Port Authority Bridge and Tunnel Volumes Recover to Pre-pandemic Normals

On Dec 29, 2021

Traffic at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey bridges and tunnels for November 2021 has essentially recovered to pre-pandemic volumes, with vehicular traffic just 1% below November 2019 levels. Meanwhile, November 2021 volumes at the agency’s airports and PATH system continued a slow trend upward from the historic lows seen at the height of the pandemic, but remain below 2019 levels. PATH’s total ridership in November remained at approximately 50% of its November 2019 total ridership.

The latest facility operating volumes for November 2021 are detailed below. When compared to pre-COVID November 2019 volumes, airport and PATH volumes remained down while bridge and tunnel traffic was similar to pre-pandemic volumes. The seaport set a new cargo volume record high for the month of November by moving 2.8% more cargo than the previous record for the month set in 2020.

The Port Authority has included monthly data comparisons below of November 2021 to October 2021 to provide further insight into facility trends. Comparing November 2021 to October 2021, the volume at the airports increased slightly and was consistent with traditional holiday travel trends, traffic at the bridges and tunnels and PATH ridership were similar, while cargo activity at the seaport decreased slightly.

Airports:

In November 2021, the Port Authority’s airports handled an estimated total of 8.3 million passengers, down 23% from pre-COVID November 2019 volumes.

Airport passenger volumes increased 9% from October 2021.

Tunnels, Bridges & Terminals (TB&T):

In November 2021, the Port Authority’s four bridges and two tunnels handled a total of 10.04 million eastbound vehicles, which was 1% below November 2019 levels of 10.14 million vehicles.

November 2021 volumes were similar to October 2021 volumes when comparing average daily traffic, coming within 0.2% of October traffic. Automobile traffic was down 0.5%, and truck traffic was up by 3.6%.

PATH:

PATH reported 3.3 million riders in November 2021, which was approximately 50% of its total ridership in November 2019. Ridership was essentially flat compared to October 2021.

Port:

The Port of New York and New Jersey moved 759,390 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in November 2021, which was the 16th month in the row of record-setting cargo activity.

November 2021 cargo volume was up nearly 27% from November 2019. While November 2021 hit a record for any month of November at the port, cargo activity was down by 4.7% compared to October 2021 when the seaport hit an all-time record high for monthly cargo volume.

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