Atlantic City council approves Atlantic Avenue revitalization contract; mayor outlines paving, light synchronization plans

Atlantic City’s City Council voted to approve a contract for the Atlantic Avenue corridor revitalization and safety project component 2, moving the long‑planned paving of Atlantic Avenue forward. Mayor Marty Small said litigation and delayed grant disbursement had pushed the project timeline and that recent federal assistance helped release funds.

The council passed the resolution to award the contract to South State Inc.; the roll call was amended after the meeting to show eight votes in the affirmative after Councilwoman Dunston changed her vote. The council moved the resolution to the front of the agenda before the mayor gave a presentation on related street work.

Mayor Marty Small told the council the Atlantic Avenue work “has been a long time coming” and credited a congressman for helping get grant money released. He said the city negotiated through litigation that previously stalled the project. Small also described concurrent and near‑term work on Pacific Avenue: he said about two to four blocks on Pacific Avenue will be paved and that curb cut work and other preparatory work were underway, weather permitting.

The mayor said the city will synchronize traffic signals on Atlantic and Pacific avenues for the first time and that signal timing work will accompany paving. He asked council members to temper expectations about the scope of Pacific Avenue work, saying outside of the identified blocks the city will first seek cost estimates before expanding work. Small encouraged residents to view the projects as targeted phases rather than full‑corridor repaving immediately.

Council discussion at the meeting focused on the timing and limits of the current contract; a council statement during the roll call noted the vote tally change to eight in the affirmative after Dunston changed her vote. The record shows the administration and council also discussed ancillary elements such as curb ramps, surface repairs and coordination with utility and fiber work that must be completed before paving and signal synchronization can be finalized.

The resolution awards a construction contract for component 2 of the Atlantic Avenue corridor revitalization project; the council and administration indicated the work is subject to funding release and scheduling constraints, and that some sections of Pacific Avenue are slated for immediate repairs while further blocks will be considered after cost estimates are prepared.

The city did not provide an exact contract dollar amount, a specific start date for the paving contract, or a detailed block‑by‑block schedule during the presentation; those details were not specified in the meeting materials presented at the council meeting. Council members and the mayor said they would provide updated timelines and cost estimates to the public as they become available.