Governor Murphy, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Deputy Director of Port Department Bethann Rooney, Senator Joe Cryan, Port Newark Container Terminal CEO Jim Pelliccio, and International Longshoreman’s Association Chief of Staff & Director of Public Relations Jim McNamara visited the Port of Newark on Friday, December 17th to highlight New Jersey’s supply chain infrastructure and steps that the State, the PANYNJ, and other key stakeholders are taking to battle global supply chain issues. Through many visionary and forward-thinking investments, the Port of Newark is on track this year to significantly outpace total cargo volume from 2020, ensuring that New Jersey plays its part in bolstering and alleviating the nation’s supply chain issues.
“In working with our partners at the Port Authority, organized labor, and the private sector, New Jersey has avoided the supply chain and logistical breakdowns that much of our country has faced,” said Governor Murphy. “Through a combination of proactive infrastructure investment, collaboration in state government, and the help of key partners, the Port of New York and New Jersey are breaking cargo records and getting consumer and commercial products onto trucks and buses headed across America.”
“The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is proud to be able to keep our seaport operations smooth and continuous throughout this global health pandemic while at the same time absorbing significant capacity stemming from an ongoing cargo surge that has resulted in more than a year of record-breaking volumes and unprecedented growth,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “The Port Authority’s capital investments in regional infrastructure over the past decade – from the raising of the roadway of our Bayonne Bridge to serve the world’s largest container vessels, to the dredging of the area’s navigational channels to improve port operations – are paying off as the Port of New York and New Jersey has not missed a beat in keeping food, medical supplies, and goods moving. We are working collaboratively with our port partners and stakeholders at every link in the regional supply chain to ensure our port operations remain fluid as it has since before and during the pandemic, which is a testament to the hard-working men and women of the International Longshoremen’s Association and the drayage truck drivers who have been on the front lines to keep commerce moving.”
“The New Jersey Turnpike may well be the most critical link in both New Jersey’s and the Region’s supply chain movement,” said NJDOT Commissioner and Chair of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “Widening the last original section of Turnpike from Interchanges 1 – 4 will provide our commercial customers with greater capacity and efficiency as they get everything from holiday gifts to needed food and medical supplies to their destinations. Couple this major improvement with the NJDOT 2022 Statewide Freight Plan and increased Federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, New Jersey will enhance supply chain resiliency by planning for projects that increase the use of alternate modes of freight transportation and further support the strength of New Jersey’s economic competitiveness.”
“Throughout the pandemic, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has worked hard to prioritize CDL issuance and get as many truckers and bus drivers on the road as safely and quickly as possible,” said NJMVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton. “Our expedited commercial driver testing program has streamlined the process, shortening the time it takes to obtain a CDL in New Jersey. We will not stop working to meet the demand for commercial drivers as we continue to help ease supply chain challenges here and across the nation.”
“We are fortunate that New Jersey is not experiencing the same supply chain problems that are putting a chokehold on the flow of goods and services in other states. It’s not blind luck – we have dug in and done the work needed to maintain and upgrade the state’s infrastructure,” said Senator Joe Cryan. “Hard-working men and women have been on the job in the midst of the pandemic to widen roadways, raise the Bayonne Bridge, maintain the MVC’s concierge service, and dredge the waterways in Port Elizabeth and Port Newark to accommodate the large ships that come to our ports. In New Jersey, our economy relies on an effective supply chain; the supply chain relies on safe roads, bridges, and ports, and the infrastructure relies on maintenance and upgrades. This is more important than ever as we work our way out of the economic challenges created by the coronavirus crisis.”
“The International Longshoremen’s Association applauds the outstanding efforts and success of Governor Phil Murphy and his Administration making the investments necessary to keep our Nation’s vital supply chains moving through the ports in New Jersey,” said International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) President Harold Daggett. “We thank Governor Murphy for recognizing our ILA Longshore workforce as “America’s Front Line Heroes” who have been working around the clock for the past two years, keeping our ports open and commerce moving. The ILA will always mean “I Love America.”
“Since 2011, Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) has executed infrastructure investments of $425m with $400m of additional projects currently planned. These investments have allowed PNCT to increase terminal capacity by more than 80%,” said Port Newark Container Terminal President & CEO Jim Pelliccio. “The strength of our public-private partnership, coupled with the hard work and commitment of our ILA workforce provided the capacity needed throughout the pandemic, and sets the table for future expansion in support of New Jersey’s economic growth for decades to come.”
According to the global logistics firm Shifl, it is now 25% faster for ships from China to reach the Port of New York and New Jersey than ports on the West Coast, resulting in savings of thousands of miles and weeks. Through the State’s partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, organized labor partners at the Port, and private sector partners including terminal operators, New Jersey’s ports are busier and more appealing to the international logistics and freight industry than ever before. Port activities support approximately 500,000 jobs in New Jersey and New York and serve more than 134 million people regionally.
Actions that the State has taken, PANYNJ, and its partners include:
- The PANYNJ’s harbor deepening efforts in conjunction with the raising of the Bayonne Bridge enables larger cargo ships to call on the Port of New York and New Jersey
- 24/7 Vessel Operations maximizing container velocity through the port
- Extending gate hours of operations at marine terminals
- Expanding the ExpressRail Intermodal Rail System
- The Motor Vehicle Commission’s concierge service for large fleets, expediting Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs), and allowing NJ trucking companies to stay staffed
- The Route 7/Wittpenn Bridge Replacement, which opened in October, strengthening commercial access to the Port and New York City
Future projects include:
- The New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s Newark-Bay Hudson County Extension roadway widening and reconstruction project allowing for greater capacity of commercial and passenger traffic
- The project includes the replacement of several bridges, including the heavily-used Newark Bay Bridge
- The 2022 revisitation of the State Freight Rail Plan, in which New Jersey will make the movement of goods to and from the ports a key focal point
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