Recession inflicts harm on facilities in third quarter

by Judy Rife

NEW YORK — Traffic — and revenue — continued to decline at the Port Authority’s transportation facilities through the third quarter, a reflection of the national and global recession.

We “are not recession-proof and our numbers are down across the board,” said Chris Ward, the Port Authority’s executive director. “That is why we must continue to cut costs and prioritize projects to live within our means.”

The region’s other transportation agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NJ Transit and the New York State Thruway Authority, made similar reports at mid-year.

The recession’s impact is most readily seen at the Port Authority’s six bi-state crossings, where truck traffic is down 10.4 percent over the first nine months of last year — a loss of $20 million in tolls.

Truck traffic, the biggest generator of tolls, usually increases mid-year as retail and manufacturing outlets prepare for the holiday season, but volume has dropped steadily since January.

Traffic at crossings falls 2.1%

Overall traffic at the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel and other crossings declined 2.1 percent, to 91.2 million vehicles. The Holland and Lincoln tunnels accounted for about half of the decline, reflecting, in part, job losses in Manhattan.

Similarly, PATH ridership declined 4 percent, to 54.1 million customers from 56.4 million in the first nine months of 2008, as employment in the financial district contracted.

The recession’s global reach, the Port Authority said, is demonstrated by the decline in traffic at its airports, which in turn affects travel and tourism throughout the region.

Overall passenger volume was down 6.4 percent through the third quarter, with domestic travel dropping 6.9 percent and international travel, 5.2 percent.

The agency, which receives no tax money from either New York or New Jersey, relies on revenue from tolls, fares and fees to operate its bridges, tunnels, airports, terminals and the PATH system.