Urges United States Congress and President to provide federal infrastructure funds for extension of Route 55.
Summary
SCR133 is a New Jersey concurrent resolution that urges the United States Congress and the President to approve federal infrastructure funding for extending Route 55 to the Garden State Parkway. The resolution frames the project as a long-delayed transportation improvement that would complete a planned extension of Route 55, which was halted in 1975 before the final segment was built. It emphasizes that New Jersey’s highway system needs modernization and that Route 55 is a key corridor for reaching the Jersey Shore.
The resolution argues that extending Route 55 would help relieve summer congestion, improve traffic flow, and address safety concerns where Route 55 currently narrows and connects to Route 47 in rural Cumberland County. It also presents the project as an economic development measure for Cumberland and Cape May counties, citing the importance of tourism to the state’s economy and the heavy use of shore-bound roads by motorists, tourists, and local residents.
Impact
If adopted, SCR133 would not directly change New Jersey statutes or create a binding state program; instead, it would express the Legislature’s position and formally request federal action and funding. Its practical effect would be to support advocacy for a federal infrastructure grant or appropriation for the Route 55 extension, and to transmit that request to federal leaders and New Jersey’s congressional delegation. The resolution targets transportation planning, highway capacity, shore access, and regional economic development in South Jersey, especially Cumberland and Cape May counties.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is strongly supportive of the Route 55 extension and of seeking federal funding to advance it. The bill’s findings present the project as overdue, economically beneficial, and important for congestion relief and public safety. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no evidence of recorded opposition or amendment debate in the available materials.
Contention
The main points of contention implied by the text are the project’s cost and environmental impacts, both of which are cited as reasons the extension was stopped in 1975. Those concerns suggest that any future effort to build the extension could face opposition from environmental interests, fiscal conservatives, or communities concerned about land use and development. The resolution itself does not engage those objections in detail; instead, it argues that the benefits to traffic flow, safety, tourism, and local economic development outweigh the obstacles.