Route 322 Reopens, Rivers Returning to Normal

With floodwaters receding and work continuing in the wake of Hurricane Irene, one major route through Gloucester County is back open.

Route 322, which had been shut down at the bridge and dam by the Old Mill in Mullica Hill since the weekend, reopened Wednesday.

Cherry, Weber & Associates of Freehold, the engineers who inspected the road and dam for the state Department of Transportation, praised county crews in their report.

“They have repaired potential breaches, and in our opinion should be congratulated for saving the dam,” the report said.

The county plugged the breach by dumping loads of stone soon after the hurricane blew through the area.

Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger and Freeholder Heather Simmons said that the Gloucester County Engineer's Office and the Department of Public Works should be commended for their work to reopen the highway before Labor Day weekend, typically a high-traffic time, as drivers take one last trip down the shore.

In West Deptford, Crown Point Road remains closed because of flooding between Paradise Road and Mid-Atlantic Parkway, caused in part by high water levels on the Delaware, especially during high tide.

The National Weather Service's river gauge showed the Delaware has peaked into flood stage at every high tide since midnight Monday, but the forecast is for the river to drop below flood levels over the next several days.

The state Department of Environmental Protection reported that rivers throughout New Jersey, including the Delaware, should return to normal levels in the coming days.

"Thankfully, conditions across the state are improving and we hope to see an end to all flooding soon,'' said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin.