page_title: Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector
section_title: Initial proposals
hierarchical_section_title: Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector / History / Initial proposals
caption_attribution_description: English: will rename and categorize soon
context_page_description: The Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector, also known as the Atlantic City Expressway Connector, is a 2.3-mile-long freeway connector and tunnel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It is an extension of the Atlantic City Expressway, connecting it to State Route 87, which leads into Brigantine via the Marina district of Atlantic City, owned and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority. The connector is a state highway with the unsigned designation of Route 446X.
  Proposals for a connector roadway between Atlantic City and Brigantine date to 1964; planning began in 1995 after businessman Steve Wynn proposed a new casino in the city's Marina district. The goals were to reduce traffic on Atlantic City streets and improve access to the district and Brigantine. It was supported by New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Atlantic City Mayor Jim Whelan, but faced major opposition during its planning. Residents whose homes were to be destroyed for the tunnel construction fought the project, and competing casino owner and future president Donald Trump filed lawsuits to prevent its construction.
context_section_description: A connector road between the ACE and the Marina district was first proposed in 1964 by the Atlantic City Planning Board, as the Route 30 Connector, linking the end of the expressway with US 30. The goal was to lessen congestion in Midtown Atlantic City and improve access to the Marina district and the neighboring city of Brigantine. Because of a lack of funds and environmental concerns about construction near the adjacent wetlands, the connector project remained dormant until 1990 when plans for the road were included in a report by the city's Transportation Executive Council. A 1991 study found the project was environmentally feasible, and a route was proposed with a one-mile (1.6 km) elevated highway over the wetlands. Construction costs were estimated at $80 million, but due to a continuing lack of funds and the complexity of constructing above the wetlands, the project was again postponed.
caption: US 30 eastbound at its interchange with the connector. The connector was first proposed in the 1960s to connect US 30 with the Atlantic City Expressway.