Don’t be alarmed by the police presence on these major NJ roadways Thursday

⚠️ Drivers will see extra police and emergency crews on 6 major roadways Thursday    👮‍♂️ Officials are practicing hurricane evacuation procedures                                            🚗 No roads will close during the annual drill

Motorists will see a stepped-up presence of law enforcement on six of New Jersey's main roadways, but don't worry, it's just a drill.

On Thursday, five state agencies will join together to conduct an annual hurricane evacuation exercise on six highways that serve as evacuation routes for the Jersey Shore.

The goal, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, is to "practice and refine response activities in the event of a major hurricane." According to the NJDOT, those involved in the evacuation exercise will be practicing contraflow, which involves directing traffic to travel in the opposite direction during a large-scale evacuation.

Get our free mobile app

No roads to close during evacation drill

The NJDOT said the roads impacted include:

• Atlantic City Expressway (entire length from Atlantic City to Washington Township)
• Garden State Parkway (milepost 0 in Lower Township to milepost 38 in Egg Harbor)
• I-195 (milepost 6 in Robbinsville to approximately milepost 34 in Wall)
• Route 72 (milepost 13.8 in Barnegat to approximately milepost 29 in Ship Bottom)
• Route 47 (milepost 16 to 21 in Dennis, and approximately milepost 32 to 35 in Maurice River)
• Route 347 (milepost 0 in Dennis to approximately milepost 9 in Maurice River)

The NJDOT stresses that while motorists will see an increase in police and work crews, no roads will be closed during the exercise.

Officials are asking motorists to obey the state's Move Over law, which requires drivers to move over one traffic lane for stopped first responders or work crews. When that's not possible, motorists are asked to slow down.

READ MORE: Six Flags Great Adventure is hiring for fall — and some jobs pay up to $30 an hour

white crew cab truck

5 state agencies taking part in drill

Joining the NJDOT for Thursday's exercise will be the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the South Jersey Transportation Authority and the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Hurricane season is already underway

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a below-normal hurricane season with eight to 14 named storms. In its forecast released in May, NOAA predicted three to six of those storms to be hurricanes.

 Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom