As more trees are cleared from the Garden State Parkway widening project in Atlantic County, the agency charged with the construction will be responsible for replanting them.

Garden State Parkway sign
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An additional 3.9 acres of trees are being removed around milepost 44 in Galloway Township, according to New Jersey Turnpike Authority spokesman Thomas Feeney, to accommodate a storm-water basin that did not appear in early drafts of the original plans.

As required by the state's "No Net Loss" program, trees removed by development projects must be replaced within the same municipality.

Feeney said often the Turnpike Authority is nearby to do the work, but in some instances -- including this one -- the Department of Environmental Protection handles the replanting.

"In the case of the Parkway widening, and in many cases involving our projects, there's no room to plan more trees," Feeney said, "so there's a formula by which we make a payment to the DEP, and the DEP administers a fund that allows local government agencies to plant trees on public land."

The Turnpike Authority pays roughly $60,000 per acre to the DEP, according to Feeney. He had no estimates as to what kind of trees, or how many, will be taken down in the upcoming phase.

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