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56-776: The Waterfront Alliance or Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) is a nonprofit organization that works to influence the development and use of the waterfront, shoreline, and connected upland areas of the Port of New York and New Jersey and the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary . It was created as a project by the Municipal Art Society in 1999 and in 2007 it became an independent nonprofit organization. The Waterfront Alliance has been involving in several notable projects since its independence in 2007. Port of New York and New Jersey It includes

112-709: A meandering course southward through the suburban communities of New Jersey. Near Oradell , it is impounded to form Oradell Reservoir , where it is surrounded primarily by Oradell, Haworth , and Emerson , and joined by several streams, including the Dwars Kill , the Cherry Brook, and Pascack Brook . Van Buskirk Island , a man-made island and site of the New Milford Plant of the Hackensack Water Company , lies in this area. South of

168-579: A mile south of High Tor State Park . It flows briefly southeast, into the Lake DeForest reservoir, separated from the Hudson by less than 3 mi (5 km). South of the dam, it then flows south, diverging from the Hudson. Just across the New Jersey state line, in northern Bergen County , it is impounded to form the reservoir Lake Tappan near River Vale . South of Lake Tappan, it flows in

224-581: A year is projected. The Port Inland Distribution Network involves new or expanded transportation systems for redistribution by barge and rail for the shipped goods and containers that are delivered at area ports in an effort to curtail the use of trucks and their burden on the environment, traffic, and highway systems. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), and Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), are involved in initiatives to review and develop this network. To instantiate PIDN,

280-483: A year. The authority's board authorized $ 118.1 million for the project. The National Docks Secondary rail line is being upgraded in anticipation of expanded volumes. In September 2014, the PANYNJ announced a $ 356 million capital project to upgrade and expand the facility, including Roll-on/roll-off operations. Expected to be operational about July 2016, an initial capacity of at least 125,000 cargo container lifts

336-501: Is a major economic engine for the region. The region's airports make the port the nation's top gateway for international flights and its busiest center for overall passenger and air freight flights. There are two foreign-trade zones (FTZ) within the port. Encompassing an area within an approximate 25-mile (40 km) radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, the port district comprises all or part of seventeen counties in

392-550: Is about 17 feet (5 m), but it was deepened over the years, to a controlling depth of about 24 feet (7 m) in 1880. By 1891, the Main Ship Channel was minimally 30 feet (9 m) deep. Following the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 over $ 1.2 million of initial funding was appropriated for the dredging of 40 ft (12.2 m)-deep channels at Bay Ridge , Red Hook , and Sandy Hook . In 1914, Ambrose Channel became

448-405: Is responsible for bulkhead and channel maintenance. The United States Coast Guard deals with issues such as floatable debris , spills, vessel rescues, and counter-terrorism. Both states, and some municipal governments (New York City, in particular), maintain maritime police units . The United States Park Police monitors federal properties. The National Park Service oversees some of

504-630: The Bayonne Bridge has been raised from 155 feet (47.2 m) to 215 feet (65.5 m). The Sandy Hook Pilots are licensed maritime pilots that go aboard oceangoing vessels, passenger liners , freighters , and tankers and are responsible for the navigation of larger ships through port district. The estuary was originally the territory of the Lenape , a seasonally migrational people who would relocate summer encampments along its shore and use its waterways for transport and fishing. Many of

560-785: The Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CRCX) on the Chemical Coast Secondary connect to the East Coast rail freight network carriers Norfolk Southern (NS), CSX Transportation (CSX), and Canadian Pacific (CP). The network is partially financed by a surcharge on all containers passing through the port by train or truck. While most consumer goods are transported in containers , other commodities such as petroleum and scrap metal are handled at facilities for marine transfer operations , bulk cargo , and break bulk cargo throughout

616-531: The Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne , indicating that additional container port facilities would be created. The agency is expected to develop a terminal capable of handling the larger container ships to be in service once the new, wider Panama Canal opens in 2014, some of which would not have passed under the original Bayonne Bridge at the Kill van Kull . A project to raise to the roadway of

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672-674: The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission , was established by the state in 1968 to manage development and habitat preservation. The commission was merged into the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority in 2015. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed designating the Lower Hackensack as a Superfund site, which would make it eligible for environmental remediation partially funded by original polluters. In September 2022,

728-731: The New York Tunnel Extension under the Hudson Palisades , Hudson River , Manhattan , and East River due to electrified lines and lack of ventilation . Overland travel crosses the Hudson River 140 miles (225 km) to the north using a right of way known as the Selkirk hurdle . The Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel is a proposed rail tunnel under the Upper Bay . The western portal would be located at

784-725: The Passaic River and Hackensack River , and the northern entrance of Arthur Kill. The Gowanus Canal and Buttermilk Channel are entered from the east. The East River is a broad strait that travels north to Newtown Creek and the Harlem River , turning east at Hell Gate before opening to Long Island Sound , which provides an outlet to the open sea. The port consists of a complex of approximately 240 miles (386 km) of shipping channels , as well as anchorages and port facilities. Most vessels require pilotage , and larger vessels require tugboat assistance for

840-526: The Port of Los Angeles reclaiming its position as the nation's busiest. ExpressRail is the rail network supporting intermodal freight transport at the major container terminals of the port. The development of dockside trackage and railyards for transloading has been overseen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey which works in partnership other public and private stakeholders . Various switching and terminal railroads , including

896-670: The Teamsters , and the International Longshoremen's Association assist and represent some of the port's mariners and dockworkers . The airports in the Port of New York and New Jersey combine to create the largest airport system in the United States, the second in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the first in the world in terms of total flight operations. JFK air freight cargo operations make it

952-1093: The Upper Bay between the Greenville Yard in Jersey City and the 65th Street Yard and the Bush Terminal Yard in Brooklyn . At the Greenville end, CSX Transportation operates through Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets Area along the National Docks Secondary . At Brooklyn , end connections are made to the New York and Atlantic Railway 's Bay Ridge Branch and the South Brooklyn Railway . The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) crossing takes approximately 45 minutes. The equivalent truck trip would be 35 to 50 miles (80 km) long. Freight rail has never used

1008-569: The prototype , opened in 1962. Expanded intermodal freight transport systems and the Interstate Highway System effected a shift to new terminals at Newark Bay . Since the 1980s, sections of waterfront in the traditional harbor have been being redeveloped to include public access to the water's edge, with the creation of linear park greenways such as Hudson River Park , Hudson River Waterfront Walkway , and Brooklyn Bridge Park . The CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt ,

1064-575: The tidal salt marshes supported vast oyster banks that remained a major source of food for the region until the end of the 19th century, by which time contamination and landfilling had obliterated most of them. The first recorded European visit was that of Giovanni da Verrazzano , who anchored in The Narrows in 1524. For the next hundred years, the region was visited sporadically by ships on fishing trips and slave raids . European colonization began after Henry Hudson 's 1609 exploration of

1120-597: The vehicular crossings and the rapid transit system between New York and New Jersey , several of the region's airports, and other transportation and real estate development projects. The Port Authority maintains its own police force , as does the Waterfront Commission , created in 1953 to investigate, prosecute, and prevent criminal activity. The United States Army Corps of Engineers , which has been involved in harbor maintenance since about 1826, when Congress passed an omnibus rivers and harbors act,

1176-475: The 1950s, and more treatment capacity was added in the region in the following decades. Water quality studies in the late 1980s indicated that the river continued to be impaired with low oxygen levels and nutrient pollution . In the 21st century many communities in the watershed continue to be drained by combined sewers , which discharge untreated sewage during large rainstorms. Development of new drinking water supplies also had major environmental impacts on

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1232-451: The 1960s, much of the lower river was essentially a turbid hypoxic dead zone, with only the hardiest of species, such as the mummichog , able to survive in its waters. Chemical companies dumped large volumes of waste into Berry's Creek during the 20th century, resulting in the highest concentrations of methyl mercury of any fresh-water sediment in the world, as well as extensive residues of PCBs and other chemicals. Three sites along

1288-585: The Greenville Yard, while the eastern portal is undetermined and a source of controversy. In May 2010, the Port Authority announced that it would purchase the Greenville Yard and build a new barge-to-rail facility there, as well as improve the existing railcar float system. The barge-to-rail facility is expected to handle an estimated 60,000 to 90,000 containers of solid waste per year from New York City, eliminating up to 360,000 trash truck trips

1344-757: The Hackensack River comes from the Lenape word Achinigeu-hach , or Ackingsah-sack , meaning flat confluence of streams or stony ground. Conflicts with the Lenape prevented the early Dutch settlers of the New Netherland colony from expanding westward into the valley into late in the 17th century. The river furnished both the Native Americans and the European settlers with abundant runs of herring , shad and striped bass . At

1400-403: The PANYNJ signed an agreement November 29, 2003 with the Port of Albany to provide twice weekly barge service. By 2014, the service had been discontinued. Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey , emptying into Newark Bay , a back chamber of New York Harbor . The watershed of

1456-461: The area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The economic development and population increases in the watershed led to extensive water pollution in the river, both from municipal sewage and industrial wastewater . In the 20th century untreated sewage discharges from the various towns and cities began to contribute significant amount of pollutants to the river. The first sewage plant with secondary treatment technology did not open until

1512-576: The boundary between Bergen County to the west and Hudson County to the east. Opposite Secaucus it is joined by Berry's Creek , then flows past the western edge of Jersey City , which overlooks the river's valley from the ridge of the Palisades, before forming Newark Bay at its confluence with the Passaic River between Jersey City and Kearny . As it flows through the Meadowlands it is traversed by numerous rail and road bridges . The name of

1568-678: The bridge within the existing arch was completed in May, 2019. The terminal's combined volume makes it the largest on the East Coast , the third busiest in the United States , Handling a cargo volume in year 2023 of over 7.8 million TEUs , benefitting post-Panamax from the expansion of the Panama Canal . As of 2023, the terminals experienced a more severe reduction in cargo volume compared to California seaports, resulting in

1624-527: The busiest in the US. FedEx Express , the world's busiest cargo airline , uses Newark Liberty International Airport as its regional hub. There are four container terminals in the port: Terminals are leased to different port operators , such as A. P. Moller-Maersk Group , American Stevedoring, NYCT, and Global Marine Terminal. In June 2010, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed to purchase from Bayonne 128 acres (0.52 km ) of land at

1680-594: The channel to nearly 100 feet (30 m), was begun in April 2012. The Army Corps has recommended that most channels in the port be maintained at 50 feet deep. Dredging of the canals to 50 feet was completed in August 2016. The channels also include bridges that limit the heights of vessels that can use the harbor. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge has a clearance of 228 feet (69.5 m) at mean high water. The Brooklyn Bridge has 135 feet (41.1 m) of clearance, while

1736-622: The construction of major highways such as the Belt Parkway , East River Drive , and Major Deegan Expressway along parts of the shoreline. After the end of World War I , the 1919 New York City Harbor Strike shut down the port for weeks. The era of the longshoreman , captured in the classic film On the Waterfront , faded by the 1970s as much of the waterfront became obsolete due to changing transportation patterns. The nation's first facility for container shipping , which became

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1792-466: The consumption of fish caught in the river. Urban runoff pollution, municipal sewage discharges from sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows, and runoff from hazardous waste sites continue to impair the river's water quality . The future of the wetlands around the lower river has been an ongoing controversy between development and preservation groups in recent decades. The Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, later called

1848-483: The creek are federally-designated Superfund sites and require major cleanup operations, which are ongoing as of 2022. The river recovered somewhat by the late 2000s following the decline in manufacturing in the area, as well as from enforcement of Clean Water Act regulations and from the efforts of local conservancy groups. Recreational fishing has staged a modest comeback, although catch and release may be advisable, as there are continuing health advisories against

1904-493: The district. New York Harbor is one of the world's largest natural harbors . The Atlantic Ocean is to the southeast of the port. The sea at the entrance to the port is called the New York Bight ; it lies between the peninsulas of Sandy Hook and Rockaway . In Lower New York Bay and its western arm, Raritan Bay , vessels orient themselves for passage to the west into Arthur Kill or Raritan River or to

1960-515: The east side of the Hudson. It later served as a protective barrier that allowed Washington's army to encamp in the nearby hills near Morristown . Human alterations to land in the Hackensack meadowlands increased in the 19th century, including clearing forests; building roads, railroads and ditches; and filling wetlands. The Second Industrial Revolution led to construction of heavy manufacturing, storage tanks, and chemical processing plants in

2016-534: The harbor for the duration of American Revolutionary War , and prison ships housed thousands at Wallabout Bay . In the early 19th century, the Erie Canal (often used for grain ) and Morris Canal (mostly used for anthracite ) gave the port access to the American interior, leading to transshipment operations, manufacturing, and industrialization . The invention of the steam engine led to expansion of

2072-451: The largest ship to call at an East Coast port , passed under the raised Bayonne Bridge in July 2017. Responsibilities within the port are divided among all levels of government, from municipal to federal, as well as public and private agencies. Established in 1921, the bi-state Port Authority of New York and New Jersey , in addition to overseeing maritime facilities, is responsible for

2128-488: The main entrance to the port, at 40 feet (12 m) deep and 2,000 feet (600 m) wide. During World War II the main channel was dredged to 45 feet (14 m) deep to accommodate larger ships up to Panamax size. In 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers completed a $ 2.1 billion dredging project, deepening harbor channels to 50 feet (15 m) in order to accommodate Post-Panamax container vessels, which can pass through

2184-607: The most polluted watercourses in the United States, it staged a modest revival by the late 2000s. The river is divided into the upper river, north of the Oradell Reservoir and Oradell Dam , and lower river, south of the reservoir and dam. The Hackensack River rises in southeastern New York, in Rockland County , in the Sweet Swamp, located in the hamlet of New City just west of the Hudson River and half

2240-715: The nation, established in 1937, on the New York side of the port; and FTZ 49, on the New Jersey side. In March 2006, some of the passenger facilities management was to be transferred to Dubai Ports World . There was considerable controversy over security and ownership by a foreign corporation, particularly one of Arab origin, of a U.S. port operation, despite the fact that the operator was British-based P&O Ports . DP World later sold P&O's American operations to American International Group 's asset management division, Global Investment Group, for an undisclosed sum. The Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey ,

2296-605: The north to The Narrows . To the east lies the Rockaway Inlet , which leads to Jamaica Bay . The Narrows connects to the Upper New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River , which is sometimes (particularly in navigation) called the North River . Large ships are able to navigate upstream to the Port of Albany-Rensselaer . To the west lies Kill van Kull , the strait leading to Newark Bay , fed by

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2352-472: The outset of the colonial era the river's watershed was home to Lenape groups now known as the Rumachenanck (or Haverstraw) , Tappan , and Hackensack , the latter exonym taken from an encampment near the confluence of the tributary Overpeck Creek . European settlement began in the mid 17th century as part of New Netherland when the region was called Achter Kol , meaning "rear pass" or "behind

2408-437: The port, many along its straits and canals . At some locations, water pollution has led to inclusion on the list of Superfund sites in the United States . At one time, nearly 600,000 railcars were transferred annually by barge between the region's extensive rail facilities. Today, approximately 1,600 cars are "floated" on the remaining car float in the port. The New York New Jersey Rail, LLC transfers freight cars across

2464-455: The railroads and vast terminals along the western banks of the Hudson River , complemented by an extensive network of ferries and carfloats , with a large cluster along the Harlem River . The era of the ocean liner around the turn of the 20th century led to the creation of berths at North River piers and Hoboken . This coincided with the immigration of millions, processed at Castle Clinton and later at Ellis Island , some staying in

2520-619: The region with the establishment of New Amsterdam , the capital of the Dutch province of New Netherland at the tip of Manhattan . The British colonial era saw a concerted effort to expand the port in the triangular trade between Europe , Africa , and North America with a concentration of wharves along the mouth of the East River . After the Battle of Brooklyn , the British controlled

2576-407: The region's historic sites , nature reserves , and parks . The port is a port of entry . The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regulate international imports and passenger arrivals. The "green lane" program, in which trusted shippers have fewer containers inspected. There are two foreign trade zones in the port: FTZ 1, the first in

2632-619: The region, others boarding barges, ships, and trains to points across the United States . In 1910, the port was the busiest in the world. During the World Wars the waterfront supported shipyards and military installations such as the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and the Brooklyn Navy Yard and played an important role in troop transport as a Port of Embarkation . The mid-century also saw

2688-487: The region. The nine that are completely within the district are Hudson , Bergen , Essex , Union (in New Jersey), and the five boroughs of New York City, which are coterminous with the counties of New York , Bronx , Kings , Queens , and Richmond . Abutting sections of Passaic , Middlesex , Monmouth , Morris , and Somerset in New Jersey, and Nassau , Westchester , and Rockland in New York are also within

2744-550: The reservoir, it flows through the Oradell Dam through River Edge , Hackensack , Teaneck , Bogota , and Ridgefield Park , once again approaching within 3 mi (5 km) of the Hudson, and separated from it by the ridge of the Palisades. At Little Ferry , it is joined by the broad Overpeck Creek , then flows southward, widening in a broad meandering tidal estuary through the Meadowlands, forming extensive side streams and wetlands . South of North Bergen , it forms

2800-476: The ridge", to describe the valleys west of the Hudson Palisades which afforded passage to trapping grounds in the northern hinterlands. The river and the surrounding Meadowlands presented a formidable difficulty in transportation and communication. The wetlands helped allow the escape of the Continental Army under George Washington in 1776 after several defeats at the hands of the British army on

2856-568: The river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River , which it roughly parallels, separated from it by the New Jersey Palisades . It also flows through and drains the New Jersey Meadowlands . The lower river, which is navigable as far as the city of Hackensack , is heavily industrialized and forms a commercial extension of Newark Bay. Once believed to be among

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2912-561: The river. The construction of the Oradell Reservoir dam in 1921 essentially changed the lower river from a free-flowing stream into a brackish estuary , allowing the encroachment of marine species. Urbanization in the region intensified after World War II , with the expansion of roads and highways, including the New Jersey Turnpike (1952), as well as the Meadowlands Sports Complex (1970s). By

2968-600: The sandy bottom has been excavated down to rock and now requires blasting. Dredging equipment then picks up the rock and disposes of it. At one point in 2005, there were 70 pieces of dredging equipment working to deepen channels, the largest fleet of dredging equipment anywhere in the world. The channel of the Hudson is the Anchorage Channel and is approximately 50 feet deep in the midpoint of Upper Bay. A project to replace two water mains between Brooklyn and Staten Island, which will eventually allowing for dredging of

3024-1049: The sharper channel turns. The Ambrose leads from the sea to the Upper Bay, where it becomes the Anchorage Channel. Connecting channels are the Bay Ridge, the Red Hook, the Buttermilk, the Claremont, the Port Jersey, the Kill Van Kull, the Newark Bay, the Port Newark, the Elizabeth, and the Arthur Kill. Anchorages are known as Stapleton, Bay Ridge and Gravesend. The natural depth of the harbor

3080-424: The system of navigable waterways in the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary , which runs along over 770 miles (1,240 km) of shoreline in the vicinity of New York City and northeastern New Jersey , and is considered one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Having long been the busiest port on the East Coast it became the busiest port by maritime cargo volume in the United States in 2022 and

3136-462: The widened Panama Canal as well as the Suez Canal . This has been a source of environmental concern along channels connecting the container facilities in Port Newark to the Atlantic. PCBs and other pollutants lay in a blanket just underneath the soil. In June 2009 it was announced that 200,000 cubic yards of dredged PCBs would be "cleaned" and stored en masse at the site of the former Yankee Stadium and at Brooklyn Bridge Park. In many areas

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