Another major improvement is the $330 million Atlantic City- Brigantine connector project, locally known simply as the tunnel. The new 2.5-mile-long highway with a 2,200-foot tunnel opened July 31. A toll-free extension of Atlantic City Expressway, which links Atlantic City and Philadelphia, it connects the south end of the expressway to casinos in Atlantic City's marina district as well as to neighboring Brigantine.

Rising near the new highway is the 2,010-room Borgata, which will be the first new casino in Atlantic City in 13 years. The 40-story structure is promoted as the largest hotel casino in Atlantic City and the largest hotel on the East Coast. The $1 billion-plus Borgata "mega casino" is scheduled to open by the fall of 2003.

[Speros A. Batistatos] said construction and expansion in Las Vegas is slowing, but that isn't the case in Atlantic City. "Everyone is very optimistic about the future financial performance of Atlantic City. All eyes will be on Borgata."