PANYNJ unveils new 30-year master plan

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) on Tuesday unveiled its Port Master Plan 2050, which lays out a roadmap for the next generation of land-use and infrastructure development projects.

Among the plan's primary objectives: provide growth opportunities; improve the port's commercial value; continue to serve as a regional economic engine; and promote safe, environmentally sustainable operations.
 
Master Plan 2050 will build on previous planning in the 1990s that led to the deepening of port channels to 50 feet, the raising of the Bayonne Bridge, container terminal expansions, realignment of and capacity enhancements to port roadways and the completion of the port’s $600 million ExpressRail network, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

“Our predecessors had the foresight to clearly understand the value of the port to regional jobs and economic activity and made substantial investments that today are paying huge dividends,” said PANYNJ Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “This plan will continue the momentum we have built and drive this port to new heights that two decades ago would have seemed impossible to achieve.”

The new plan is released as the port logs record growth in cargo volume. During the first five months of 2019, the port handled 3,041,814 20-foot equivalent units, a new record for the period.

With the plan now completed, the authority will begin implementing key findings and recommendations, including further study, analysis and design work. Specific long- and short-term actions proposed for each of the port's five facilities — Port Newark, Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal, Port Jersey Port Authority Marine Terminal, Howland Hook Marine Terminal and Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal — are detailed in the plan.