Baltic Avenue Canal Being Reconstructed
The $22-million Baltic Avenue Canal improvement project will reactivate the historical Baltic Canal, originally constructed in 1912, which serves a 775-acre area stretching from south of the Atlantic City Expressway to Absecon Inlet.
ATLANTIC CITY – Atlantic City has embarked on a significant infrastructure project aimed at enhancing stormwater management across its neighborhoods. The $22-million Baltic Avenue Canal improvement project will reactivate the historical Baltic Canal, originally constructed in 1912, which serves a 775-acre area stretching from south of the Atlantic City Expressway to Absecon Inlet, covering parts of Ducktown, Westside, Midtown, Bungalow Park, and Inlet neighborhoods, according to a July 15, 2024 news release. The canal, measuring 9,700 feet in length, more than 10 feet in width, and eight feet in height, is capable of storing over 1.1 million cubic feet of stormwater when its floodgates are operational.
“This has been on the drawing board for years, and we’re excited to see it finally happening,” said Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. “This project will go a long way in preventing nuisance flooding in our neighborhoods, ultimately improving the quality of life for our residents and businesses.The Great City of Atlantic City will become even more resilient thanks to yet another strong partnership between the City and State and Federal agencies.”
The project includes the addition of six large pumps to the Atlantic Avenue Flood Gate System to facilitate water evacuation during significant flooding events. The installation of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system will enable remote automation. Additionally, screening systems are being installed at both the Atlantic Avenue and Fisherman’s Park pump stations to remove litter before discharge into the back bay waterways.
The canal features two outlet structures: one at Atlantic Avenue and Beach Thorofare, and another at an open canal at Fisherman’s Park. Historically, timber flood gates controlled stormwater collected on Atlantic, Arctic, and Baltic Avenues and surrounding streets. During high tide events, the gates were closed to prevent tidal waters from flooding Atlantic City’s streets. By the 1960s, the timber flood gates were destroyed and remained non-operational until recent years. In 2018, new 10-foot-wide stainless-steel sluice gates with titanium bolts and bronze connectors were installed at both ends of the canal, and two pumps were added at the Fisherman’s Park site.
Funding for this extensive project was secured through grants from the United States Economic Development Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Rutala Associates, a local planning firm, played a crucial role in obtaining these funds.
