The goals of the project were to improve access to the Atlantic City Convention Center, the Marina district, Brigantine, and traffic flow along the city's streets. The tunnel was designed to have as little impact on the surrounding environment as possible; its design included both portals on opposite ends of the community, with landscaping added between the construction site and adjacent homes. Nine existing homes along Horace J. Bryant Jr. Drive would be demolished for the construction of the tunnel. Funding for the project, formally known as the Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector, was approved in January 1997. The total cost of the project was $330 million (equivalent to $ million in ). Mirage Resorts agreed to pay $110 million, with the remainder coming from state funds from the SJTA ($60 million), the Transportation Trust Fund ($95 million), and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority ($65 million).