Construction of the 44-mile Atlantic City Expressway began in 1962 to connect the Delaware Valley and Philadelphia metropolitan area with Atlantic City and other South Jersey shore communities. Its Atlantic City connection was completed in 1965. When the South Jersey Transportation Authority was established in 1991 by the New Jersey Legislature, it was given the responsibility for the Expressway, Atlantic City International Airport and tour-bus travel in Atlantic County. The Authority is also charged with promoting economic development in its six-county region through transportation-related projects.

The Expressway operates 47 miles of roadway as of 2001, when the Atlantic City Connector was completed. Operation and maintenance of the roadway is supported by tolls collected at two barrier toll plazas and five entrance and exit ramps. No state tax money is used. In 2006 the Expressway recorded nearly 68 million toll-paying vehicles, the most ever. The Expressway provides safe and efficient access to Atlantic City, the Shore and rural and suburban communities along the Expressway. Its economic benefits can be seen in continued growth in both the casino-hotel and housing sectors in this region.

We keep motorist safety and convenience always in mind. Our goal is to operate the nation’s safest and most efficient highway. The SJTA’s Emergency Services Patrol keeps an eagle eye out for vehicles in trouble along the Expressway, and we maintain callboxes to summon help along the way. We also operate two service plazas.

• The Farley Plaza rest area, located at the Expressway's midpoint (Milepost 20.4), has a comprehensive list of amenities – among them a choice of fast-food restaurants, a gift shop, an ATM, New Jersey Tourist Information Center, picnic area with a dog walk, and a 24-hour gasoline station.
• A Visitors Center and a gasoline station and mini-mart at the Intercept Parking Lot (Milepost 4).

The six counties served by the Authority: Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem.