Jersey Shore

Should the Gateway to the Wildwoods Get a Name Change?

The city is asking for your help to weigh in on changing the name of Rio Grande Avenue

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What would you name the new gateway to the Wildwoods? City leaders want to know your answer.

Rio Grande Avenue is the current name for the main road used to enter the Wildwoods at the Jersey Shore. Construction on it is expected to be finished by Memorial Day weekend.

The new construction means it might be time for a new name.

A site map of Rio Grand Avenue construction plans
City of Wildwood
The site map for the Rio Grand Avenue Construction in Wildwood, New Jersey.

"While the current name Rio Grande Ave. (Rt. 47) has been in place for a long time, it’s hardly a name that represents the entryway to one of the greatest seaside towns in the world," city officials wrote in a letter on the survey's website.

The mayor of Wildwood, Pete Byron, and the chairman of the board for the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority, Tom Byrne, are leading the effort to have the public rename the gateway to the island.

They are looking for residents, second homeowners and vacationers of the Wildwoods to go onto the survey's page and suggest a new road name. The survey will continue for the next couple of weeks with a final decision at the end of March.

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The survey will be used to help decide if the city keeps the road name or uses the public's choice.

Jack Morey, chair of the tourism authority, said if the name does change, it will change by the summer.

A mock up of the new design for Rio Grand Ave in Wildwood, New Jersey.
City of Wildwood
A rendered image of the new design for Rio Grand Ave in Wildwood, New Jersey.

The primary reason for the construction is flood mitigation and improvements to traffic flow. A section of Rio Grande Ave. will be raised; and, from Susquehanna Ave. to Park Blvd., the road will be widened to accommodate a new left-hand turning lane.

There will also be a new pumping station that alleviates flooding along the City’s emergency access route.

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