The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that its project to modernize the road network leading into Port Newark and the adjacent Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal is taking a significant step forward, as the agency prepares to close the ramp leading from eastbound Port Street to southbound Corbin Street for demolition and reconstruction at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16.
The port complex will remain fully operational during the closure with a detour that has been rebuilt to accommodate the additional traffic. Overall, the Port Street Corridor Improvement Project will transform the antiquated road network around the East Coast’s busiest port complex to make it safer, less congested, and more efficient, offering truckers significant time savings while strengthening the supply chain and improving air quality in the area.
“Reconstructing the Corbin Street ramp marks a significant milestone in our effort to modernize one of the major access points to the East Coast’s busiest port complex,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Thanks to the Port Authority’s detailed planning and diligence, truckers will use a carefully planned detour that can handle the additional traffic, allowing port operations to continue uninterrupted as we reconstruct the ramp.”
The Corbin Street ramp closure will begin on Monday, Sept. 16, and is expected to last approximately one year, during which time all vehicular traffic will be detoured via Marlin and Kellogg streets. Detoured traffic will continue past the existing ramp on Port Street, turning right on Marlin Street and following a newly redesigned curve to Kellogg Street. Drivers can then proceed left onto Corbin Street to continue south toward the complex’s container terminals.
Significant improvements have been completed on the detour route, with additional lanes at higher elevations to reduce flooding, new signals and signage, and wider turning angles facilitating more efficient truck movement.
The current ramp from Port Street to Corbin Street, which is more than 60 years old, will be demolished and rebuilt to modern roadway standards, including a wider turning angle and the restoration of a second lane. This will allow for a safer, more efficient traffic flow into the complex from major roadways including the New Jersey Turnpike, Interstate 78, and U.S. routes 1 and 9. The ramp from Port Street to Corbin Street currently serves approximately 3,600 vehicles during a typical peak hour, 40 percent of which is truck traffic.
The new Corbin Street ramp is a major component of the Port Street Corridor Improvement Project, which includes significant upgrades across the port complex’s entire northern entryway. The interchange’s current configuration includes a series of hairpin turns with reduced sightlines, which are often challenging for truck drivers to navigate safely. More than 700 crashes were reported on the roadway between 2005 and 2022. The improvements to lane capacity, turning radius, and other safety features are expected to reduce crashes by more than 35 percent.
The enhancements will save 700,000 hours of travel time for vehicles accessing the complex in the first full year following project completion. The estimated savings of vehicle travel times will also improve air quality around the complex. The changes are expected to reduce average annual fuel consumption by approximately 70,000 gallons and result in the avoidance of approximately 750 tons of carbon emissions per year.
In addition to the ramp reconstruction and detour improvements on Marlin and Kellogg streets, major elements of the project include:
• Reconstruction of Outer Port Street
• Installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Port and Marlin streets, and improvement of existing traffic signals at the intersections of Corbin and Kellogg streets, and of Port Street and Doremus Avenue
• Raising the main interchange area to a higher elevation to alleviate flooding
• Construction of a new storm drainage system connecting the improved roadways to a new storm water discharge point in the Port Newark Channel
• Realignment of railroad tracks to a safer, more visible pathway as they intersect with the street
• Construction/addition of street lighting along Kellogg and Marlin streets
The project received a $44 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program in July 2021. The project is expected to generate 260 additional direct jobs during construction with a priority placed on working with local, minority, and women contractors. Additionally, the work is anticipated to generate $25 million in direct wages and $171 million in regional economic activity. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
The Port Authority worked with its federal and community partners to establish ambitious benchmarks for local involvement in the project. Contract language stipulates goals for participation from firms owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and certified as disadvantaged business enterprises through the agency. The contract also contains targets for the hiring of women, minorities, residents of Newark and Elizabeth, and apprentices enrolled in federally registered apprenticeship programs. Planning for the project involved extensive outreach with port stakeholders and tenants, as well as federal, state, and local partners.
The improvements will benefit the agency’s many partners who use the 930-acre complex of container, bulk and auto terminals, warehouses, and wharves. The Port of New York and New Jersey is the busiest seaport on the East Coast and among the top three busiest in the country, handling cargo totaling approximately $238 billion in value in 2023. Port operations supported more than 563,000 industry jobs in the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania region, according to a study of 2022 maritime economic activity by the Shipping Association of New York and New Jersey.
