New Jersey megamall adds travel challenges to crowded region

success of long-delayed American Dream megamall and entertainment complex is tied directly to an existential question residents here face daily: How do you get re from here with least strain on your wallet and blood pressure? mall’s official opening on Friday in East Rurford, New Jersey, just outside New York City, will usher in a new era of transportation challenges for a region that alrey is one of densest and most congested in country. American Dream sits at intersection of Interstate 95 and Route 3, a heavily used east-west highway.

mall won’t be fully opened until next spring; its me parks, indoor ski slope, skating rink, and or entertainment attractions will open in phases before end of this year. Still, American Dream’s owners estimate it will draw 40 million visitors in its first year, an aver of well over 100,000 per day.

Those who visit in fall will vie on Sundays with football fans heing to jacent MetLife Stium, home of NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants. teams sued several years ago to try and force mall to be closed on game days to alleviate traffic but eventually settled in exchange for transit and ro improvements.

“This is going to be horrendous for us,” said Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, whose town is bisected by Route 3 and sits between mall and Lincoln Tunnel into New York. “I don’t see that much of a problem on game days on Sunday. But any or day of week, it’s a nightmare to get out of town.”

How to get to American Dream:

Improvements have been me to ros around complex, but work on Route 3 west of American Dream closes a lane in each direction for a brief stretch, causing rush-hour backups. “You go down re w in rush hour and traffic is stopped de,” East Rurford Mayor James Cassella said. “I see that as having a bigger effect than American Dream project.”

Mall officials have said re are roughly 30,000 total parking s available at complex’s gar and at MetLife Stium’s parking lot, though stium lot will be available only on n-event days.

PARKING

Parking on opening weekend will be free but will cost after that. prices range from $3 for up to three hours to $6 for up to eight hours. Over eight hours will cost $24.

A huge caveat: Parking will be $30 on days when re are events at MetLife Stium, though parking tickets can be validated on those days with a purchase of a Nickelodeon Universe ticket (prices are $39.99 and $49.99).

BY BUS

New Jersey Transit has ded express bus service every 30 minutes from New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal to mall, for $9 each way. That’s $2 more per one-way trip than buses to Giants and Jets games at MetLife Stium. re’s also a new express bus from Secaucus rail station, and service also has been ded on existing bus routes from Secaucus.

BY FERRY

American Dream has partnered with NY Waterway to provide ferry service across Hudson River with connections to bus service to mall. A one-way ferry ticket costs $9 and bus will cost $7 each way.

BY TRAIN

re is dedicated direct train service to American Dream; NJ Transit operates trains from New York through Secaucus on Jets and Giants game days and for large events such as international soccer games and concerts. train station is accessible to mall via a pedestrian walkway over a highway. NJ Transit has said it is considering options for possible rail service in future but hasn’t provided details.

BY APP-BASED SERVICE

American Dream recently anunced a partnership with Lyft to provide pickups and drop-offs for riders at a dedicated location. Under agreement, each month a local nprofit organization will be selected to receive transportation and up to $10,000 in free tickets to one of site’s entertainment venues.