Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is a bi-state agency (operated pursuant to an interstate compact) that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the New York–New Jersey Port District. The name of the agency, as created by Congress and the legislatures of New York and New Jersey, is actually The Port of New York Authority. The name Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is another invented name that local independent authorities like to create (such as MTA NYC Transit for the NYC Transit Authority). The Port Authority has never gone through either Congress or either of the state legislatures to have the name changed. This 1,500 mile² (3,900 km²) District is defined as a circle with a 25-mile (40-km) radius centered on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Established on April 30, 1921, as the Port of New York Authority, the name of the agency and its form of operation were changed to their present form in 1972.

Overview

The Port Authority currently specializes in transportation, but it was founded to manage the Port of New York itself. Originally the port facilities were in New York and Brooklyn, but now virtually all of the docks and wharves are in Newark and Elizabeth. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the first in the nation to containerize and is now the fifteenth busiest in the world. It moved over $100 billion in goods in 2003.

The Port Authority also operates its own 1,600-member police department, which is responsible for providing safety and deterring criminal activity at Port Authority–owned-and-operated facilities.

Although the Port Authority does run a good portion of the transportation structures, some bridges, tunnels, and other transportation facilities are operated independently of the Port Authority, including the Staten Island Ferry, which is operated by the New York City Department of Transportation; bridges between Manhattan and the Bronx operated by the NYC Department of Transportation; and other bridges, tunnels, operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority which is controlled by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority; buses, subways, and commuter rail operated by the New York City Transit Authority which is controlled by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority; and buses, commuter rail, and light rail operated by New Jersey Transit.

Facilities

Seaports

The Port Authority operates the Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY; the Auto Marine Terminal in Bayonne, NJ and Jersey City, NJ; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island, NY; and the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in Elizabeth, NJ.

Airports

Airports operated by the Port Authority include John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, both of which are located in Queens, New York; Newark Liberty International Airport, located in Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey; and Teterboro Airport, located in Teterboro, New Jersey. The Authority also operates the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Both Kennedy and LaGuardia airports are owned by the city of New York and leased to the Port Authority for operating purposes.

Bridges and tunnels

Other facilities managed by the Port Authority include the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, and the George Washington Bridge, which all connect Manhattan and northern New Jersey; the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing (previously the Arthur Kill Bridges and currently the Staten Island Bridges); and the Bayonne Bridge. Cash tolls for passenger vehicles crossing from New Jersey to New York City are $6; there is no toll for crossing from New York to New Jersey. Annual toll receipts from these facilities typically equal the initial construction costs.

Bus and train transit

The Port Authority operates the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system linking lower and midtown Manhattan with New Jersey, the AirTrain Newark system linking Newark International Airport with New Jersey Transit and Amtrak via a station on the Northeast Corridor rail line, and the AirTrain JFK system linking JFK with Howard Beach (Subway) and Jamaica (Subway and Long Island Rail Road ^*).

Real estate

The Port Authority owns the World Trade Center site, and is currently collaborating with Silverstein Properties and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation on the reconstruction effort.

The Port Authority also participates in joint development ventures around the region, including The Teleport communications center in Staten Island, Bathgate Industrial Park in The Bronx, the Essex County Resource Recovery Facility, The Legal Center in Newark, NJ, Queens West in Long Island City, NY, and The South Waterfront at Hoboken, NJ.

Governance

The Port Authority is jointly headed by the governors of New York and New Jersey. Each governor, with the approval of his or her state senate, appoints six members to the Board of Commissioners. These members serve overlapping six-year terms without pay. A governor can veto actions by the commissioners from the same state. Meetings of the Board of Commissioners are public.

Financially, the Port Authority has no power to tax and does not receive tax money from any local or state governments. Instead, it operates on the revenues it makes from its rents, tolls, fees, and facilities.

An Executive Director is appointed by the Board of Commissioners to deal with day-to-day operations and to execute the Port Authority's policies.

Former Executive Directors

September 11, 2001 Attacks

The devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent collapse of the World Trade Center buildings had an immense impact on the Port Authority. As the Port Authority's headquarters was located in 1 World Trade Center, it became deprived of a base of operations and sustained a great number of casualties. The Port Authority lost a total of 84 employees, including 37 Port Authority Police Officers and its Executive Director, Neil D. Levin.

External links

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

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