An evacuation drill is set for Thursday, June 8, in New Jersey to practice and refine response in the event of a major hurricane. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), New Jersey State Police (NJSP), the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) are working together to conduct the emergency evacuation exercise.
No roads will be closed, however motorists should expect an increased police and work crew presence on key shore routes. Crews will be staging cones, traffic barrels, and electronic message display boards in designated locations along the side of the highways, but will not actually deploy them into the traffic. With crews staging these objects, motorists should drive with care, especially around the workers participating in the exercise.
The main effort being tested in this drill is to set-up a contra flow on highways that serve as evacuation routes for the Jersey Shore. A contra flow is when traffic is reversed on a section of roadway so that travel can occur in the opposite of the usual direction.
Roads participating in Thursday’s drill include:
- Atlantic City Expressway (entire length from Atlantic City to Washington Township)
- Garden State Parkway (mile post 0 in Lower Township to mile post 38 in Egg Harbor)
- I-195 (mile post 6 in Robbinsville to about mile post 34 in Wall)
- Route 72 (mile post 13.8 in Barnegat to approximately mile post 29 in Ship Bottom)
- Route 47 (mile post 16 to 21 in Dennis, and approximately mile post 32 to 35 in Maurice River)
- Route 347 (mile post 0 in Dennis to about mile post 9 in Maurice River)
