Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector

Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector
Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector
Atlantic City Expressway Connector
	Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector highlighted in red; alternate routing per NJDOT in blue
Route information
	Auxiliary route of A.C. Expressway
	Maintained by SJTA
Length	2.37 mi (3.81 km)
Existed	2001–present
Component; highways	Route 446X (unsigned) entire length
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	; A.C. Expressway in Atlantic City
	US 30 in Atlantic City
North end	Route 87 in Atlantic City
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Atlantic
Highway system
	New Jersey State Highway Routes; Interstate; US; State; Scenic Byways;

The Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector, officially the Atlantic City Expressway Connector, is a connector freeway in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It is a 2.37-mile (3.81 km) extension of the Atlantic City Expressway, connecting it to New Jersey Route 87, which leads into Brigantine via the Marina district of Atlantic City. Locally, the freeway is known as "the Tunnel", due to the tunnel along its route that passes underneath the Westside neighborhood. The connector is a state highway owned and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA); it has an unsigned designation of Route 446X.

Proposals for a similar connector road in Atlantic City date to 1964; planning began in 1995 after businessman Steve Wynn proposed a new casino in the Marina district. The goals were to reduce traffic on Atlantic City streets and improve access to the Marina district and Brigantine. It was supported by Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Mayor Jim Whelan, but faced major opposition during its planning. Residents whose homes were to be destroyed for the tunnel construction fought the project, and competing casino owner Donald Trump filed lawsuits to prevent its construction.

Construction took almost three years and opened in July 2001 at a total cost of $330 million. Since its opening, the connector has served up to 30,000 vehicles daily, and affected the city's economy by bringing business to the casinos in the Marina district.