In the latest sign that it is serious about Atlantic City, gaming giant MGM Mirage is discussing plans for an elevated road ramp that would funnel gamblers to its proposed $1.5 billion casino resort.

The ramp would branch off the Atlantic City Expressway Connector, the 2.3-mile-long tunnel and roadway that opened last year to improve access to the Marina District casinos.

Although plans are still tentative, officials say the ramp would be about 1,000 feet long. It would be built near the intersection of Huron Avenue and Brigantine Boulevard and connect with the internal road system serving the MGM property.

"MGM will fund it entirely," company spokeswoman Karen Reses said, estimating the cost at $9 million.

The South Jersey Transportation Authority, operator of the Atlantic City Expressway Connector, is expected to discuss the project today during a meeting of its planning and engineering committee.

Officials are scrambling to work out details so that the authority may give the ramp the formal go-ahead when it holds its monthly board meeting on Sept. 17.

"I've got a lot of work to do from now until the 17th," said James A. Crawford, the authority's executive director.

One key issue is whether MGM would build the ramp by itself or have the transportation authority oversee the construction contract. Crawford said his preference is for MGM to handle most of the project after submitting its plans to the authority.

In addition to his talks with MGM, Crawford is discussing the ramp with the neighboring Trump Marina Hotel Casino and Harrah's Atlantic City to make sure they have no objections.

Trump Marina and the transportation authority are preparing to build another ramp linked to the Atlantic City Expressway Connector.

The estimated $12 million project, essentially an elevated U-turn over Huron Avenue, will create direct access between Trump Marina and the new Borgata casino.

Crawford said the authority wants MGM to create some type of access between its new ramp and the Trump U-turn to make it easier for motorists to move through the Marina area.

Entering the Marina via the Atlantic City Expressway Connector route, motorists already are confronted by a series of ramps headed to the casinos or the neighboring town of Brigantine.

There will be yet another ramp when the billion-dollar Borgata opens next summer. The proposed MGM casino would be built adjacent to the Borgata.

Until recently, the MGM casino had been shadowed by doubts and delays. The company first proposed the project 19 months ago, but hesitated going forward following the post-Sept. 11 economic slump.

With the gaming industry weathering the aftershocks of the terrorist attacks, MGM has reaffirmed its intention to develop its Atlantic City casino. The company plans to file an application for state construction permits in November or December.

John Redmond, chief executive officer of the company's MGM Grand Resorts division, told gaming analysts in late July that the casino is going to be "a very large, incredible project."

Plans call for 1,500 to 2,000 hotel rooms on a 55-acre tract dominating the Marina District.

MGM's new ramp would create easy access to its casino. But Crawford stressed that it is absolutely essential for the massive ramp to blend in with the road network to avoid traffic disruptions to the existing casinos or the Borgata.