Department of Transportation


New Jersey Future In Transportation

Route 322 Project

Gloucester County

Background

A bird's eye view graphic
A bird's eye view of the Route 322 corridor
Current development trends along Route 322 are leading to increasing traffic congestion that negatively impacts the communities along the corridor. The Route 322 corridor passes through both rural and suburbanized areas as it moves through Logan, Woolwich and Harrison Townships. Various studies have been conducted in the past few years to determine the right solutions to lessen congestion while supporting community growth.





Project description

Growing with Places in Mind graphic
Recommended scenario: "Growing with Places
in Mind." Source: DVRPC, 2007
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) completed a comprehensive corridor study in 2002 that resulted in recommendations for short, mid and long term infrastructure improvements. In 2007, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) completed a two-volume, 18-month study of this stretch of Route 322 in Gloucester County. The DVRPC study provides a framework plan to outline the vision, goals, policies and land use management techniques that support a smart growth approach to future development and growth along the corridor. Recommendations include individualized plans which promote NJFITness goals including Lasting Investments, Streets for Communities and Sensible Land Use and Sustainability.

Besides the framework plan, NJDOT and Gloucester County have recently proposed improvements for the corridor that include a bypass around Mullica Hill and widening of Route 322 through the Richwood area of Harrison Township. In addition, the 2007 DVRPC study outlines policy and implementation strategies that should be put into practice over the next 10 years to combat these trends and provide a sustainable development pattern. This implementation requires a strong partnership between NJDOT, Gloucester County, the municipalities and developers to ensure the implementation of a smart growth solution.

Project status

Implementation strategies matrix
Implementation strategies matrix assigns actions to agencies
Key recommendations that support NJFIT outcomes include promoting coordination among local, county and state governments to integrate land use and transportation planning to support a sustainable growth corridor. In addition, NJDOT is currently conducting an analysis of the Route 322 corridor from Route 130 to Route 55 to engage the public and local agencies in an effort to develop a united conceptual plan for potential improvements to Route 322 through Logan, Woolwich and Harrison Townships. This effort will build on the recommendations from the 2007 Framework Plan and earlier studies completed on the corridor. A number of projects included in the 2007 Framework Plan that support the corridor vision are planned or underway and are included in the following community descriptions.

Logan Township

  • Route 322 Redevelopment Area (Bridgeport Airport Development Area)
  • I-295 to Stone Meetinghouse Road (County Route 669)/Berkley Drive

Harrison Township

  • Tomlin Station Road (County Route 607)
  • Richwood Area

Woolwich Township

  • Woolwich Town Center

Logan Township
Logan Township experiences high volumes of truck traffic due to the close locations of I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) interchanges. The Township struggles to preserve its rural village character while it continues to experience intense commercial and industrial development. Large portions of open space have been designated as redevelopment areas, and study recommendations suggest expanding the existing village-style of Bridgeport along the Route 322 corridor. The airport area would be redeveloped with a mix of land uses that would connect to Bridgeport through a new network of local streets providing access between the two communities. A number of land use and zoning recommendations have also been proposed to support this concept. These recommendations include re-zoning to support residential, recreational uses and protect environmental resources. Additional recommendations include the establishment of a Transportation Development District and a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Ordinance to generate revenue for transportation improvements and to concentrate development along the corridor to support future transit. The implementation of these recommendations will produce NJFIT results to create a new sense of community and quality of life for Logan Township.

Harrison Township
Officials in Harrison Township have implemented several of the recommendations that apply to the section of Route 322 corridor within their jurisdiction. Route 322 has been widened to four-lanes and the intersection at Route 322/Lambs Road and Route 322/Barnsboro Road in the Richwood area have been realigned and upgraded. A connector road between Harrisonville Road and Richwood Road to separate local traffic from the Route 322 corridor has also been completed.

As the only village in Gloucester County, Mullica Hill is recognized by both State and National Historic Registries. Four bypass alternatives have been evaluated to alleviate summer shore traffic and congested conditions experienced throughout other times of the year. The preferred alignment, slated for construction in early 2011, was identified to be the least disruptive to the community and will respect the historic charm of Mullica Hill. In early 2009, Mullica Hill was granted economic stimulus funding for a new traffic signal and pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Route 45 and the planned Route 322 bypass project. These transportation solutions support NJFIT by providing a lasting investment that will ensure Mullica Hill remains economically vibrant.

Other improvements, including the signalization of the intersection of Tomlin Station Road (County Route 607) and Route 322, are also under consideration. These intersection upgrades will support higher volumes of traffic at this location which is important to supporting and east-west connection through Gloucester County. Plan recommendations also include land use changes to promote mixed-use development and a supporting local road network.

Woolwich Township

Woolwich Township Circulation Plan graphic
Woolwich Township Circulation Plan
Recent growth pressures along the Route 322 corridor warranted local township officials to evaluate, plan and designate the corridor as a growth area to support future development. In coordination with NJDOT and the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth, several tools were drafted and later adopted by the township in 2007 to provide a sustainable approach to future development. These tools included a multi-modal circulation plan, zoning regulations and design standards, and a TDR plan and ordinance (TDR will ensure rural areas remain rural by directing new development to designated growth areas). In addition, potential transportation projects to support Woolwich's growth strategy were also identified in the 2007 DVRPC corridor study. These projects include establishing a connection between the commercial center at Stone Meetinghouse Road and the new proposed street network in Woolwich, upgrading the NJTP interchange to a full interchange and the construction of a new park and ride facility. A new Towne Center with a mix of retail and residential uses is proposed along Route 322 in conjunction with these transportation improvements.




NJFITness goals advanced by the Route 322 Project are rated on a scale of one to three stars, with three stars indicating the most strongly pursued:

The NJFIT tools that are most applicable to this project are starred:



Last updated date: October 7, 2019 9:10 AM