic City during peak traffic times.

Noel Feliciano, owner of One Stop Bait and Tackle in the Inlet, is worried about how the changes would affect small businesses.

Im sure people will get used to it, but will it help if people have to wait 15-20 minutes to get three blocks? said Feliciano. Fix what you have, and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Down here its going to work, but once you get past Pennsylvania Avenue, its not. The city is already congested as it is. I doubt its going to work.

Preliminary work has already started on phase one of the road diet, which will affect 28 city streets.

The dieting portion of the project and paving will begin as soon as possible, Kramer said. If it begins this summer, the city will make sure work will be done in a way to ensure normal business activity during the height of tourism season will not be disrupted.

Its not the first time the topic of traffic flow has been discussed in the city.

Since 1906, officials periodically have tried to make Pacific Avenue a one-way street, to no avail.

ATLANTIC CITY Mayor Marty Small Sr. entered the room in a light-up robot costume to make h

Former Mayor Edward Bader, for whom Bader Field is named, made an unsuccessful attempt in 1920. And ideas to turn Atlantic Avenue into a one-lane road, along with other road reconfiguration options, were thrown into the mix in the 1980s and 90s.

The idea to make Pacific one-way toward the Inlet and Atlantic one-way toward Ventnor was also entertained, but fell apart. Criticism from the Atlantic City Jitney Association and the business community halted the initiative.

If someone says one way, I think you must have a one-way mind to think that, said city resident Higinio Rivera. Its not the right decision. The city needs to rebuild what it already has.

Fixing potholes and bumpy roads should be the citys first solution to mitigating traffic problems, said Rivera. City officials and residents have long complained about the state of the roads throughout the citys 48 blocks.

The community and public officials have long advocated for paved roads and synchronized lights, which many think would eliminate the need for a road lane reduction.

Casino executives, public safety professionals, business owners/groups, most elected officials, etc., believe the road diet is a bad idea, said Polistina. The city should listen to the many voices that dont think the road diet should happen and work together on alternatives to getting Atlantic Avenue paved.

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Is anyone in favor of the Atlantic City road diet? - Press of Atlantic City

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