42Freeway is a one-man-show South Jersey DEVELOPMENT and CONSTRUCTION news website, informing the public about new projects being proposed, developed, and opened in their communities.
This means early stage project efforts “new car wash has Planning Board Hearing set”, to construction updates “After a 2 year wait, steel is rising for the new Wawa”, and in most cases, the Grand Opening “The new restaurant has opened and we got the preview look”.
None of that is promotional… those topics are news topics that connect to my core goal of informing the community.
Core categories include:
- Ground-up commercial developments and construction projects
- Retail space conversions in shopping centers
- Openings of new retail and restauraunts
- Major roadway improvements and housing developments.
I am so happy for the support and love the South Jersey community has given me over the years… truly a blessing!
But with my bigger push in video, hundreds of business have been misunderstanding what I am about and what my business model is… thinking I have the magical ability to spend hours doing free promotional work for their business. I don’t have that magic! I make no money on videos.
Simply put:
- 42Freeway is a news website focused on development and construction projects.
- 42Freeway is NOT a promotional website.
- I can not be a personal advocate for your project concerns. Unbiased development news.
Additionally:
- I don’t cover service business. That is not development and there are many
- I don’t cover charities. That is not development and there are many
- I don’t cover food trucks. That is not development and there are many
- Why?
- 1) Well for one, I am a development and construction news website. 2,500 articles all about development and construction projects.
- 2) Opening The Floodgates: There are 10s of Thousands of business in South Jersey and I hear from 50-75 a month who think I have a magical way of spending hours on content for them each and we all somehow get rich. I wish! Ha. I don’t know how to do that. Just as an example I don’t know how my featuring your irrigation company helps pay my bills, and if I did it for you… 10 other businesses will message “Hey I have an irrigation business also”. The moment I highlight one landscaper, one food truck, one awesome charity.. my messages will light up with 10 others “Hey I saw you covered that guy’s…”
2500 Articles about Construction and Development projects, informing the community of what is coming to their neighborhood..
I am sorry to be so blunt and direct, but the demand is overwhelming from 100s of business owners expecting I cover their businesses and then getting mad at me when I can’t, and I have to be very clear in hopes of easing up the pressure on me.
They key thing that “blew up” is my bigger push in videos. Believe it or not I make very little money from video content so I need to limit my efforts there. If I did all that was asked of me, I would be bankrupt.
Video content will continue at 42Freeway primarily with a development news focus. I will never be doing another “foodie” or “fun thing” video. Development news updates only
Above Intro Was Updated March/June 2026
A One-Man News Operation
42Freeway is operated entirely by Mark Matthews. Every article, photo, project visit, video, idea, and edit is produced by one person.
Because of that, there is simply not enough time to provide promotional coverage for individual businesses.
Even within the core focus of development and construction news, I only cover a portion of the projects I’m aware of. My wife recently helped me update my internal tracking database of development stories, and it currently includes more than 500 entries. At the same time, I typically publish around 40 articles per month. My “visit now, immediate radar” list is over 100, and represents months of work… even if not another new-thing story pops up.
The reality is that 42Freeway is already operating at full capacity.
Coverage Is Never Paid For
42Freeway does not accept payment for coverage. I’ve researched all of the possible business models, and in the end determined the payment model is not for me.
My revenue comes solely from the platforms where the content is published, such as the website (displayed ads) and social media channels. Businesses cannot pay to be featured.
I have never asked for payment but I’ll add that over the years, several appreciative business owners have offered to compensate me for features because they respect and appreciate the work I do. While any offer is incredibly appreciated, I need to respectfully decline any payments.
I’ve even had situations where after doing my core “development news” thing an awesome business owner will be so appreciative they reach back out “hey stop over…. you should be paid for that, it was awesome”… but I don’t go back. (I am not the smartest business person)
There’s actually a big win for me in this model. With no transaction dictating when and what I do, I mostly move around however I want.. being flexible to “breaking news” stories and better filling up my day with a variety of coverage items.
Video vs. Website Content
Video has become a big part of the online world, but many people are surprised to learn that website articles when in the proper category generate significantly more revenue than video views—often eight to ten times more.
As a one-person operation with only so many hours in the week, that reality matters.
From a purely financial perspective, the most efficient decision for me would be to focus entirely on written website articles, particularly with my coverage backlog! However, videos have always been part of the 42Freeway experience since the site launched in 2014.
In 2025, I made a larger push into newer video platforms such as TikTok, and the response from the community has been incredible. Everywhere I go, people stop me to say they enjoy the content and appreciate the work being done. Those interactions are genuinely a blessing.
At the same time, that visibility has also led to dozens (100+?) of messages from businesses asking for promotional video content. Many assume that because the videos receive strong engagement, they must be highly profitable to me. In reality, they are not and a three-hour video project typically generates far less revenue than the same time spent writing articles for the website. And remember, its just me… and there are only so many hours in a week.
An unexpected downside has grown due to my increased video presence and is the biggest driver for this commentary… unfortunately some business owners don’t accept “No”. I have multiple situations where businesses have become so angry they posted negatively about me at their Business Social Media Channels! It’s happened more than once simply because I didn’t respond fast enough. (There are at least 7 different ways to message me. It’s tough to keep up!)
Already being overwhelmed with “new development” news articles, and the very limited revenue from video platforms, I can not support promotional on-demand videos for businesses.
Video content will continue at 42Freeway, but it will remain 100% news-focused, often created while already visiting locations for development web article stories.
Personal Advocacy
Every news item I write, someone has a personal issue with some aspect of the story and want me to tell it their way, or get upset that I even covered it at all.
“Why are you promoting dispensaries?”. No.. as a news development site, a lot of dispensaries are getting built and I am letting the community know about them. Dispensaries aren’t my thing, but I realize it is for many.
Another “you should only promote small businesses”. This isn’t a promo site, its a news site. If the next three big stories coming to me are National Chain restaurants, then that is what I cover. It is NEWS. At the same time, I do cover a LOT of small local businesses.
If I skipped all the development news items that someone had an issue with, I’d have nothing to write!
If you are upset about how a planned project will impact your community, at times that does make it into the news item “At the first meeting the community expressed concerns over traffic impacts”. That being said, for all of the reasons covered in this commentary, I cant take on everyone’s personal concerns with a project. I am just one old guy, and I don’t have the Corporate legal team of Action News.
My getting word out of a planned project is enough, and from that point on… if you have concerns with a project please feel free to take my information and independently rally the community.
A good current example of this is, in my recent coverage of a proposed Monroe Warehouse project I was the first to call out that the zoning for the property was recently changed to allow for data centers. Information only. The community has now taken that up as a concern, completely independent of 42Freeway.
Choosing What to Cover
I love producing content about South Jersey, but 42Freeway was designed to focus on projects that impact communities, particularly development and construction.
That means I cannot cover every type of new business or promotional opportunity, even when the work being done at that business is excellent.
In Summary:
42Freeway is a news website focused on development and construction in South Jersey. 42Freeway was supposed to be a fun “bridge to full retirement” website. While I do keep-the-lights on at the house with this content creation, I am not getting rich… and I am ok with that!
I joke I could shut it all down and make the same money bartending in Wildwood for the summer season, with a fraction of the aggravation. ha
My point is, I am doing what I can. At this old stage of life I am not looking to develop a media empire. If I wanted multiple employees I would’ve kept my Corporate job. I just want to do my thing, hope that people understand I can’t save every business in South Jersey… and happily follow along with wherever this 42Freeway highway takes me.
And I have a lot more planned.
Thank you Everyone. This is truly a blessing.
Note: I am considering offering paid static advertising images at my newsletter and website (top banner ads). This will not coincide with any coverage from Mark at 42Freeway. For example, my email newsletter has 14,000 subscribers and I will be offering image space in that newsletter to businesses, at a cost. This is no different than any other media outlet offering ad space. Still deciding.
Mark,
I love your site and look forward to your updates each week.
There is grading going on in Lindenwold at the site of the old Dom’s Bar. Located on West Atlantic Ave, just over the line from Laurel Springs. Close to Park Ave and the railroad tracks.
David Allen
Lindenwold, NJ
Thanks for the information you provide. I did not know there was a paid option as I never looked for it. The fact you mentioned it in the latest 42 /295 update made me aware and I gladly subscribed as the inforaton on the highway is valuable to me and I have ben watching the progress of this roadway since the project commenced. Prior to discovering your publication the only source of information I had was from NJDOT’s website. Best of Luck and Thank you.