The modernization project at the Port Newark and Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal in New Jersey aims to enhance safety, efficiency, and access to the East Coast's busiest port complex, with a $220 million investment in road improvements. The Port Street Corridor Improvement Project includes reconstructing the Corbin Street ramp, detour enhancements, signal installations, drainage improvements, and more. The project, expected to be completed in 2028, received a $44 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and will create local jobs and economic activity.
Map courtesy of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
A project to modernize the road network leading into New Jersey's Port Newark and the adjacent Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal is taking a significant step forward, as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) prepares to close the ramp leading from eastbound Port Street to southbound Corbin Street for demolition and reconstruction on Sept. 16.
The port complex will remain fully operational during the closure with a detour that has been rebuilt to accommodate the additional traffic.
Overall, the $220 million Port Street Corridor Improvement project will transform the antiquated road network around the East Coast's busiest port complex to make it safer, less congested, and more efficient, offering truckers considerable time savings while strengthening the supply chain and improving air quality in the area, according to a Sept. 9 news release by PANYNJ.
"This seaport is the beating heart of our region's economy, and we need its arteries to be as safe, efficient, and accessible as possible," said Port Authority Chair Kevin O'Toole. "The Corbin Street ramp closure marks an important step in our investment in the port's roadway network as we rebuild these arteries to modern standards and set up the seaport for success as cargo demand grows in the years to come."
The Corbin Street ramp closure is expected to last approximately one year, during which time all vehicular traffic will be detoured via Marlin and Kellogg streets. Rerouted traffic will continue past the existing ramp on Port Street, before turning right on Marlin Street, and following a newly redesigned curve to Kellogg Street. Drivers will then proceed left onto Corbin Street to travel south toward the complex's container terminals.
Significant improvements have already been completed on the detour route, PANYNJ noted, with additional lanes at higher elevations to reduce flooding, new signals and signage, and wider turning angles facilitating more efficient truck movement.
"Reconstructing the Corbin Street ramp marks a significant milestone in our effort to modernize one of the major access points to the East Coast's busiest port complex," said Rick Cotton, executive director of the agency. "Thanks to the Port Authority's detailed planning and diligence, truckers will use a carefully planned detour that can handle the additional traffic, allowing port operations to continue uninterrupted as we reconstruct the ramp."
The current ramp from Port Street to Corbin Street, which is more than 60 years old, will be demolished and rebuilt to modern roadway standards, including a wider turning angle and the restoration of a second lane. This will allow for a safer, more efficient traffic flow into the complex from major roadways including the New Jersey Turnpike, Interstate 78, U.S. Highway 1 and U.S. 9. At present, the ramp from Port Street to Corbin Street serves approximately 3,600 vehicles during a typical peak hour, 40 percent of which is truck traffic.
A modern Corbin Street ramp represents a major component of the Port Street Corridor Improvement Project, which includes significant upgrades across the port complex's entire northern entryway.
For example, the interchange's current configuration includes a series of hairpin turns with reduced sightlines, which are often challenging for truck drivers to navigate safely. As a result, more than 700 crashes were reported on the roadway between 2005 and 2022. However, the Port Authority noted that the improvements to lane capacity, new turning radiuses, and other planned safety features are expected to reduce accidents by more than 35 percent.
Additionally, the enhancements will save 700,000 hours of travel time for vehicles accessing the complex in the first full year following the project's completion. The estimated savings of vehicle travel times also will improve air quality around the complex, and average annual fuel consumption is expected to be reduced by approximately 70,000 gal. due to the planned changes and result in the avoidance of approximately 750 tons of carbon emissions per year.
Upgrades at Several Points Over Next Four Years
Besides the ramp reconstruction and detour improvements on Marlin and Kellogg streets, other major elements of the project include:
- Reconstruction of Outer Port Street.
- Installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Port and Marlin streets, an improvement of existing traffic signals at the intersections of Corbin and Kellogg streets, and at Port Street and Doremus Avenue.
- Raising the main interchange area to a higher elevation to alleviate flooding concerns.
- Construction of a new storm drainage system connecting the improved roadways to a new storm water discharge point in the Port Newark Channel.
- Realignment of railroad tracks to a safer, more visible pathway as they intersect with the port's streets.
- Construction and addition of street lighting along Kellogg and Marlin streets.
The entire effort is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
According to PANYNJ, the Port Street Corridor Improvement Project received a $44 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program in July 2021.
Project to Significantly Impact Local Economy
The Port Authority worked with its federal and community partners to establish ambitious benchmarks for local involvement in the project. The development contract contains targets for the hiring of women, minorities, residents of Newark and Elizabeth and apprentices enrolled in federally registered apprenticeship programs.
Due to those stipulations, the road building effort leading to the twin New Jersey shipping facilities is expected to generate 260 additional direct jobs during construction with a priority placed on working with local, minority, and women contractors. In addition, the work is anticipated to generate $25 million in direct wages and $171 million in regional economic activity.
The improvements at the Port Newark and the Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal also will benefit PANYNJ's many partners who use the 930-acre complex of container, bulk and auto terminals, warehouses, and wharves.
PANYNJ is the busiest seaport on the East Coast and among the top three busiest in the country, handling cargo totaling approximately $238 billion in value in 2023. Port operations supported more than 563,000 industry jobs in the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania region, according to a study of 2022 maritime economic activity by the Shipping Association of New York and New Jersey.
The bi-state agency also builds, operates and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. For more than a century, the Port Authority's vital network of major airports, critical bridges, tunnels, bus terminals, a commuter rail line, and the seaport transports hundreds of millions of people and moves essential goods into and out of the region.
The Port Authority's annual budget of $9.3 billion includes no tax revenue from either the states of New York or New Jersey, or from the city of New York.
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