Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

From Debunk911myths

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the New York–New Jersey Port District. This 1,500 mile² (3,900 km²) District is defined as a circle with a 25-mile (40-km) radius centered on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.[1]

History

In the early years of the 20th century, there were disputes between the states of New Jersey and New York, over rail freights and boundaries. At the time, rail lines terminated on the New Jersey side of the harbor, while ocean shipping was centered on Manhattan and Brooklyn. Freight had to be shipped across the Hudson River in barges.[2] In 1916, New Jersey launched a lawsuit against New York over issues of rail freight, with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) issuing an order that the two states work together, subordinating their own interests to the public interest.[3] The Harbor Development Commission, a joint advisory board set-up in 1917, recommended that a bi-state authority be established to oversee efficient economic development of the port district.[4] The Port Authority of New York was established on April 30, 1921,[5] through an interstate compact between the states of New Jersey and New York. This was the first such agency in the United States, created under a provision in the Constitution of the United States permitting interstate compacts.[1]

Hudson River crossings

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were no bridge or tunnel crossings between the two states. Under an independent agency, the Holland Tunnel was constructed and opened in 1924, with the planning and construction pre-dating the Port Authority. With the rise in automobile traffic, there was demand for more Hudson River crossings. Using its ability to issue bonds and collect revenue, the Port Authority has built and managed major infrastructure projects. Early projects included bridges across the Arthur Kill, which separates Staten Island from New Jersey. The Goethals Bridge, named after chief engineer of the Panama Canal Commission General George Washington Goethals, connected Elizabeth, New Jersey and Howland Hook on Staten Island. At the south end of Arthur Kill, the Outerbridge Crossing was built and named after the Port Authority's first chairman, Eugenius H. Outerbridge. Construction of both bridges was completed in 1928. The Bayonne Bridge, opened in 1931, was built across the Kill van Kull, connecting Staten Island with Bayonne, New Jersey.[6]

Construction began in 1927 on the George Washington Bridge, linking the northern part of Manhattan with Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Port Authority chief engineer, Othmar H. Ammann, overseeing the project. In 1930, the Holland Tunnel was placed under control of the Port Authority.[6] During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Lincoln Tunnel was built, connecting New Jersey and Midtown Manhattan.

Austin J. Tobin and the World Trade Center

Airports

In 1942, Austin J. Tobin became the Executive Director of the Port Authority. In the post-World War II period, the Port Authority expanded its operations to include airports, and marine terminals, with projects including Newark Liberty International Airport, Port Newark, and Port Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the city-owned La Guardia Field, was nearing capacity in 1939, and needed expensive upgrades and expansion. At the time, airports were operated as loss leaders, and the city was having difficulties maintaining the status quo, losing money and not able to undertake needed expansions.[7] The city was looking to hand the airports over to an public authority, possibly to Robert Moses' Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. After long negotiations with the City of New York, a 50-year lease, commencing on May 31, 1947, went to the Port Authority of New York to rehabilitate, develop, and operate La Guardia International Airport (La Guardia Field), John F. Kennedy International Airport (Idlewild Airport), and Floyd Bennett Field.[8] The Port Authority transformed the airports into fee-generating facilities, adding stores and restaurants.[7]

World Trade Center

During the post World War II period, the United States thrived economically, with increasing international trade. It was in this economic environment, that the concept of establishing a "world trade center" was conceived. At the time, economic growth was concentrated in Midtown Manhattan, with Lower Manhattan left out. One exception was the construction of Chase Manhattan Bank Tower in the Financial District, by David Rockefeller who led urban renewal efforts in Lower Manhattan.[6]

In initial plans made public in 1961, the World Trade Center was slated to be built on a site along the East River. Objections to the plan came from New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner, who resented that New York would be getting this $335 million project.[6] Meanwhile, New Jersey's Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M) was facing bankruptcy. Port Authority executive director, Austin J. Tobin agreed to take over control of the H&M Railroad, in exchange for support from New Jersey for the World Trade Center project. As part of this acquisition, the Port Authority would rehabilitate the Downtown and Uptown Hudson Tubes. The Port Authority would also obtain the Hudson Terminal, and decrepit buildings located above the terminal in Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority decided to demolish these buildings, and use this site along the Hudson River for the World Trade Center.

Even once the agreement between the states of New Jersey, New York, and the Port Authority was finalized, the World Trade Center plan faced continued controversy. New York City mayor Robert Wagner raised concerns about the limited extent that the Port Authority involved the city in the negotiations and deliberations. The site was the location of Radio Row electronics businesses, and the World Trade Center plans involved evicting hundreds of commercial and industrial tenants, property owners, small businesses, and approximately 100 residents, some of whom fiercely protested the forced relocation[6].

In 1964, Minoru Yamasaki was hired by the Port Authority as architect, who came up with the idea of twin towers. To meet the Port Authority's requirement to build 10 million square feet of office space, the towers would each be 110-stories tall. The size of the project raised ire from the owner of the Empire State Building, which would lose its title of tallest building in the world. Other critics objected to the idea of this much "subsidized" office space going on the open market, competing with the private sector. Others questioned the cost of the project, which in 1966 had risen to $575 million.[6] Final negotiations between The City of New York and the Port Authority centered on tax issues. A final agreement was made that the Port Authority would make annual payments in lieu of taxes, for the 40 percent of the World Trade Center leased to private tenants. The remaining space was to be occupied by state and federal government agencies. In 1962, the Port Authority had signed up the United States Customs Service as a tenant, and in 1964 they inked a deal with the State of New York to locate government offices at the World Trade Center.

In August 1968, construction on the World Trade Center's north tower started, with construction on the south tower beginning in January 1969.[9]. When the World Trade Center twin towers were completed, the total costs to the Port Authority had reached $900 million.[10] The buildings were dedicated on April 4, 1973, with Tobin, who resigned the year before, absent from the ceremonies.[11]

Post-Tobin era

In 1972, William Ronan was chosen to succeed Austin Tobin as Executive Director of the Port Authority. Also in 1972, the name of the agency was changed to The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with structural changes implemented.[12]

September 11, 2001 attacks

The devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent collapse of the World Trade Center buildings had an immense impact on the Port Authority. As the Port Authority's headquarters was located in 1 World Trade Center, it became deprived of a base of operations and sustained a great number of casualties. The Port Authority lost a total of 84 employees, including 37 Port Authority Police Officers and its Executive Director, Neil D. Levi.]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 2001 Annual Report (2002, April 23) PANY
  2. ↑ Rodrigue, Jean Paul (2004) "Chapter 4, Appropriate models of port governance Lessons from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey", in Shipping and Ports in the Twenty-first Century, Routledge.
  3. ↑ Darton, Eric (1999) Divided We Stand: A Biography of New York's World Trade Center, "Chapter 1", Basic Books.
  4. ↑ Revell, Keith D. (2000) "Cooperation, Capture, and Autonomy: The Interstate Commerce Commission and the Port Authority in the 1920s", Journal of Policy History, 12(2), pp 177-214.
  5. ↑ History of the Port Authority, PANY
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Gillespie, Angus K. (1999) Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center, Chapter 1, Rutgers University Press
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lander, Brad (August 2002) "Land Use", Gotham Gazette
  8. ↑ "NAME OF IDLEWILD TO BE CITY AIRPORT; Cullman Proposes the Change and O'Dwyer Promises His Aid in Making Shift ADDED PRESTIGE OBJECT Port Authority Head Turns Over to Mayor the Releases From 17 Old Contracts" (May 30, 1947), New York Times
  9. ↑ Timeline: World Trade Center chronology, PBS - American Experience
  10. ↑ Cudahy, Brian J. (2002) Rails Under the Mighty Hudson: The Story of the Hudson Tubes, the Pennsy Tunnels, and Manhattan Transfer, Chapter 3, Fordham University Press.
  11. ↑ Darton, Eric (1999) Divided We Stand: A Biography of New York's World Trade Center, Chapter 6, Basic Books.
  12. ↑ Danielson, Michael N., Jameson W. Doig (1983) New York: The Politics of Urban Regional Development, University of California Press.
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