Urges United States Congress and President to provide federal infrastructure funds for extension of Route 55.

SCR133

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 133

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

SYNOPSIS

���� Urges United States Congress and President to provide
federal infrastructure funds for extension of Route 55.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A
Concurrent Resolution
urging United States
Congress and President to provide federal infrastructure funds for the
extension of Route 55.

Whereas,

The State of New Jersey is in urgent need of improvements to its highway
system, which are vital to the continued economic prosperity of the State and
the entire Northeast region; and

Whereas,

In the 2017 Annual Highway Report issued by the Reason Foundation, New Jersey�s
highway system ranked 50th in the nation in overall highway performance; and

Whereas,

Highway conditions and traffic congestion have deteriorated over the years as
certain State highways have not been modernized to keep pace with the growth in
traffic; and

Whereas,

Notably, Route 55, which extends from State Highway Route 42 in Deptford,
Gloucester County, to an intersection with Route 47 in Maurice River Township,
Cumberland County has not seen any upgrades in many years; and

Whereas,

The extension of Route 55, which was initially planned to extend
from Gloucester County into Cape May County, was halted in 1975 and the final
stretch of Route 55, connecting the road to the Garden State Parkway, was never
built due to rising construction costs and significant environmental obstacles;
and

Whereas,

Route 55 is one of the primary routes to reach the New Jersey shore and
experiences severe congestion in the summer months resulting in an exasperating
experience for motorists, tourists, and local residents alike and also giving
rise to significant safety concerns; and

Whereas,

�In rural Cumberland County, the four lanes of Route 55 narrow to a
single lane before merging with Route 47, a local road not suitable for the
heavy tourist and commuter traffic the highway handles; and

Whereas,

New Jersey�s coastal communities rely on a bustling tourism industry, which
generates over $44 billion in economic activity annually and supports over
800,000 jobs in the State; and

Whereas,

In order to facilitate the flow of traffic to and from the Jersey Shore and to
relieve congestion on Route 47, as well as to enhance opportunities for
economic development in Cumberland and Cape May counties, it is in the public
interest for Route 55 to be extended to the Garden State Parkway; now,
therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate of the State of New
Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

���� 1.��� The United States
Congress and the President are urged to adhere to their commitment to the
motorists and industries that rely on a seamless operation of highways by
approving federal infrastructure funds for the extension of Route 55 to the
Garden State Parkway.�

���� 2.��� Copies of this
resolution, filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the
Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President
and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of
the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States
House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Congress elected
from this State.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution urges the
United States Congress and the President to approve federal infrastructure
funds for the extension of Route 55.

���� Highway conditions and traffic
congestion have deteriorated over the years as certain State highways have not
been modernized to keep pace with the growth in traffic. Notably, Route 55,
which extends from State Highway Route 42 in Deptford, Gloucester County, to an
intersection with Route 47 in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County has not
seen any upgrades in many years. The extension of Route 55, which was initially
planned to extend from Gloucester County into Cape May County, was halted in
1975 and the final stretch of Route 55, connecting the road to the Garden State
Parkway, was never built due to rising construction costs and significant
environmental obstacles.

���� Route 55 is one of the primary
routes to reach the New Jersey shore and experiences severe congestion in the
summer months resulting in an exasperating experience for motorists, tourists,
and local residents alike and also giving rise to significant safety concerns.
In order to facilitate the flow of traffic to and from the Jersey Shore and to
relieve congestion on Route 47, as well as to enhance opportunities for
economic development in Cumberland and Cape May counties, it is in the public
interest for Route 55 to be extended to the Garden State Parkway.