2008 Report: Direct Connection: I-295/I-76/Route 42 Final Environmental Impact Statement Final Section 4(f) Evaluation

Figure 5.5-3: NJDEP Wetlands and Upland Vegetation Communities Map (Screenshot credit: I-295/I-76/Rt. 42 Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Section 4(f) Evaluation)

On March 25, 2021, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials announced the right lane on I-295 northbound was closed at Essex Avenue for emergency retaining wall stabilization in Bellmawr.

The closure was necessary to stabilize a retaining wall that has shifted and partially collapsed.

In December 2008, a Final Environmental Impact Statement/Evaluation of the Boroughs of Bellmawr, and Gloucester City was prepared by the Federal Highway Administration.

In 1985, during New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) design of widening improvements on Route 42, it became apparent that additional improvements, more specific to the I-295/I76/Route 42 interchange, would be required, the Executive Summary reads.

“In 1999, a Transportation Investment Study (TIS) prepared by NJDOT, in conjunction with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), recommended that a project providing a full, grade-separated interchange be advanced.”

“The I-295/I-76/Route 42 interchange in Camden County experiences congestion and has an accident rate that is more than seven times the statewide average due to high volumes of traffic, complex lane configuration, and through-traffic weaving movements. The traffic problems of the interchange negatively affect the quality of life in the surrounding communities.”

“NJDOT, in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), proposed to alleviate these problems through the reconstruction of the I-295/I-76/Route 42 interchange.”

Section 5.5.2.2 Soil:

“The largest contiguous soil type mapped is Urban Land, which is found to the north of the Little Timber Creek corridor in the northern portion of the study area (See Figure 5.5-1). Urban land soils have been developed or disturbed by human activity in such a way that the natural arrangement of the particles and the soil horizons have been destroyed. These soils cannot be classified on the basis of form and properties, such as acidity or natural layers.”

To view Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Section 4(f) Evaluation in its entirety, click the image below: