Big plans are ahead for the Cape May County Jail, as soon as final approvals are granted by the state Department of Corrections. Sheriff Gary Schaffer told 98.7 The Coast that the $17 million expansion project will take 15-18 months to complete. It will consist of new pre-fabricatated wings for inmates and a consolidated administration area that combines three separate locations into one. The current facility was built 35 years ago, to accommodate only about 169 inmates but has been stretched to house 285 during the busy summer months. The new construction is designed to handle over 300 prisoners.