Despite the fact that the southern extension was held up for decades, it was revisited due to the disturbing images of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005 in the Gulf states. Route 55 could have been extended in order to provide a proper evacuation route for Cape May Peninsula and surrounding area. In addition, traffic jams along Route 47 during the summer also led to a possible revival of the proposal. There were efforts and studies to consider finishing the remaining of the missing freeway.