Project 1:

Atlantic & Burlington County Sites

66 - Jonathan Thorofare #1

Jonathan Thorofare #1 Is a huge, multi-part area surrounded by low earth dikes and separated into 3 compartments by interior berm walls.  This site was created during the 1960’s construction of the Atlantic City Expressway.  The final section across the salt marshes was accomplished by dredging deep into the bay floor near the roadway and pumping the material onto the roadway bed extending it across to the Beach Thorofare bridge.  There appears to be little material contained in the site except for along the margin of the expressway right of way.  In fact the berm walls have been cut multiple places to allow normal tidal influx to the interior basin so that two of the three larger compartments contain a marsh ecology today.  The eastern compartment is isolated and supports Phragmities.  No samples were taken due to access problems along the busy expressway.  Drainage channels were too deep to cross without a boat, and permission to launch a boat from the expressway shoulder was not forthcoming.  This site has been the subject of multiple development proposals over the past 25 years beginning with casino support retail and hotel complexes, followed by housing, followed by casino maintenance facilities.  All actions failed for lack of funding, environmental opposition, and extensive permitting issues.