The City of Pleasantville was awarded a $1.5 million grant for a planned pedestrian bridge over the Atlantic City Expressway, crediting U.S. Sen. Cory Booker for his advocacy.
“I’m speechless with this because to get the amount that we got, we were very, very ecstatic and grateful, but it’s just that there is more that we need,” Pleasantville Mayor Judy Ward said.
Ward said the project will be more costly than originally planned due to rising material prices since the city started applying for grants to fund it in 2006.
The bridge is intended to provide a safe pedestrian and bicycle connection between neighborhoods south of the expressway and nearby schools, including Pleasantville High School and Middle School. Currently, students who walk or bike must navigate busy traffic along Route 9.
According to a March 3 press release, the city has been collaborating with the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) to secure funding and advance the project.
Booker said the project would help address a long-standing division created when the expressway was built in 1969, physically separating parts of the city and making it more difficult — and dangerous — for residents, particularly students, to travel between them.
Plans call for the bridge to run along the Mill Road corridor, creating a dedicated route over the expressway and directing pedestrians toward a safer, controlled crossing area along Route 9. City officials estimate that about 67% of Pleasantville’s school-age population lives south of the highway, meaning a significant number of students could benefit.
The concept for a pedestrian bridge in the area dates back decades.
A feasibility study completed in 1997 examined the possibility of adding both new exit ramps and a pedestrian crossing near Exit 5 of the expressway. The study concluded that a bridge could help reduce pedestrian accidents by steering students away from ground-level crossings around the interchange.
While the exit ramps were built, the pedestrian bridge was not.
Ward said the total cost of the project is currently estimated at $8.5 million. City officials recently submitted an application for additional federal funding to cover the remaining costs. Planning firm Rutala Associates assisted with preparing the grant applications, according to the March 3 press release.
“Senator Cory Booker is advocating for us and trying to get more, because this isn’t a matter of just a luxury. This is a safety issue and the further we go, there’s more traffic, and it’s just so much more dangerous,” Ward said, thanking the senator.
If the project moves forward, SJTA would oversee construction of the bridge and be responsible for maintaining the structure once it is completed.
