SADDLE BROOK — New York is known as the city that never sleeps, but across the crowded state of New Jersey, something’s always going on. That may be why a recent poll of 1,000 workers, both here and around the country, found many of them are practically dozing off on the job.
The Accountemps survey released earlier this month revealed 74 percent of all professionals admitted being tired at work, 43 percent of them “somewhat often” and 31 percent “very often.” Millennials led the pack, with 86 percent of respondents saying they felt tired, compared with just half of workers age 55 and over.
A gender split was almost even: 77 percent of men reported work sleepiness, as did 71 percent of women in the survey.
To “get to the root of the drowsiness,” said Ryan Gatto, Saddle Brook-based regional vice president of Robert Half, the staffing firm agency that runs Accountemps, managers should keep an open dialogue with their employees.
“Encouraging your staff to take their scheduled breaks, I think, is important,” Gatto said. “Workers also tend to follow their managers’ lead, so if a manager’s taking the time to rest and recharge, then more often than not the employee will follow suit.”
One avenue that’s been explored to help sleepy employees is the concept of a “nap room,” but 31 percent of those surveyed were wary of that, for a few reasons. They said it might make them even sleepier, it would reduce the amount of work they were able to complete, and they might be perceived around the office as slackers.
“It’s an interesting idea that some companies have instituted, but at the same time, many of the individuals that responded just don’t believe that that would be a good use of their time,” Gatto said.
Live musical performances to greet customers at major stations
March 20, 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Back by popular demand, NJ TRANSIT announces the Music in Motion concert series is back in swing.
Music in Motion is a community-based initiative that allows local musicians to perform in NJ TRANSIT station facilities. These performing artists are offering their talents while customers get a glimpse of the region’s up-and-coming talent as they traverse major stations and terminals.
Performances are Monday thru Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Hoboken Terminal Waiting Room, Secaucus Junction Rotunda and Penn Station New York 7th Avenue Concourse. NJ TRANSIT customers can enjoy performers at various other stations throughout the season.
Entertaining customers this spring-summer are: Karen Hardy, Chelsea Carlson, Sal Aversano, Joseph Frame, Jr., Amanda Rose Riley, Mike Oregano, Amy Beshara, Steve Gregoire, George Young, Kenny Cunningham, Frtiz Gunter, PrizeViolet, The Foxfires, as well as NJ TRANSIT’s own and commuter favorite, Garrad Perry.
For more information on upcoming performances, please visit the official Music in Motion website: www.facebook.com/NJTRANSITMIM
Those who would like to audition for the upcoming 2017-2018 Music in Motion season, please e-mail [email protected].
Many weekday commuters struggle to exit trains as the number of riders is increasing and construction compounds the problem
By
MELANIE GRAYCE WEST and
ANDREW TANGEL
March 20, 2017 4:13 p.m. ET
The morning rush has become the morning crush for some NJ Transit commuters arriving at New York Penn Station.
The scene plays out like this: When a train pulls in, commuters queue up for the doors and arrive on a platform that is both narrow and jammed, people shoved together elbow to elbow. To exit from the platform, commuters sometimes encounter an onslaught of passengers trying to catch another train or a crush of passengers from an arriving train.
Sometimes the escalator is going down instead of up, the narrow stairwells are packed single file or, in a truly frustrating situation, a new stairwell is gated.
The morning commute for thousands already ends at the much maligned Penn Station. Now, some say, the escape from Penn Station is worse, with platforms more jammed than ever as the number of commuters increases.
In 2016, average weekday boardings at Penn Station numbered 94,859 people, up from 92,314 in 2015 and 87,130 in 2014, according to Nancy Snyder, a NJ Transit spokeswoman. Each weekday, about 57,000 NJ Transit customers use Penn Station platforms between the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to Nancy Snyder.
Think the Port Authority is slow and dysfunctional now? Watch what happens if lawmakers OK Gov. Cuomo’s demand for a new “New York” inspector general/prosecutor for the PA. A wooly mammoth trapped in a tar pit would move faster.
That became clear over the past two weeks amid a wave of scathing criticism — and not just from the New Jersey side of the bi-state agency.
Cuomo’s IG would be installed by — and answer to — him alone, with the power to prosecute crimes that affect New York. But a resolution in the Jersey Senate calls that “patently illegal.” Its Office of Legislative Services concludes the PA would “have no obligation to comply.”
So, expect the idea to be dragged into court, tying up vital agency business, possibly for years. That would slow or freeze a host of vital, multibillion-dollar projects, from airport renovation to a new Hudson rail tunnel.
In a letter to lawmakers, six PA commissioners (including Ken Lipper, who was tapped by Cuomo himself) say the gov wants “dictatorial” control over the PA by gaining the power to threaten prosecution. They say some of them would quit, along with top managers, if the IG were OK’d.
By Tina Moore, Rebecca Rosenberg, Daniel Prendergast and Elizabeth Rosner
March 16, 2017 | 11:03am
An “improvised explosive device” was found in an abandoned suitcase inside a busy Port Authority Bus Terminal eatery — and was later detonated by police, prosecutors said Thursday.
Police arrested Jersey City resident Arsenio Mason, 39, hours after he allegedly planted the device in the terminal Wednesday evening.
Port Authority officers first noticed the luggage around 5:15 p.m. on the first floor of the terminal’s south wing inside Deli Plus.
A PAPD K-9 unit inspected the suitcase and brought it to a police substation within the bus terminal, sources said.
When officers opened the bag, they saw what appeared to be an improvised explosive device along with a knife, bolt cutters and screwdrivers, police sources added.
The suitcase was turned over to the NYPD Bomb Squad, which took the device to Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx. Cops there detonated it by applying heat to the suitcase, prosecutors said in court Thursday.
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT will operate extra bus service on selected routes to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) on Friday, March 17, to accommodate customers traveling to the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. Trains will operate on a regular weekday schedule. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Newark Light Rail and River Line will also operate regular weekday schedules.
Please note: liquid containers of any kind, open or closed, will not be permitted on any train to and from New York/Hoboken on March 17. Beverages of any kind are prohibited at all times on board buses.
NJ TRANSIT will have Ambassadors will be on hand at Secaucus Junction, Aberdeen/Matawan, Middletown, N.J., and Penn Station New York to assist customers.
The NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of New York City’s greatest traditions. The first parade was on March 17, 1762 — fourteen years before the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. The first NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade was comprised of a band of homesick, Irish ex-patriots and Irish military members serving with the British Army stationed in the colonies in New York. This was a time when the wearing of green was a sign of Irish pride but was banned in Ireland. In that 1762 parade, participants reveled in the freedom to speak Irish, wear green, sing Irish songs and play the pipes to Irish tunes that were meaningful to the Irish immigrants of that time.
Extra trips to and from New York will be offered on the following bus routes:
No. 163 (Ridgewood – New York) additional local trips from Hackensack (Summit Ave. and Essex St.) to PABT from 8:46 a.m. until 10:42 a.m. operating via the Boulevard in Hasbrouck Heights, Wood-Ridge, Carlstadt, and East Rutherford. Additional Turnpike Express (T) trips from Paramus (Paramus Rd. and Ridgewood Ave.) to NY/PABT at 8:57 a.m. and 9:17 a.m.
Ridgewood NJ, As road conditions improve following today’s storm, NJ TRANSIT anticipates increasing service levels across Bus, Rail, Light Rail and Access Link for Wednesday March 15th. Customers are strongly advised to check the status of the system on njtransit.com prior to making their trip, particularly bus and Access Link customers.
Rail service will operate on a President’s Day schedule on Wednesday. President’s Day service is more robust than a weekend schedule, with additional service on some lines including service west of Dover on the M&E and west of Bay St. on the Montclair-Boonton Line. However, trains do not operate out of Jersey Avenue on the Northeast Corridor or west of Raritan and Lake Hopatcong.
Metro-North west of Hudson service, operated by NJ TRANSIT, on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines will operate on a President’s Day schedule.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Newark Light Rail and RiverLINE will all operate on regular weekday schedules.
Systemwide Cross-Honoring in Effect: To give customers additional travel options, NJ TRANSIT will offer full systemwide cross-honoring, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode including rail, light rail, bus and PATH. For example, customers who normally take the bus from Rutherford to the Port Authority Bus Terminal may use their bus pass or ticket on the train from Rutherford to New York Penn Station. Similarly, customers who normally take the bus between Atlantic City and Lindenwold may use the Atlantic City Rail Line instead at no additional charge.
For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories to your smartphone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555
Ridgewood NJ, Out of an abundance of caution and safety, NJ TRANSIT is making service changes for Tuesday, March 14th due to the forecasted severe winter weather expected to hit the region. NJ TRANSIT encourages all customers to prepare their transportation needs in advance of the storm, if they must travel.
All Bus and Access Link service will begin shutting down at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning. Customers should expect those services to remain suspended for the duration of Tuesday’s service day. Service is anticipated to resume on Wednesday as weather and road conditions allow.
All but one rail line will operate on a weekend schedule on Tuesday for as long as weather conditions allow trains to operate safely. Customers should be aware that weekend rail service does not extend west of Raritan on the Raritan Valley Line, west of Dover on the M&E Line or west of Bay Street on the Montclair-Boonton Line. Please Note: The Atlantic City Rail Line will operate on a regular weekday schedule. Pascack Valley Line trains will add Teterboro and Woodcliff Lakes stops and Train 2125 will operate as a local making all station stops.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule with the addition of service, operating every 20 minutes, between Tonnelle Ave. and Hoboken Terminal. Newark Light Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule. RiverLINE service will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Systemwide Cross-Honoring in Effect: To give customers additional travel options – if they must travel – during expected winter weather conditions, NJ TRANSIT will offer full systemwide cross-honoring, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, light rail, PATH or ferry. As a reminder, on Tuesday, March 14th all bus service will be suspended. For example, customers who normally take the bus from Rutherford to the Port Authority Bus Terminal may use their bus pass or ticket on the train from Rutherford to New York Penn Station. Similarly, customers who normally take the bus between Atlantic City and Lindenwold may use the Atlantic City Rail Line instead at no additional charge. NY Waterway and Billybey ferries will accept NJ TRANSIT tickets and passes.
All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip. NJ TRANSIT will have a special winter storm section on the homepage of its website.
NJ TRANSIT will continue to monitor the weather conditions and impacts to services as the storm progresses. For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your smartphone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.
Rail and light rail crews and equipment are on standby to quickly respond to downed trees, power outages or other issues that may arise. In addition, NJ TRANSIT will be positioning locomotives at strategic locations across the rail system to rapidly respond in the event of a disabled train. NJ TRANSIT’s employee Emergency Response Team will be at Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Transfer and Penn Station New York to assist customers who must travel on Tuesday.
Memo to Govs. Cuomo and Christie: Wouldn’t a stronger and more focused, efficient, and accountable Port Authority of New York and New Jersey be a great 100th birthday present for our region?
BY STAR-LEDGER GUEST COLUMNIST
By Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff
In 2021, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will be 100 years old. How shall we celebrate?
It’s been a busy couple of years for Port Authority watchers. As if the fundamentally bizarre Bridgegate mess, an old-school bribery scandal involving a former Port Authority chairman and United Airlines, and recent back-to-the-future revelations that almost 40 Port Authority police officers may have systematically neglected their duties weren’t enough to feed the tabloid maw, recent months have seen a notable escalation of bitter power struggles between New York and New Jersey over the Port Authority’s $32 billion capital plan and long-overdue legislation to revamp the bistate authority’s awkward governance structure.
Inevitably, like sharks drawn by the scent of blood in the water, opportunistic politicians and well-meaning advocates have leveraged the current stalemate and confusion to advance a range of ideas for reforming and restructuring the Port Authority. And why not? Can you think of a better time to have an open and informed public conversation about the Port Authority?
Let’s begin at the beginning: Should this bistate agency exist?
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT operations, customer service and police personnel are taking steps to minimize delays, and ensure service reliability and safety due to the anticipated winter storm. All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip.
Snow is expected to arrive in the early morning hours of Friday, March 10, and the status of the system may change as the storm progresses. NJ TRANSIT will continue to monitor the weather conditions and impacts to the morning rush hour will be determined during the next several hours. Customers should continue to check our web site at www.njtransit.com where they can sign up for service alerts as well as monitor social media channels and broadcast, web, and print media for additional updates.
For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your phone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.
Systemwide Cross-Honoring in Effect: To give customers additional travel options during expected winter weather conditions, NJ TRANSIT will offer full systemwide cross-honoring for the entire service day on Friday, March 10, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, bus or light rail. For example, customers who normally take the bus from Rutherford to the Port Authority Bus Terminal may use their bus pass or ticket on the train from Rutherford to New York Penn Station. Similarly, customers who normally take the bus between Atlantic City and Lindenwold may use the Atlantic City Rail Line instead at no additional charge.
NJ TRANSIT will closely monitor the crowds at New York Penn Station, Hoboken Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and make adjustments to service as necessary.
The Corporation is preparing to minimize disruptions and delays to the extent possible, particularly in light of the potential snow that may impact portions of the area. Rail and light rail crews and equipment are on standby to quickly respond to downed trees, power outages or other issues that may arise. In addition, NJ TRANSIT will be positioning locomotives at strategic locations across the rail system to rapidly respond in the event of a disabled train.
Customers are advised of the following:
Systemwide: NJ TRANSIT plans to operate a regular weekday schedule on Friday, March 10. Depending on the impact of the storm, it may be necessary for NJ TRANSIT to modify transit service as conditions change.
Bus Service: While every effort will be made to continue operating bus service throughout the state, customers may experience delays or detours on their routes in the event of extreme winter weather conditions. Customers are advised to plan accordingly and anticipate disruptions to bus service.
Travel Advice:
For the latest travel information, visit njtransit.com or access our Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT prior to starting your trip. In the event of delays or service adjustments, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system, which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone. (If you are not yet a My Transit subscriber, we encourage you to sign up at www.njtransit.com/mytransit) Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555 or from broadcast traffic reports.
Listen closely to public address announcements at stations for late-breaking service information.
Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.
Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.
Report slippery or unsafe conditions to bus operators, train crews or NJ TRANSIT staff.
If you park, ensure your car is stocked with a snow brush and ice scraper so you can clear your car upon returning to the lot.
NJ TRANSIT is prepared to handle the impending winter weather:
Snow plows and salt spreaders are ready for service and snow-removal contracts are in place with outside vendors.
NJ TRANSIT is well-stocked snow-melting supplies, and hundreds of shovels and snow blowers.
NJ TRANSIT has performed maintenance and testing on its two rail-mounted jet snow blowers in the event they are needed to help clear train tracks of snow and ice, particularly in rail yards.
Rail switches, switch heaters and overhead wires were inspected as part of NJ TRANSIT’s preventative maintenance program.
Onboard heating systems, thermostats, weather stripping and electronic components have been inspected on NJ TRANSIT railcars, light rail cars and locomotives.
Bus maintenance personnel have inspected and performed necessary maintenance on a fleet of more than 2,200 buses – from the heating and airbrake systems, to the engine fluids, tires, windshield wipers and doors.
By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 08, 2017 at 3:12 PM, updated March 08, 2017 at 3:25 PM
For commuters navigating congested platforms at Penn Station New York, the definition of frustration is looking at four brand new sets of stairs for almost a year that they can’t use.
The new staircases and a new West End Concourse were built as part of the $148 million first phase of a project to convert the Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue into Moynihan Station. The Moynihan annex was supposed to have a fall 2016 opening date. The stairwells connect the concourse to platforms 3,4,5 and 6 which serve two tracks each.
While NJ Transit commuters are stuck in pedestrian gridlock on the platform, Long Island Rail Road commuters have been able to use a section of the new West End Concourse. That section of the new concourse is open during the morning and afternoon commuter rush and closed for work during midday.
Updated February 24, 2017
Posted February 24, 2017
By Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
For a huge swath of New Jerseyans, work means commuting, and commuting means public transportation. NJ Transit and the PATH host more than 700,000 daily riders between bus and rail.
And unfortunately, not every New Jersey commuter is a perfectly polite passenger. In fact, some seem put on this earth — or train car — just to devolve our daily routines into maddening frustration and rage.
Here are 12 of the most loathsome types of New Jersey commuters, from the phone talkers to the eaters to the ones who WON’T. STOP. STARING at you. Commuting is enough of a pain without these human nightmares fooling with our sanity.
With milestone, bridge becomes the Port Authority’s first all-cashless tolling facility
The Bayonne Bridge’s new elevated roadway will open to drivers on Monday at 5 a.m., ushering in a new era for the 85-year-old arch bridge that will now become the Port Authority’s first all-cashless tolling facility.
The new roadway is 215 feet above the Kill van Kull and 64 feet above the original bridge deck. It is part of the Port Authority’s “Raise the Roadway” initiative to provide navigational clearance for the larger container vessels now using the expanded Panama Canal that are expected to arrive at all agency port facilities later this year.
The project represents a unique engineering achievement, during which the new roadway was built while the existing roadway remained in service with limited disruption to traffic.
When the new roadway opens, the existing toll plaza will be taken out of service and replaced with an overhead gantry, mounted with electronic toll collection equipment. Drivers will no longer slow down or stop at a toll booth, and will benefit from being able to continue driving through the crossing at the posted speed limit.
More than 90 percent of Bayonne Bridge drivers already use E-ZPass and they will experience no other changes. However, E-ZPass users must make sure their tag is properly mounted in the vehicle’s windshield, to ensure it will be detected by the electronic toll collecting equipment.
For the less than 10 percent of Bayonne Bridge drivers who do not use E-ZPass, an overhead camera will photograph the vehicle’s license plate and a toll bill will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. These bills must be paid by the due date noted on the bill. Unpaid toll bills will be assessed additional fees and ultimately escalate to violations, with a $50 fee assessed for each violation.
Further information about cashless tolling at the Bayonne Bridge can be found at www.panynj.gov/BayonneToll.
The Port Authority aggressively enforces toll payment through a multi-pronged approach that focuses primarily on persistent toll violators. Unpaid toll violations are sent to a collection agency and may be pursued through litigation. Toll evaders also may face criminal charges and arrest by Port Authority Police. The agency also partners with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to seek the suspension of vehicle registrations for persistent violators with New York-registered vehicles.
When the new roadway opens, all traffic crossing Route 440 between Bayonne, N.J. and Staten Island, N.Y. will be directed by signs to the bridge’s new approach roadways and over the elevated span.
“On February 20, we will make history,’’ said Steven Plate, the Port Authority’s chief of major capital projects. “The Bayonne Bridge, a marvel of 20th century engineering, will become a groundbreaking innovation of the 21st century.’’
At first, the new Bayonne Bridge roadway will continue to accommodate one lane of traffic in each direction. The new roadway will reach its full width – four 12-foot lanes plus inner and outer shoulders, a median barrier and a 10-foot shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians – by 2019.
The Bayonne Bridge “Raise the Roadway” project will enable today’s larger, more efficient and more environmentally beneficial container ships to pass beneath the Bayonne Bridge when traveling to Port Newark/Elizabeth and Howland Hook. The project is under construction by the joint venture of Skanska/Koch/Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (JV).
PORT AUTHORITY BOARD AUTHORIZES PLANNING FOR NEW BUS TERMINAL, INTERIM SOLUTIONS FOR EXISTING TERMINAL
February 17,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Port Authority Board of Commissioners today authorized the agency to begin the first phase of a comprehensive planning process for the replacement of the midtown bus terminal – including the hiring of environmental and technical consultants to ensure compliance with federal, state and local review processes.
The planning process will include evaluation of potential intermediate bus staging and storage facilities and other initiatives to sustain and meet capacity requirements for efficient operations of the interstate bus network, including the existing PABT facility. These initiatives will help ensure the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal is able to continue to meet current bus and passenger demand.
“We continue to acknowledge that, while the new Port Authority Bus Terminal is a critical first step in improving trans-Hudson commuting, it is only one piece of a menu of options that must be in place to meet the needs created by future demand increases,” said Port Authority Chairman John Degnan. “The Port Authority will work with our stakeholders to take their important views into account, as we did at the 2015 Trans-Hudson Summit and in the 2016 Trans-Hudson Commuting Capacity Study.”
“Meeting the needs of the growing number of the region’s bus commuters is an essential component of the Port Authority’s transportation mission, and this project will be done while fully respecting and minimizing the impacts on Manhattan’s West Side after and considering the input of residents there in a formal environmental process,’’ said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye.
The board authorized the agency to hire environmental and technical consultants to provide project management and planning services for the bus terminal replacement, and to evaluate interim solutions for the existing terminal. These consultants would ensure that all planning stages comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and/or all applicable review processes, and that there is coordination with stakeholders and adherence to eligibility requirements for federal funding.
Planning for a new bus terminal will include identifying an optimal location based on ongoing engagement with the City of New York and other New York and New Jersey stakeholders. Additionally, it will include reviewing the agency’s previous midtown bus master planning effort, the analysis and suggestions of the Port Authority Bus Terminal International Design + Deliverability Competition and the findings of the Trans-Hudson Commuting Capacity Study commissioned by the board.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal, located on Manhattan’s West Side, opened in 1950 and last underwent a major expansion in 1979. Each weekday it accommodates approximately 232,000 passenger trips and 7,800 bus movements. Demand is expected to increase by 51 percent, with up to 337,000 weekday passenger trips, by 2040.
Even at today’s levels of bus demand, the bus terminal routinely operates beyond capacity during peak travel hours. Through an ongoing Quality of Commute initiative, the Port Authority has partnered with bus operators on operational changes that have reduced crowding within the terminal and relieved congestion caused by buses on nearby streets.
However, a lack of strategically located bus parking, and facilities for the staging of empty buses ready to enter the terminal to pick up afternoon commuters, remains a persistent problem. The Trans-Hudson Commuting Capacity Study suggested that the addition of parking and staging facilities is needed to help the bus terminal accommodate growing demand.
Plan reflects agency’s return to its core transportation mission; Leverages private sector dollars to help rebuild region’s aging infrastructure; Creates 235,400 job years and $56 billion in overall economic activity
Ridgewood NJ, The Port Authority Board of Commissioners today approved the agency’s largest ever $32.2 billion 2017-2026 Capital Plan, which reflects the agency’s continuing return to its core transportation mission and is expected to generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in overall economic activity for the region.
The plan allows for $11.6 billion in major redevelopment projects to advance at the region’s major airports during the next decade, including the $4 billion LaGuardia Terminal B replacement, the largest transportation public-private partnership in the United States. It also provides for the advancement of work on Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport and the redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport, under which Port Authority investments are expected to leverage billions of dollars of private sector investment.
At the agency’s tunnels, bridges and terminals, the plan provides $10 billion to greatly enhance trans-Hudson commuting, including the construction of new facilities and the upgrading of existing ones. Funds are included to complete the $1.5 billion Goethals Bridge Replacement, being done through the first true surface transportation PPP in the Northeast. It also provides funding to complete the rebuilding of the Bayonne Bridge, a $1.6 billion project that will effectively provide a brand new bridge for travelers and remove an existing navigational impediment to allow modern ships to pass underneath it and keep the ports competitive. The plan includes $3.5 billion to begin planning and construction of a new Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan and nearly $2 billion to complete the largest overhaul and rehabilitation of the George Washington Bridge ever undertaken in the bridge’s 85-year history.
The Capital Plan also includes funding to rebuild some of PATH’s aging rail stations and to upgrade other critical rail system infrastructure to ensure safety and service reliability. Funds also are included to plan and build an extension of the PATH system from its current terminus at Newark Penn Station to the Newark Liberty International Airport Air Link Station, a project designed to improve airport access and enhance trans-Hudson commutation.
To further address the region’s critical trans-Hudson transportation needs, the plan also provides the largest contribution of any stakeholder to date — $2.7 billion — for the critical trans-Hudson rail tunnel link between New York and New Jersey and Portal Bridge North projects. The contribution will pay debt service on expected borrowing by the Gateway Program Development Corporation from low-interest federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loans.
The 10-year plan will accelerate the rebuilding of the region’s aging infrastructure by leveraging billions in private sector dollars including through public-private partnerships on major transportation and terminal projects, including those at the airports and bridges. The plan’s multibillion investment is expected to result in the creation of 235,400 job years, $20 billion in total wages and $56 billion in overall economic activity.
“There’s no question that the region’s transportation needs are growing at a far greater rate than the resources that are available to address them,” said Port Authority Chairman John Degnan. “For that reason, this Board has spent tireless hours coming to a consensus on how our resources will be spent to benefit the region and the customers we serve. We have developed a plan that invests in the most critical projects including critical improvements to trans-Hudson capacity, while providing the flexibility to make future changes should new, more vital needs emerge.”
“This region needs state-of-the-art airports, new mass transit infrastructure, and bridges designed to handle 21st Century traffic levels if we are to meet growth projections,” said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. “This 10-year plan provides a record level of investment in all of these areas that will meet and support the region’s growth and serve as a major job creator for the next decade.”
“This plan provides significant benefits for the millions of travelers who use the region’s airports, tunnels, bridges, terminals and mass transit system, and it’s also a lifeline for thousands of our members given the tens of thousands of good paying jobs these projects will create. We strongly support the Port Authority’s continuing plans to invest in public sector transportation projects that are good for the region and good for those who live and work here,” said Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
“The Port Authority’s proposed 10-year, $32 billion capital plan provides the strategic investments necessary to support the modernization of critical transportation infrastructure, including JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Port Authority Bus Terminal and Bayonne and Goethals Bridges, as well as funding for the Gateway Program, possibly the most important set of projects in the country. The Port Authority’s plan, along with Governor Cuomo’s pledge to invest in aging infrastructure, provide the extensive commitments necessary to support the sustained growth of the metropolitan region. We look forward to working with the Port Authority to build, repair, and renew all of these vital assets,” said New York Building Congress President & CEO Carlo A. Scissura.The approval followed a month-long public comment period – including two first-ever public meetings in each state that were attended by commissioners and agency leadership. Prior to the Board’s vote to move the proposed plan forward on January 5 for public comment, there was robust debate and discussion by Board members over how to parcel out limited resources to the agency’s growing list of capital investment needs.
Since the Board’s January 5 meeting, the agency received 429 comments on its plan from 365 individuals. Fifty-five speakers attended the public meetings in both states to comment on specific items in the document and 9 people Tweeted comments about it. An additional 327 comments were emailed and 12 comments were received by mail. The Board of Commissioners received periodic summaries of the public comments prior to today’s Board meeting.
The 10-year plan approved today includes $29.5 billion in direct spending on Port Authority projects and the $2.7 billion commitment to support debt service on the Gateway passenger rail tunnel project.
The plan outlines specific funding commitments for major capital projects the agency will invest in over the next 10 years. All projects remain subject to Board authorization processes, and, before they proceed, are subject to a rigorous “gates” review process before they proceed that look at agency revenue and the ability to finance them.
