Booker Announces $7.2 Million Federal Grant to Connect Millville Executive Airport to Regional Highway Network in South Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced that the City of Millville will receive $7,215,300 from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the Cumberland Freight Access and Economic Development Project. The project will extend Nabb Avenue to Millville Executive Airport, closing a key gap between the airport's industrial corridor and the regional highway network. Senator Booker supported the city's application in a July letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The grant comes from USDOT's Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects (INFRA) program, which was significantly expanded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Signed by President Biden in 2021 with Senator Booker's vote, the law increased INFRA funding by more than 50 percent over previous levels, providing approximately $8 billion for the program from Fiscal Year 2022 through 2026. This year's awards are the final round of INFRA grants that received this infusion of funding under BIL.

"Cumberland County has the highest poverty rate and lowest median household income in New Jersey, and this project opens the door to the jobs and investment its residents deserve," said Senator Booker. "Extending Nabb Avenue gives Millville Executive Airport the road connection it needs to grow as a freight and trade hub, and it makes the roads safer for the families who live nearby. This is exactly what the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was designed to do: put federal dollars to work on the projects communities have been fighting for."

The project will build an approximately 1.35-mile, two-lane extension of Nabb Avenue (County Road 634) from West Main Street (New Jersey Route 49) to Fairton-Millville Road (County Road 698). It will also convert the intersection of Buckshutem Road and Fairton-Millville Road into a modern roundabout, add a new traffic signal at West Main Street, and install stormwater management basins.

The extension will directly serve Millville Executive Airport, the second-largest airport in New Jersey by acreage, as well as the James R. Hurley Industrial Park and the New Jersey Motorsports facility. The airport holds a Foreign-Trade Zone designation in conjunction with the South Jersey Port Authority, can land jets as large as a Boeing 737, and serves as an emergency landing site for Philadelphia and Atlantic City International Airports. The project is expected to create more than 200 jobs for residents of Millville and surrounding communities while improving freight access, safety, and emergency response across the region. It has support at the state, county, and local levels, as well as from the metropolitan planning organization and the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Millville Mayor Dan Dixon thanked Senator Cory Booker, Congressman Jeff Van Drew, and their offices for their work in securing $8.2 million in federal funding to support the Nabb Avenue Extension, advancing a project that has been stalled for nearly 20 years. The funding includes a $7.2M grant through the United States Department of Transportation's INFRA (the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program), as well as a $1M federal appropriation in the fiscal year 2026 federal budget for land acquisition and utility relocation associated with the extension.

"This funding is a major step forward for Millville," said Mayor Dixon. "We appreciate Senator Booker's and Congressman Van Drew's work to secure this investment through the United States Department of Transportation and look forward to continuing our partnership as the project moves ahead." The extension would provide a more direct route to the James R. Hurley Industrial Park, allowing construction vehicles and other heavy trucks to bypass the center of Millville. It would reduce downtown truck traffic, improve industrial access, and support business expansion, new development, and job creation.

"Nabb Avenue is an important investment in Millville's economic future," added Dixon. "Providing better access to our industrial park will help existing businesses grow and attract new employers while improving conditions for residents, pedestrians, and businesses downtown." "Together, these investments bring us closer to delivering a project that will benefit Millville for years to come."

"The County is so pleased to see this strong collaborative effort for improved traffic and freight access receive much-needed funding," said Sandra Taylor, Cumberland County Commissioner Director. "It is partnerships like this, between the city, county, state and federal levels of government all working in unison that ultimately form solutions to hard challenges. The Nabb Avenue extension project will be a huge catalyst for a new level of economic development in the county and I sincerely want to thank everyone who has played a part in this success."

"The success of the City of Millville in securing these very competitive funds is a testament to the importance of the Nabb Avenue Extension project and to the work of all involved," said Matthew Pisarski, Cumberland County Planning Director. "I want to sincerely thank all of our funders. There are so many wonderful things happening in Cumberland County, and it is exciting to see the strong support being provided from Trenton and Washington, D.C."

The full text of Senator Booker's letter is below and available here.

July 15, 2026

The Honorable Sean Duffy
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary Duffy:

I write in support of the application submitted by the City of Millville to the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects (INFRA) program for Fiscal Year 2026. The Cumberland Freight Access and Economic Development Project will extend County Road 634 (Nabb Avenue) to the Millville Executive Airport, the second-largest airport in New Jersey by acreage. The Nabb Avenue Extension is the missing surface transportation link needed to connect an airport-industrial growth corridor in southern New Jersey to the regional highway network.

The extension of Nabb Avenue will improve freight access, safety, emergency response, economic development, and quality of life in Cumberland County, the county with the highest poverty rate and lowest median household income in New Jersey. This extension will directly support the Millville Executive Airport, the James R. Hurley Industrial Park, and the New Jersey Motorsports facility. Millville Executive Airport has a Foreign-Trade Zone designation, in conjunction with the South Jersey Port Authority, which enhances the regional and national potential for international commerce. Furthermore, the airport has the capacity to land up to 737-sized jet aircraft and acts as an emergency landing site to support both Philadelphia and Atlantic City International Airports.

The Cumberland Freight Access and Economic Development Project will increase the airport's capacity as a freight hub and create more than 200 new jobs for residents of Millville and surrounding communities. Support for this project includes the state, county, and local levels as well as the metropolitan planning organization and the Delaware River & Bay Authority. The extension of Nabb Avenue, estimated to cost more than $17 million, will boost throughput in Millville's downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Once completed, this extension will result in safety improvements, transportation cost savings, and quality of life improvements for local residents. INFRA funding for this project will enhance Millville Executive Airport's standing as a nationally significant commercial and industrial center and a prime location for multimodal freight, aviation growth, and new trade opportunities.

I ask that you give this proposal all due consideration and thank you in advance for your attention to this important project. Should you have any questions, please contact me or my staff at (973) 639-8700.

Sincerely,

Cory A. Booker
United States Senator

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