Around Elizabeth
The City of Elizabeth is at the center of an air, land and sea regional transportation network that is continuing to see upgrades during the City’s current boom in commerce.
ONGOING PROJECTS:
• The development of the Newark-Elizabeth light rail system
• The development of ferry service from the Jersey Gardens Mall site
• The twinning of the Goethals Bridge
• Improvement of intermodal freight operations through
revitalization of area rail lines
• Replacement of spans crossing Routes 1 and 9 in Elizabeth
• A major road improvement in the Kapkowski – North Avenue area to separate commercial traffic bound to Port Elizabeth from the traffic bound to the major retail and hotel development areas
• The creation of a special Transportation Development District in the area’s most important commercial areas
COMPLETED PROJECTS:
• The $1 billion modernization program at Newark/Elizabeth Liberty International Airport
• A monorail system at the airport
• A new NJ Transit AirTrans station to serve the airport
• The widening of the NJ Turnpike to 14 lanes
NEWARK/ELIZABETH LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Nearly 50 percent of the airport is in Elizabeth. The airport is among the world’s fastest growing, handling more than 32 million passengers annually. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates it, generating more than 39,000 new jobs, and contributing $35 billion in economic activity to the region.
Newark Liberty International Airport has experienced rapid growth in international air service in the last decade. Today international airlines offer direct service to many destinations around the world. Many improvements have been aided by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is completing an ambitious renovation program to provide more parking and better transportation access to the airport.
The $378 million monorail system links the airport’s terminals, long-term parking lots, and rental car facilities. Shuttle buses link the airport with Elizabeth’s retail venues.
In addition, the monorail is part of “AIR TRAIN” at Newark Airport and provides service 24 hours per day between Terminals A, B, and C; parking lots P1, P3 and P4; the rental car complex; and the Newark Liberty International Airport Train Station. The Air Train runs every few minutes for most of the day, except between midnight and 5 a.m. when they run approximately every 10 minutes. Air Train connects passengers to NJ Transit and Amtrak Northeast Corridor train lines via the Newark Liberty International Airport Train Station to locations north and south of the airport. The Terminal C International Arrivals Facility opened in March 2002 and is located in the C3 Concourse. This state-of-the-art facility can efficiently clear 1,500 passengers per hour through Immigrations and Customs. The upper Immigration level has 28 Immigration booths. The lower baggage-claim level of the terminal has seven baggage carousels, three U.S. Customs counters, and one U.S. Agriculture Department counter.
PORT ELIZABETH: The Port of Elizabeth/Newark is the largest containerized, deep-water shipping terminal in North America and it is the most active. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operate the Port. The 2,463-acre port has more than 5.5 million square feet of storage and distribution space. The Port Authority recently announced a record-breaking year for the port, with container volumes up more than eight percent at 78 million tons and the total value of cargo in the port up nearly 12 percent at $100 million.
To meet the demands of our growing industry, a $1 billion investment is already underway to reconfigure existing terminals, deepen the harbor’s channels to 50+feet, dredge berths, and improve inland access by rail and barge — all to create the most efficient and cost-effective port possible. Our improved port will feature new high-capacity, environmentally friendly cranes that can load and unload containers more quickly, and an improved transportation infrastructure that will alleviate traffic and port congestion. At the same time, deepened channels and berths will allow for the more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly transport of cargo.
PORT AUTHORITY INDUSTRIAL PARK: Located in the middle of New York and New Jersey’s vast transportation complex, with direct access to the New Jersey Turnpike, is Elizabeth Park, a 71-acre suburban-style mixed-use facility that includes both retail and industrial space. It is adjacent to the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal and Newark International Airport. An excellent example of private-public partnerships, the Park includes IKEA, a Swedish home furnishings retailer, which has recently developed a retail center called The Elizabeth Center at 13A. IKEA also operates a 270,000 square foot retail store and AFI Food Service maintains a distribution facility at the Park. Elizabeth’s Urban Enterprise Zone status offers qualified companies various tax benefits. Companies in the park may also be eligible for inclusion in Foreign Trade Zone #49, which can result in lowered or deferred US Customs duties.
LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM: The City’s proposed Midtown Redevelopment Project will serve as the anchor for the planned $30 million Newark-Elizabeth Rail link. The system will provide access from Midtown, adjacent to the Historic Train Station and the City’s pedestrian plaza. It will connect to IKEA, the Jersey Gardens Mall (near a
proposed ferry terminal), Newark-Elizabeth Liberty International Airport, Port Elizabeth and the City of Newark.
FERRY TERMINAL: The proposed Newark-Elizabeth Rail link would connect to oncoming ferry service that will be available at a slip adjacent to the Jersey Gardens Mall, AMC Loews Jersey Gardens Theatre, and a proposed mixed-use development.
ROAD ACCESS AND NJ TRANSIT: The City of Elizabeth is well served by a myriad of highways and county roads that criss-cross the municipality, serving commuters and commercial traffic. Routes 1 and 9 flow into Newark-Elizabeth Liberty International Airport and lead to New York and a number of major state and federal highways, as does the famous New Jersey Turnpike, which serves the City with two exits at 13 and 13A.
As part of its long-range goal, City and County planners have worked with the Turnpike to widen the highway from 12 to 14 lanes in the part that serves Elizabeth. The Turnpike connects to Goethal’s Bridge in Elizabeth at Exit 13, and at 13A it connects to the Jersey Gardens Mall, AMC Loews Jersey Gardens Theatre, and the Elizabeth Center at 13A.
Public transportation to Elizabeth is also convenient through a wide range of New Jersey Transit’s buses and trains. There are two NJ Transit train stations in Elizabeth – at Broad Street, and at North Elizabeth. The train ride to Manhattan from Elizabeth is 35 minutes, and the ride south to Trenton is 55 minutes. The stations are served by the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coastline Service, which also connects to points along the Jersey Shore.
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