Shore highways teem with Troopers Thursday – hurricane evac drill
The Parkway, Route 72, Atlantic City Expressway, and several other highways will see a massive turnout of police and traffic coordinators this Thursday. New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and related emergency agencies roll out a full-bore hurricane evacuation exercise.
The New Jersey State Police, Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority are collaborators in the drill, aimed at refining response to a cataclysmic weather event.
Roads will stay open, but drivers can expect to see a heavy turnout of State Troopers and NJDOT crews on the Parkway, from the start point in Lower Township to Exit 38 in Egg Harbor Township; the full lengfth of the AC Expressway, Atlantic City to Washington Township; I-195, milepost 6 in Robbinsville to milepost 34 in Wall Township; Route 72, milepost 13.8 in Barnegat to milepost 29 in Ship Bottom - obviously, including the bridge over Barnegat Bay; Route 47, mileposts 16 to 21 in Dennis, and mileposts 32 to 35 in Maurice River; and Route 347, milepost 0 in Dennis to milepost 9 in Maurice River.
Officials are testing their abilities in reversing traffic flow on key evacuation routes, to point away from the coast and send evacuees inland. The technical term is contra-flow. Crews will set up message boards, speed attenuators and road cones, but they won't divert vehicles, and the roads will not be closed during the drill.
Get more details on the NJDOT traffic information site, or follow DOT information on Twitter.