New Jersey Avenue plan promises road diet, bike lanes and a ‘Crest Station’ hub as Cape May County funds most of $13M project

The Borough of Wildwood Crest and Cape May County officials outlined an approximately $13 million reconstruction of New Jersey Avenue on June 3, 2026, describing traffic-calming measures, a new downtown parking/event hub and upgrades to traffic signals and drainage designed to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Mayor Don Cabrera told the meeting that the county had awarded a contract “to improve New Jersey Avenue County Road 621 from Ramble Road to Rio Grande Avenue” and that the borough will contribute for the downtown hub. “The county of Cape May has awarded a $13,000,000 roadway reconstruction and traffic signal synchronization contract,” Cabrera said, reading the county engineer’s statement into the record.

Taylor Design Group’s Scott Taylor said the project couples county roadway reconstruction with a borough-funded core — referred to in materials as both the Crest Station and the project-branded “Crestation” — intended as a flexible parking and special-event plaza. “This is a once in a several generation opportunity to improve the downtown, make it more bike and ped friendly, and stimulate some of this reinvestment,” Scott Taylor said.

Design highlights include: a road diet that reduces travel lanes and adds a five-foot bike lane in each direction; center landscaped medians and curb bump-outs to shorten pedestrian crossing distances; upgraded signals with GPS-synchronized controllers; replacement of curb, gutter and sidewalks where needed; decorative paving and festival lighting in the Crest Station core; and drainage improvements. Taylor said the county share is about $10.4 million and the borough’s share about $2.4 million, with federal funds of roughly $3.7 million included in the funding mix, which he described as “just under $13,000,000” in total funding.

Traffic-engineering representatives told the commission that the road-diet approach is grounded in Federal Highway Administration best practices and that their traffic counts and modeling show the corridor can maintain a high level of service despite lane reductions. “Road diets are an FHWA proven safety countermeasure,” a county professional stated during the presentation.

Designers said the county will convey the former station parking parcels to the borough so the borough can manage parking and close the plaza for events; decorative concrete pavers and diagonal stalls will be used so that the area can function as parking most of the time and a festival plaza when needed. The team estimated a net gain of at least 10 parking spaces overall, with a range of 10–30 depending on driveway adjustments and redevelopment decisions.

Construction is planned in two phases: Phase 1 (Rambler to Columbine) would begin 09/07/2026 and pause for a seasonal shutdown 05/15/2027, resuming in fall 2027 with expected final completion by 05/15/2028. Presenters emphasized staging to minimize summer impacts and noted that traffic detours (such as Pacific Avenue) would be used during active work.

The formal presentation was followed by an extended public Q&A. Residents raised recurring concerns about deliveries and loading for businesses without rear access, whether New Jersey Avenue will remain a truck/emergency route, how parking will be handled, and the effect of construction on local businesses. Mayor Cabrera and the design team repeatedly said New Jersey Avenue is a county road and would remain the truck/emergency route and that access to businesses will be maintained; presenters also noted the project schedule is intentionally set largely out of peak season to reduce economic impact. One resident pressed whether the county would provide financial support for businesses that lose revenue during construction; the presenters said there was no county stipend currently planned.

Several business owners urged the borough to accelerate development of auxiliary parking lots the borough already owns (Wisteria and Crocus parcels) to support future downtown redevelopment. The mayor said the borough will consider parking-lot acquisition or development as part of ongoing planning and noted there was a year to 18 months before major construction begins to refine those options.

The design team also discussed streetscape features, tree pits sized for salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant trees, ADA-compliant curb ramps and festival lighting for the Crest Station core. The presenters said the borough would likely assume maintenance responsibility for trees planted in the county right-of-way under a shared-services arrangement.

The presentation materials and exhibits will be posted on the borough website; commissioners said future updates and any required permitting or public hearings will be announced at regular commission meetings.