White Horse Pike Interchange: Everyone on the Same Page?

On Aug. 27, representatives from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority visited Galloway to present the current plans for the Garden State Parkway reconstruction to Exits 41 (rest area) and 44. People in attendance voiced
concerns over priorities and some suggested that the authority should be
focusing on constructing a White Horse Pike full interchange.

With Galloway attempting to spur economic development, a top priority of all elected officials should be the construction of a Garden State Parkway/White Horse Pike full interchange. Any traffic engineer would acknowledge that two-lane roads such as Jimmie Leeds, Pomona and Moss Mill are not designed to handle an enormous amount of traffic. Therefore, much of that traffic should be routed to the White Horse Pike.

Investing taxpayer money in road and transportation safety improvements for a full White Horse Pike interchange would be money well spent. The interchange would provide easy access to Route 30 east and west, which will result in placing traffic where it should be. These improvements would help provide the infrastructure needed to attract quality developers to the White Horse Pike. Offering tax breaks to developers cannot make up for a lack of infrastructure.

The NJ Turnpike Authority’s chief engineer, Rich Raczynski, was quoted in the Press of Atlantic City, “Basically the plan itself is set in stone at this time. It’s been in discussion for many years (with local officials). The administration has changed in Galloway Township recently. I don’t think the message has gotten to the public.” Unfortunately, this statement demonstrates that all of our elected officials’ priorities are not the same. It’s time for everyone to get on the same page.