Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
New bridge replacing “Goethals” should have new name, BP Molinaro announces
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced that the new bridge replacing the Goethals Bridge in 2016 should have a new name. Molinaro believes the Port Authority could easily raise $100 million a year from corporate sponsorship and deter future toll increases.
“I spoke last week with Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, and he said the idea may have merit and we should actively discuss it,” Molinaro said.
“The Goethals is a very busy bridge, carrying 28 million vehicles a year, or 80,000 a day,” Molinaro added. “The exposure a company would get from that affiliation is a lot more than Barclays Bank will get in Brooklyn at the Nets’ new arena – and they’re paying $200 million over 20 years for naming rights to that.
“Staten Islanders would benefit, because for the first time, the bridge would draw revenue from a source other than their tolls,” Molinaro said. “That can only help us in our constant fight against toll hikes. The corporate sponsor would benefit – because of the constant exposure 365 days per year. Obviously the private sector seeks out these opportunities – just look at CitiField, PNC Bank Arts Center, the Prudential Center, and Izod Center.
“The new bridge linking Staten Island to New Jersey should be branded to the highest corporate bidder,” said Molinaro. “The Port Authority still owns the bridge and can re-name it. There’s no significant reason why it’s named the Goethals. Mr. Goethals had no ties to the Island. In contrast, Eugenius Outerbridge was the first chairman of the Port Authority and a Staten Island resident, along with his family.”
The Goethals Bridge opened in 1928 and was named after one of its consulting engineers, George Goethals, who is chiefly known for supervising the construction of the Panama Canal.
December 27, 2010