Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A is undeniably impressive.
It is bright, modern and filled with upscale restaurants and public art, but it also cost an astonishing $2.7 billion, the largest single investment the Port Authority has ever made in New Jersey.
Here’s the problem: What good is a world-class terminal if travelers are trapped in traffic trying to reach it?
undefined undefinedundefined undefinedNewark Airport’s roads are still a mess
The roads leading into and around Newark Airport remain a confusing, congested maze.
Drivers arriving from Route 1 and 9, Interstate 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike routinely face bottlenecks, poor pavement, abrupt merges and inadequate pickup areas.
One accident, construction project or rush-hour backup can turn a trip to the airport into a nightmare.
Yes, the Terminal A project included new internal frontage roads and bridges, but the larger transportation network feeding the airport remains badly outdated.
The Port Authority itself now acknowledges that Newark needs a streamlined roadway system as part of its long-term redevelopment plan.
That should have been the priority from the beginning.
Photo via CanvaPhoto via Canva$2.7 billion should buy more than a beautiful terminal
Instead of spending billions creating a gleaming terminal filled with cosmetic luxuries, the Port Authority should have concentrated first on the basic infrastructure people actually depend upon: safer entrance ramps, additional lanes, better traffic flow, clearly marked exits, improved pickup areas and reliable public-transit connections.
Even some of the terminal’s highly touted “little touches,” many of which were publicly credited to then-First Lady Tammy Murphy, seem to value appearance over basic function.
The terminal’s modern chairs are low, awkward and surprisingly difficult to get out of, particularly for older travelers or anyone with limited mobility.
Many also lack a convenient table or holder for a drink.
At a $2.7 billion airport terminal, passengers shouldn’t have to balance a cup on their lap while struggling to climb out of a designer chair.
It is a perfect metaphor for the entire project: expensive, attractive and disconnected from how ordinary people actually use an airport.
Photo by Andres Kudacki/Getty ImagesPhoto by Andres Kudacki/Getty ImagesFix the roads before building another billion-dollar terminal
This is the recurring failure of government infrastructure spending.
Officials love expensive projects that give them the photo-op ribbon-cutting ceremony, but how is it helping the people footing the bill?
Maintaining and improving roads isn’t glamorous, but it is one of the critical jobs we hire politicians to perform.
Terminal A may look beautiful once you get inside, but New Jersey travelers need an airport they can reach without fighting their way through crumbling roads and gridlocked traffic.
Before the Port Authority builds another billion-dollar terminal, it should fix the roads that lead to the airport.
A world-class airport begins at the entrance, not at the gate.
So for now, we are looking at Philly as a better alternative.
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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill’s own.
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