Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Liberty Corridor (Corridor) is a Corridor of Corridors, an area where multi-modal transportation systems play a vital role in our national, state and global economy and commerce. It includes the New Jersey transportation network's external links and nodes, such as airlines, bridges, canals, highways, pipelines, sidewalks and tunnels, as well as major port facilities, road junctions, parking, rail stations, a leading airport and heliport and brownfield redevelopment sites. These systems access great universities and research facilities.

The Corridor is also an important and novel process that empowers multiple public and private stakeholders to act in concert to achieve major regional and national objectives. Title 23, Section 1301 of the federal legislation -- Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) -- recognizes this and expressly designates the Liberty Corridor as a Project of National and Regional Significance.

The Liberty Corridor currently encompasses eight counties (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic and Union counties) with 232 municipalities. It is primarily urban and suburban in land use and contains nine of the ten largest cities and towns in New Jersey. The Corridor enjoys an established and extensive multi-modal transportation network; a large inventory of property available for redevelopment; excellent university and private research facilities for innovative projects; and a strong labor force.

The Liberty Corridor's transportation system connects the state, national and global economies with the largest seaport on the East Coast, the 13th largest airport in the nation and a transcontinental rail network. Almost 180 million consumers in the northeast region are within a one-day truck drive from the Liberty Corridor. The seaport currently provides a gateway for the state, national and global economy, including 236 nations.

The Liberty Corridor's purpose is to solidify the partnership among more than 20 public and private organizations that have joined to organize and realize the Corridor's priorities. The Advisory Board and its four committees -- the Technical Committee, Innovation Committee, the Redevelopment Committee and the Outreach Committee -- each have a role to play in the Liberty Corridor effort.

The Liberty Corridor Advisory Board chose the ten Liberty Corridor Phase I projects after receiving recommendations from the Liberty Corridor Technical Advisory Committee. The Liberty Corridor's vision, mission and goals guided the committee in the development of the project list. In addition, the committee determined specific objectives and planning, which involved the coordination and input of many public and private entities, all with a stake in the Corridor's development.

The origins of some of the ten Liberty Corridor Phase I projects are traceable to Portway and the Portway Extensions Study. Additionally, the origins of some of the objectives of the Liberty Corridor can be found in the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and New Jersey Institute of Technology's Brownfield Economic Redevelopment Study, the New Jersey State Plan and regional plans.

Specific projects require the formalization of organizational partnerships through the development and signing of two agreements:

• a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a legal document that defines the relationship among departments, agencies and companies on a project; and
• a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) specifies rules to ensure smooth and efficient implementation of a project by specifying funding, construction and other responsibilities.

In addition to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, NJ TRANSIT, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and the Federal Highway Administration Division Office, the Liberty Corridor Advisory Board will continuously monitor the progress of the projects to ensure their expeditious completion.

The ten projects, north to south, are the:

• Liberty Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Service (BRT) in Newark, Essex County and Elizabeth, Union County, provides needed worker connections between communities in Newark and employers in the Newark Innovation Zone, University Heights Science Park, Newark Liberty International Airport, Port Newark/Elizabeth and a 72-acre brownfield site in Elizabeth. This will be the first BRT system of its kind in New Jersey.
• Wittpenn Bridge Replacement in Kearny and Jersey City, Hudson County, clears a major regional chokepoint by replacing a 70-year old bridge structure and creates a connection to major brownfield sites in Hudson County.
• National Docks Rail Clearance in Jersey City, Hudson County, sustains and grows the mobility and trade capabilities of the port and the surrounding region by increasing the vertical clearances on two rail tunnels that connect New Jersey to the North American rail system.
• North Avenue Corridor Improvement Project in Elizabeth, Union County, separates the significant amount of truck traffic associated with Port Newark and Port Elizabeth and Newark Liberty International Airport from passenger traffic associated with IKEA, Jersey Gardens Mall, several hotels, and other proposed commercial developments in the area.
• Tremley Point Connector Road in Linden, Union County and Carteret, Middlesex County, provides "the last mile" direct connection between the New Jersey Turnpike and major brownfields. The connector will support more than six million square feet of new distribution centers and a minimum of 2,000 new jobs.
• Port Reading Junction Project in Manville Borough, Somerset County affects rail lines throughout the Liberty Corridor by alleviating a structural chokepoint where New Jersey connects to the North American rail system. Sustains and grows the port's and the region's abilities to move and receive products inland, and for New Jersey businesses, who use this route to receive ethanol shipments.
• Route 18/I-287 Connection in Piscataway, Middlesex County, joins two major roadways in the state to improve access to Rutgers University, medical centers, and high technology and research firms.
• New Brunswick Transit Connection Initiative in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, provides a direct transit connection for the major concentration of biomedical, healthcare, research and development organizations with the University Research Tower in New Brunswick and Newark Liberty International Airport and other northeast destinations. This will increase opportunities for research collaboration with National Institutes of Health and potential customers.
• Route 1, Section 6V - North Brunswick Project in North Brunswick, Middlesex County, makes road and bridge improvements to create better access for passenger vehicles to the New Jersey Technology Center, Rutgers University/Cook College and several high technologies, pharmaceutical and research firms.
• Route 35/36 Project in Eatontown, Monmouth County, improves highway access for passenger vehicles to Fort Monmouth, a future private sector technology and science complex.