Transportation in New Jersey

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As a key industrial center and the link between New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey is a hub of transportation.

New Jersey's tremendous transportation system is concentrated in the main industrial area and succeeds in moving incredible volumes of interstate traffic and cargo through the state via an extensive highway and railway system. The famous New Jersey Turnpike runs roughly north-south, bisecting the state, passing through Newark and connecting to Manhattan. It is one of several toll roads in New Jersey, others include the Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway. Car traffic to and from New York is served by the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, and three bridges to Staten Island. Subway and railway lines also run between New York and New Jersey. Numerous bridges over the Delaware River connect New Jersey to Delaware and Pennsylvania.

A substantial portion of transportation activity in New Jersey is overseen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This public corporation was developed in 1921 by the two states to administer activities in the port area that they share. The Port Authority's mission is to "identify and meet the critical transportation infrastructure needs of the bistate region's businesses, residents, and visitors." The Port Authority has been incredibly successful in meeting its mission without burdening the taxpayers of New Jersey or New York. Some of the Port Authority's projects affecting New Jersey directly include, refinancing the Holland Tunnel, constructing the Lincoln Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge, building marine terminals in Newark and Elizabeth (the busiest in the region), and developing and constructing the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Railroad, or PATH. The Port Authority also administers the Newark International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the nation.

Related Resources:

• New Jersey Department of Transportation