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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is a bi-state agency (operated pursuant to 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. Established on April 30, 1921, as the Port of New York Authority, the name of the agency and its form of operation were changed to their present form in 1972.
Airports operated by the Port Authority include John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, both of which are located in Queens, New York; Newark Liberty International Airport, located in Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey; and Teterboro Airport, located in Teterboro, New Jersey. The Authority also operates the Downtown Manhattan Heliport.
Other facilities managed by the Port Authority include the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, and the George Washington Bridge, which all connect Manhattan and northern New Jersey; the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing (previously the Arthur Kill Bridges and currently the Staten Island Bridges); the Bayonne Bridge; the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station; the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system linking lower and midtown Manhattan with New Jersey; the AirTrain Newark system linking Newark International Airport with the Northeast Corridor rail line of the New Jersey Transit and Amtrak; the AirTrain JFK system linking JFK with Howard Beach (Subway) and Jamaica (Subway and Long Island Rail Road [LIRR]); the New York–New Jersey port; and a number of real estate projects including the World Trade Center site.
The Port Authority currently specializes in transportation, but it was founded to manage the Port of New York itself. Originally the port facilities were in New York and Brooklyn, but now virtually all of the docks and wharves are in Newark and Elizabeth. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the first in the nation to containerize and is now the fifteenth busiest in the world. It moved over $100 billion in goods in 2003.
The Port Authority also operates its own 1,600-member police department, which is responsible for providing safety and deterring criminal activity at Port Authority–owned-and-operated facilities.
Although the Port Authority does run a good portion of the transportation structures, some bridges, tunnels, and other transportation facilities are operated independently of the Port Authority, including the Staten Island Ferry, which is operated by the New York City Department of Transportation; bridges, tunnels, buses, subways, and commuter rail operated by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority; and buses, commuter rail, and light rail operated by the New Jersey Transit.
Governance
The Port Authority is jointly headed by the governors of New York and New Jersey. Each governor, with the approval of his or her state senate, appoints six members to the Board of Commissioners. These members serve overlapping six-year terms without pay. A governor can veto actions by the commissioners from the same state. Meetings of the Board of Commissioners are public.
Financially, the Port Authority has no power to tax and does not receive tax money from any local or state governments. Instead, it operates on the revenues it makes from its rents, tolls, fees, and facilities.
An Executive Director is appointed by the Board of Commissioners to deal with day-to-day operations and to execute the Port Authority's policies.
Former Executive Directors
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 Officers and its Executive Director, Neil D. Levin.
See also
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Authority_of_New_York_and_New_Jersey under GFDL
