Garden State Parkway Exit 20 Full Interchange Moves Forward After Decades of Local Push

The preliminary design has been completed for a full interchange at Exit 20 of the Garden State Parkway, Rep. Jeff Van Drew announced. The project will now move through a budget prioritization process to be considered for funding.

"I will keep pushing to make sure this project moves forward so this interchange finally works the way it should for South Jersey," Van Drew said, according to the Cape May County Herald.

The current setup lets northbound drivers exit and southbound drivers enter. But there's no northbound entrance. There's no southbound exit at the location either. Exit 20 leads to the intersection of Route 9 and Route 50 in the Seaville section of Upper Township.

Upper Township Mayor Curtis Corson expressed confidence about the progress, though he's watched this project stall before and knows better than to celebrate too soon. "I feel pretty confident that it's closer than it's ever been," Corson said.

Officials and business groups have pushed for the upgrade for more than 30 years. The Township Committee has approved several resolutions calling for improvements, and the Cape May County governing body voted unanimously in 2018 to support the project.

Van Drew said he has worked on this issue since serving in the State Legislature, back when he thought it might get done within a few years. "This has been a priority for me since my time in the State Legislature, and I have been working with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to finally get this moving," Van Drew said. "Right now, Exit 20 is designed so you can only enter the Parkway heading south and only exit when traveling north. That simply does not make sense for the people who live and work here."

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority included the creation of a full interchange at the site in its 2020 long-range capital plan. The estimated cost was $20 million, with another $1 million needed for rights-of-way acquisition.

The plan also calls for updating the existing exit so northbound traffic would exit from the right instead of the left. The current exit is a single lane from the left, soon after the toll. The authority cited both safety and customer satisfaction as benefits.

Corson said the change would cut down on traffic congestion in Marmora and give residents more options. Some residents in the southern portion of the township would reach Ocean City faster, bypassing Route 9.

A petition and survey showed 90% support for a full interchange at the location. Drivers can connect with a southbound entrance and exit at Sea Isle Boulevard near the Bruce Willis Rest Stop. There is a full interchange in the Marmora section at Roosevelt Boulevard.