"Atlantic City casinos fight back against Atlantic Avenue. Narrow scope, file state lawsuit."
Several Atlantic City casinos have filed a lawsuit in New Jersey asking a state judge to stop a project that would significantly shrink Atlantic Avenue, the city's resort corridor.
In November, Atlantic City received $10.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the narrowing of Atlantic Avenue between Boston Avenue and Boston Avenue. and New Hampshire Avenue. Federal funding comes from the Rebuilding America's Infrastructure through Sustainability Initiatives and Equity program (RAISE).
The project, known as "road weight loss," involves reducing the number of lanes from four to two along the roughly 2.7-mile route. The removed lanes will be replaced with ADA accessible sidewalks, bike lanes and wider sidewalks.
A study commissioned by the city found that there were 829 crashes on the stretch of road between 2013 and 2017. Of these, just over 9%, or 75 accidents, involved pedestrians. Atlantic City officials, including Mayor Marty Small, believe narrowing the streets will make them safer for pedestrians and the public overall.
Five of the six boardwalk casinos believe the narrow road will further congest traffic and deteriorate the guest arrival and departure experience.
Casino asks to stop construction
Construction on the $24 million project began on Dec. 13, with the remaining $13.7 million funded by the state.
In a lawsuit filed in New Jersey Superior Court, Bally's, Caesars, Hard Rock, Resorts and Tropicana asked Judge Michael Blee to issue an injunction halting construction until a road narrowing study is completed. Ocean Casino Resort, the northernmost Boardwalk casino and presumably the least affected, is not involved in the lawsuit.
“We are concerned that this will create congestion and traffic issues, all of which will impact the experience our customers have in and out of our properties,” Mark Giannatonio, president of the New Jersey Resort and Casino Association, a local gaming industry lobbying group, said in a statement. Renton. “This change in traffic patterns on Atlantic Avenue could have very real impacts on public health, safety and overall well-being.”
Last week, Bligh declined to issue an immediate order as requested by a handful of plaintiffs. He will wait until more information is available at a hearing on Jan. 26 before making a final decision.
Bly is not a fan of Atlantic City casinos.
In August 2022, Bly reversed the state's decision to change Atlantic City's PILOT (in lieu of taxes) structure, which determines how much property taxes the nine casinos must pay. State lawmakers agreed to remove iGaming from calculations based on annual gross gaming revenue. But Bly ruled that the agreement violated the New Jersey Constitution. A legislative amendment was later drafted to clarify to Atlantic County what it would receive, including iGaming.
Large Sidewalk
State and local officials believe more pedestrian and bicycle options are needed along Atlantic Avenue.
According to a July 2021 report, “Atlantic City, known for its resorts, casinos and boardwalk, has a large portion of residents who use alternative transportation every day: approximately 30% of residents use public transportation and 17% walk to work” . Read by Jersey Department for Transport Research Directorate. “High pedestrian traffic and an excessive number of crashes on centrally located Atlantic Avenue prompted multiple studies to determine the extent of infrastructure improvements needed to support pedestrian and bicycle safety and address vehicle traffic deficiencies.”
Lawyers seeking a moratorium on construction on behalf of the casino say their clients want to redevelop Atlantic Avenue. Support road traffic light synchronization to improve traffic flow. However, the resort believes a more comprehensive study is needed to examine the potential impact of the road narrowing on traffic on adjacent streets.
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Source: www.casino.org
