Could the Somers Point, Ocean City Parkway Exit Close for Good

A big change maybe coming to the Garden Start Parkway. So many people, including myself, use the GSP every single day for their daily commute and on weekends for visiting beaches up and down the Jersey Shore.

A proposal is underway by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to permanently close Exit #30 on the Garden State Parkway according to the website 6abc.

The popular exit is used for Somers Point and Ocean City and gets extremely busy during the summer season. I've been stuck in summer traffic on numerous occasions on  Laurel Drive on the way to both towns and again trying to get back on the GSP. I often wondered if the local residents were tired of the constant backups on Laurel Drive especially during the summer season.

You would  have to use Exit 29 for access to the parkway and for Ocean City and Somers Point if Exit 30 were to close. Congestion and traffic buildup on Laurel Drive are the main reasons for the proposed Exit 30 shut down.

Local businesses in both Ocean City and Somers Point could be affected by the closure according OCNJ Daily. There are no plans or a timetable for the approval of closing Exit 30.