Chestnut Avenue SS4A Project

In 2022, the City Engineer collaborated with T&M Associates to develop a concept plan for safety improvements on Chestnut Avenue from Main Road (County Route 555) to Delsea Drive (NJ 47). Also, City Council supported a road diet and substantive safety improvements along this stretch of Chestnut Avenue.

By 2024, the City of Vineland secured two grant awards for Chestnut Avenue. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is serving as the lead agency, providing $20 million from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, along with $2 million in Federal Community Project funding.

In September 2024, the project was awarded to a design team to advance the concept plan into the preliminary engineering phase. Pennoni Associates, Inc. is the lead consultant for the design team. This design team will also advance the project through final design and construction plans.

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Update (as of February 2026):

An initial Public Information Center (PIC) meeting for the preliminary design was held in September 2025. The consultant team continues to advance the preliminary engineering phase. A second public meeting will be scheduled for Summer 2026. Final design completion is anticipated for Fall 2026, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin in Summer 2027. Additional information will be shared as the project progresses.

Based on community feedback received during outreach along with current FHWA’s requirements, Chestnut Avenue will be converted from the existing four-lane, 50-foot wide multilane roadway into a four-lane thoroughfare with a center two-way-left-turn lane between S. East Boulevard. and Seventh Street. Other signalized intersections will include a 12-foot wide left-turn lane.

A new traffic will be installed at S. Third Street. Based on traffic data, adjacent owner impacts, utility impacts, and the recommendation to make Normandie Lane a one-way operation, a protected left-turn lane will be provided. This left-turn lane will be extended to deter left turns onto Normandie Lane and instead direct motorists to turn left at the S. Third Street signal. Normandie Lane will be reconfigured to allow only rightturns into the roadway, using a narrower, lowspeed entry that then expands to onstreet parking beyond the shareduse path crossing. The existing roadway crown will remain in its current location. Longlife thermoplastic pavement striping (4inch, 8inch, and 24inch widths) is recommended.

In addition to roadway modifications, an 8-foot shared-use path is recommended on the north side of the roadway and a 5-foot sidewalk on the south side to improve mobility for nonmotorists throughout the corridor. To reduce the amount of seeding and concrete work required, it is recommended that these shared-use and sidewalk paths incorporate as much of the existing sidewalk where feasible. All curb ramps will be reconstructed to meet current Public RightsofWay Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) and the current edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). These improvements align with the project’s overall safety goals.

The traffic signals within the corridor, excluding at Delsea Drive (NJ Route 47) and Main Road (CR 555), are recommended for reconstruction to meet current traffic engineering standards. Signal coordination is recommended between S. East Boulevard (CR 615 S) and S. West Boulevard (CR 615 S). The signal at S. Valley Avenue is recommended to serve as the master controller for downstream coordination. This timing strategy is intended to optimize travel times and reduce speeding associated with progression through multiple green signal indications.

Upgrades to existing storm drainage systems are recommended to ensure compliance with the current standards in the 2015 Roadway Design Manual (RDM). All existing pipe materials should be replaced with reinforced concrete pipe (RCP), with minimum pipe diameters of 15 inches or 18 inches downstream of sag locations. All inlets to be updated to current New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) bicyclesafe grate configurations (Types A, B, E, ES, etc.). Additional inlets are recommended in areas where existing spacing exceeds 400 feet.