Prudential Center Transit, Traffic, and Parking Management Plan

Sam Schwartz was retained by the City of Newark, the NJ Devils ice hockey team, and a consortium of other private stakeholders to develop a coordinated traffic, parking and transit management plan for the opening of the 18,600-seat Prudential Center. The arena’s location in the heart of downtown Newark posed a complex challenge. The access plan sought to manage capacity for NJ Route 21, the local street network, and parking areas, balancing the needs of event goers, commuters, and through traffic.

The firm’s plan combined a strong emphasis on marketing transit use to reduce vehicular demand with the diversion of traffic from congested roadways and its intelligent distribution throughout the street network. Critical to this effort was the creation of a zoned parking system for downtown Newark, which routed vehicles to parking quickly, before they could circulate in the area around the arena. Sam Schwartz also developed vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding signs, as well as a real-time parking and traffic monitoring program, which uses electronic signage to direct traffic and parking as field conditions require.

Services / Traffic