Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 1910 ("North River Tunnels"). Under an independent agency, the Holland Tunnel was opened in 1927, with some planning and construction pre-dating the Port Authority. With the rise in automobile traffic, there was demand for more Hudson River crossings. Using its ability to issue bonds and collect revenue, the Port Authority has built and managed major infrastructure projects. Early projects included bridges across the Arthur Kill, which separates Staten Island from New Jersey. The Goethals Bridge, named after chief engineer of the Panama Canal Commission General George Washington Goethals, connected Elizabeth, New Jersey and Howland Hook, Staten Island. At the south
New York–New Jersey Highlands River in Connecticut, encompassing the Reading Prong. In New Jersey, the region's watershed is protected by the state's own Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act. In addition to preserving water resources, the act supports open space preservation and the creation of new recreational parks and hiking trails in America's most densely populated state. New York–New Jersey Highlands The New York – New Jersey Highlands is a geological formation composed primarily of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock running from the Delaware River near Musconetcong Mountain, northeast through the Skylands Region of New Jersey along the Bearfort Ridge and the Ramapo Mountains,