Trump wins round against Wynn

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2000 | 12:21 p.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTIC CITY -- An appeals court ordered the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to hold a hearing on Donald Trump's concerns about the impact on one of his Atlantic City casinos from a highway and tunnel project, the developer said.

Trump has long sought to block construction of the roadway, which will connect the Atlantic City Expressway with the city's marina area. Rival developer Steve Wynn's Mirage Resorts Inc. insisted on the roadway before committing to build a $1.2 billion hotel-casino in the marina district.

After much litigation, construction of the $330 million road began last year, with the state putting up two-thirds of the cost and Mirage the rest.

The Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court granted Trump an administrative hearing on the issue of whether the road will impair access to Trump's Marina hotel-casino and reduce the visibility of its signs, Trump said.

"We want better access going into Trump Marina and we want better egress, and we don't want our sightlines blocked," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News. He said he would take the matter back to court if the DEP doesn't rule favorably on his complaint.