The Port Authority took a significant step Thursday to honoring a commitment to right the wrong from 40 years ago by providing better access from the city’s south ward and Dayton neighborhood to Newark Airport.
Several officials praised the project for fixing a problem created four decades ago when a federal rule prevented building access from the nearby Newark and Elizabeth neighborhoods to airport rail station and the AirTrain monorail system.
On Thursday, Port Authority commissioners approved allocating $160 million to develop, design and build an overpass, elevators and a ground transportation hub to Newarks’ south ward neighborhood that would provide street level and elevated access to the Newark Rail Link Station and Newark Liberty International Airport.
The project, when built, would also provide direct access for airport employees who now have to take a long bus ride to the airport some can see from their homes.
“This is righting a wrong of the past,” said Authority Commissioner Leecia Eve, who worked in Newark. “In addition to the economic benefits, I can’t quantify how game changing this is for the people who call Elizabeth, Newark and especially the South Ward home. This is a proud day.”
In addition to direct access to the airport and Northeast Corridor line trains, the project provides fast access to the airport and to rains to Newark Penn Station.
“It will speed access to the (airport) AirTrain, now 40 minutes by transit today. It will lower it to nine,” said Jackie McCarthy aviation director, who added people traveling to Newark Penn Station will see a similar improvement in travel times.
Officials expect to award a construction contract in 2025 with completion schedule sometime in 2026, McCarthy said.
One of three goals in the Newark Airport City report called for removing that restriction because it precluded Newark residents or employees from getting to the station directly and inhibited employment opportunities by making transit trips longer than needed. That report noted that efforts that would have opened the station up earlier were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Newark Airport City is a coalition of universities, government bodies, and research entities working to maximize the benefit of the airport to Newark. The project also will improve access for Elizabeth residents.
“When built 40 years ago residents wanted to see access,” said Mayor Chris Bollwage of Elizabeth and Port Authority commissioner. “When I tell people about it, they say wow, this will be much quicker than navigating traffic to the airport. This is a great plus.”
In March 2023, authority commissioner approved $12 million for preliminary design work for a new South Ward multi-modal station on the Northeast Corridor Line to serve south Newark and Elizabeth, dubbed the EWR Station Access Project.
The authority has moved the project to this point after having town hall meetings with neighbors, city officials, the rail transit agencies involved, the Federal Aviation Administration and state transportation department. The ground transportation hub would have entrances and exits on Route 27 ( Frelinghuysen Avenue).
The authority has applied for a $45 million U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant to construct the proposed station.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry
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