Atlantic City Airport, Expressway Revenue Down, SJTA Says

Parking revenue at the Atlantic City International Airport and toll revenue from the Atlantic City Expressway were both down, possibly as a result of Superstorm Sandy and recent snowstorms, Acting South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) Executive Director Sam Donelson said Wednesday morning, Feb. 20.

According to Donelson, there was a drop in the total number of passengers scheduled to come through the airport of 15.3 percent, resulting in a loss of parking revenue of about 9.5 percent from last January. Toll revenue was down 3.8 percent from last year, at $4.9 million.

“We believe the dip at the airport is due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy, while the Expressway is presumably due to multiple snow events,” Donelson said. “While no significant accumulating snowfalls were recorded, there were smaller weather events on nearly every weekend throughout the month.”

Although Atlantic and Cape May counties were spared the brunt of the storm, a significant number of passengers come from areas of the state that were damaged by the storm, and who are still recovering.

No preliminary numbers for the month of February were available, but it appears things will either remain flat or there may be a slight increase, according to Deputy Executive Director Sharon Gordon.

Donelson also spoke about the SJTA’s $4.6 million capital projects, including work on the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Station and the Westbound Widening Project, which saw work begin on Stage 1.

“The Airport Operations Project has also been completed,” Donelson said. “This expansion included a new operations console with video monitors, computer stations, a smartboard, data equipment and several other upgrades.”

Additionally, the SJTA recently received the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water New Jersey Award as part of the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award Program, Donelson said.