Newark’s Preservationists Fooled Again – This Time With Proposed Pedestrian Bridge
The corridors connecting Penn Station platforms to the pedestrian bridge
The proposed $110 million pedestrian bridge is good for Newark — no one is arguing otherwise. Tourists and commuters in Mulberry Commons will have direct access to platforms B, D, C, and E in Penn Station, servicing both PATH trains and Amtrak. It will also be easier – and safer – to reach the restaurants and nightlife in the Ironbound without a Hail Mary sprint across a seven-lane speedway.
But for the second time, a major construction project is happening within a national landmark without following the proper protocol of having it approved by the city’s Landmarks Commission.
It is true that the city presented its plan for the pedestrian bridge at the commission’s last meeting. But only as a courtesy. Co-chair Richard Partyka asked the city’s presenter, lawyer Evans Anyanwu, if any of their suggestions would actually be implemented.
“No,” Anyanwu replied.
What the public has seen of the bridge, has been exciting. The colorful archway has the potential to become another beacon like Sacred Heart Cathedral and the National Newark Building. But the plan is by no means perfect. Despite being located in the city’s Arts and Education District, it is oddly devoid of the talents of local artists, one commissioner remarked.
“This should be a public competition for artists to design this,” co-chair Susanna Holguín-Veras said.
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Jersey Digs