In coastal New Jersey, road flooding is more than an inconvenience—it’s an economic threat. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) recently spent $27.5 million to raise just a one-mile section of U.S. Route 40 in Atlantic County by 2.5 feet to mitigate recurrent flooding impacts on a key evacuation and freight route (NJDOT, Coastal Resilience Projects, 2024).
Closer to home in rural Cumberland County, the one-mile road section between Gandy’s Beach and Money Island has been raised roughly a foot over the past two decades. Yet this remains insufficient to protect the vital seafood industry based here. Each year, tens of millions of dollars in commercial seafood landings must be trucked over this narrow strip of road to reach markets in Philadelphia, New York, and beyond (NOAA Fisheries, Commercial Fishing Landings Data, 2023).
Further elevation is now necessary to maintain this economic lifeline. The cost of raising just that single mile again is expected to exceed $1 million, based on current state and federal transportation cost estimates.
This illustrates the enormous financial challenge of adapting coastal infrastructure to sea level rise and tidal flooding. Under federal law, major highway flood mitigation projects must meet cost-benefit requirements outlined in 23 U.S.C. § 109 (design standards for highways) and may be eligible for funding through programs like the Federal Highway Administration’s PROTECT Formula Program (established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Pub. L. 117-58, § 11405).
In short: raising roads is essential but extraordinarily costly. The burden falls on taxpayers, while the risk of inaction threatens not only coastal residents but also regional food supply chains and working waterfront economies.
Sources:
- New Jersey Department of Transportation, Resilience Projects (updated 2024).
- NOAA Fisheries, Commercial Landings Database (accessed Sept. 2023).
- 23 U.S.C. § 109 (Highway Design Standards).
- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pub. L. 117-58 (Nov. 15, 2021).