The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 (as the Port of New York Authority) through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the New York-New Jersey Port District. This 1,500 square mile (3,900 km²) District is defined as a circle with a 25 mile (40 km) radius centered on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
The Port Authority operates the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, which handled the third largest amount of shipping of all ports in the United States, in 2004. The Port Authority also operates Hudson River crossings, including the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, and George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey with Manhattan, and three crossings that connect New Jersey with Staten Island. The Port Authority Bus Terminal and the PATH rail system are also run by the Port Authority, as are LaGuardia, JFK, Newark Liberty International Airport,Teterboro Airport and Stewart International Airport located near Newburgh, New York, in the southern Hudson Valley, 55 miles (88.5 km) north of New York City.. The agency has its own 1,600-member Port Authority Police Department, which is responsible for providing safety and deterring criminal activity at Port Authority-owned-and-operated facilities.
Although the Port Authority does run a good portion of the transportation structures, some bridges, tunnels, and other transportation facilities are operated independently of the Port Authority, including the Staten Island Ferry, which is operated by the New York City Department of Transportation; bridges between Manhattan and the Bronx operated by the NYCDOT; and other bridges, tunnels, operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority which is controlled by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); buses, subways, and commuter rail operated by the New York City Transit Authority which is controlled by the MTA; and buses, commuter rail, and light rail operated by New Jersey Transit.
