Atlantic City Weekly

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There was a positive reaction to last week’s column relative to the Atlantic City Regional Transportation Plan (ACRTP), which was presented to the public in May of last year. If you read the column, you learned that there was progress on about one third of the 20 projects that had been unveiled 11 months ago. As a result of that column, information was provided to me to update you on most of the remaining projects.

Several of the projects are interlinked. This means that if you start one, others will surely begin thereafter. Here are the objectives of the ACRTP: “to provide improvements when and where needed with timely delivery; to support the regional economy, with an emphasis on Atlantic City and the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY); to incorporate land use in the execution of projects to support communities; to employ traditional and nontraditional financing mechanisms to ensure the timely implementation of projects.”

The following will provide you the “trigger” projects that will be followed by the projects they trigger. The first two triggers relate to the expansion of ACY. First. the construction phase there is about to begin. The other trigger is the Next Gen Aviation Tech Park project where workers have begun the road network. This will result in a direct connection from the Atlantic City Expressway (ACE) to ACY.

In May 2011 there will be all-electronic tolling on the ACE that will trigger several projects. The engineering work is currently underway and should be completed in three to six months for new signage on the ACE, the Atlantic City entranceway, and the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector. It will also result in the easing of the traffic flow on the Albany Avenue corridor and traffic improvements on Michigan Avenue. In addition, the current plan is for new traffic signals for two-way Pacific and Atlantic avenues. If there eventually becomes a need for one-way Atlantic-Pacific avenues, the traffic signals could be adjusted. The work on the Albany Avenue corridor will lead to changes at the intersection of Winchester and Albany avenues. The engineering for that work will start within three months. It will also lead to discussions between the Department of Transportation and the U.S. Coast Guard as to the timing for the openings of the Albany Avenue bridge. This will be adjusted so that the bridge will not open during rush-hour traffic.

Lastly, the Revel Entertainment Hotel-Casino complex has triggered the widening of Connecticut Avenue and plans are ready for construction.

Obviously, all of those who have been involved in the ACRTP have been busy at work over the past 11 months. However, they have been publicly quiet as to their accomplishments to date. I am pleased to be the first to provide this ACRTP update. This program will not only provide jobs but, when completed, it will enhance the transportation experiences of those coming to what I hope will once again become the “Playground of the World.”

No Vehicles on Boardwalk

Mayor Lorenzo Langford recently issued an executive order stating that there would be no vehicles on the Boardwalk with the exception of Public Works trucks, police supervisors and emergency vehicles. Public Works director Paul Jerkins agreed that all of his department’s trucks should use the nearest ramp for egress and ingress to the Boardwalk for the work they need to do. They should not be using the Boardwalk as a street to reach the area where they need to do work.

Regarding the cleanliness of the beach, Jerkins stated at a recent Boardwalk Committee meeting that Atlantic City only has two raking vehicles to cover six miles of beach, and that it cannot be done as well as he would like it to be. Ventnor City has four rakers for a one-mile beach. These machines are quite costly and the budget does not include funds for additional ones at the present time. Jerkins said he would attend future Boardwalk Committee meetings and he looks forward to continued cooperation with those looking to improve Atlantic City.

Sharing a Reader’s Thoughts

Regular readers of this column know that I seldom share e-mails that are sent to me. However, the one below comes after attorney Lloyd Levinson and I discussed a certain topic on my radio show last Tuesday. The woman wrote: “Just about every week we go to the casinos in Atlantic City, both on the Boardwalk and in the Marina. We do enjoy A.C., but after visiting Las Vegas a few weeks ago, I have to say there is no comparison as to the feeling of excitement and energy that you experience when visiting there. Also, employees we encountered in any casino there were very friendly and welcoming, and I mean everywhere we went. It was quite noticeable to us that in general — not all cases — the employees in A.C., especially the cashiers, slot attendants and a good part of the toll takers, are very unfriendly. They either do not acknowledge your presence when dealing with you, or they scowl at you for the most part. It was such a culture shock to me especially, because as a former North Jersey resident I feel that South Jersey people are so friendly, and they are, but not at the casinos. Could it be signs of the economic times? Are they really that unhappy? My husband and I certainly couldn’t get away with such an attitude at our places of employment. I don’t know who else to tell this to, but felt it was important for A.C. Sorry.”

I hope many casino employees have read the above note, and that they give it some serious thought.

Pinky’s Corner airs Monday through Friday from 4 to 6pm on News Talk WOND-AM 1400. His TV show, WMGM Presents Pinky, airs Saturday at 7:30pm on TV40. Pinky’s e-mail address is: pinky@acweekly.com.