A new $110 million pedestrian bridge over McCarter Highway will connect Newark Penn Station and the existing Mulberry Commons park in downtown Newark to the historic Ironbound neighborhood.
The Baraka administration plans to begin construction of a $110 million pedestrian bridge over McCarter Highway as early as the end of the year, according to Newark Deputy Mayor Allison Ladd. The bridge will connect Newark Penn Station and the existing Mulberry Commons park in downtown Newark to the historic Ironbound neighborhood and will enhance the pedestrian experience in the city, a goal of the Newark 360 master plan.
“We look at it as a bridge that’s going to connect the city as a whole. The bridge is a connector for the tourists and commuters, [connecting] our neighborhoods, defining the connection to our downtown and Mulberry Commons,” Ladd said. “We look at it as a way for people who come to visit our city, just as much as for those who live here can access jobs, the airport, and enjoy restaurants that are downtown or in the Ironbound.”
Gov. Phil Murphy authorized a 3.5% surcharge on parking in 2019 to generate revenue for the project, and Newark plans to issue bonds to fund construction by the end of the year. Ladd expects work to start around the same time, though it’s dependent on approvals by NJ Transit and Amtrak. Once ground is broken, the build will take 18 to 24 months.
Jon Fascitelli, head of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Real Estate, expects the connectivity to be “really impactful” for Newark. HSBE operates the Prudential Center arena adjacent to Mulberry Commons.
“Mass transit connectivity is proven to be an economic driver for communities … I think it’s great, the connectivity between the Ironbound and downtown, coming from Penn Station right out onto Mulberry Commons,” he said. “Our fans come from all over New Jersey to see the [National Hockey League’s New Jersey] Devils, and I think everyone will really benefit from being on the ground and being able to access the downtown corridor. It’ll be incredible for downtown business and restaurants.”
With the Mulberry Commons Bridge, people will be able to walk across the train platform, down a flight of steps right into Mulberry Commons, where they can walk through the park and over the bridge to Prudential Center’s front door. – EDISON PROPERTIES
Devils’ spectators and concertgoers en route to the Prudential Center from Newark Penn Station currently exit the station, walk up Raymond Boulevard and cross McCarter Highway at Edison Place, or they walk the Gateway bridges to get to the arena. With the Mulberry Commons Bridge, they’ll be able to walk across the train platform, down a flight of steps right into Mulberry Commons, where they can walk through the park and over the bridge to Prudential Center’s front door.
Ladd noted that it’s important for Newark to provide its residents safe, walkable spaces, and the pursuit of pedestrianization can reduce the reliance on cars, leading to positive environmental effects.
Doug Sarini, a former vice president of Edison Properties who after nearly 40 years with firm now serves as a consultant, has watched plans for Mulberry Commons, the Mulberry Commons Bridge, and the pedestrianization of Newark unfold over the past two decades. Sarini said that an arena for the New Jersey Devils was originally planned atop Newark Penn Station, similar to Madison Square Garden’s situation above Penn Station in New York, but a partner at architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill suggested the arena be built separate from the station as a catalyst for development downtown.
A ”good portion” of the land in the area was owned by Edison Properties, who as a landowner wanted to be part of the redevelopment of the city, so “with a short agreement and a handshake, we agreed to let the city build the arena where it currently is and we gave ourselves 10 years to negotiate a land exchange with the conditions being the development of a public park and pedestrian bridge that would connect all of this to all five platforms of Penn station and to the Ironbound,” Sarini explained.
The city was bifurcated by Penn Station and McCarter Highway, and Sarini said that that disconnect prevented the city from developing to its full potential. “We thought a pedestrian bridge over Route 21 [McCarter Highway] could potentially be the remedy for that bifurcation,” he said.
When Sarini came to Newark in 1981, downtown was predominantly offices, far from the live-work-play downtown that’s in the works with recent developments.
“I think that Newark for some period of time was definitely impacted by what took place in the ‘60s, the unrest [of the 1967 Newark riots]. As a result, a lot of developments were built without on street retail, and on street retail is absolutely a requirement to enhance the pedestrian experience,” Sarini said. “But now as the population of Newark advances, the kids, they have no memory of what took place in Newark in the 1960s. They’re only concerned with quality of life, amenities, and price.”
Ladd noted that as the bridge is created, landowners of the sites around the bridge will be motivated to activate their sites and make use of the city’s underutilized space.
“That [space] could soon be home to retail, housing, restaurants, and possibly office space. There’s a lot of excitement about that happening,” she said.
