In a what will be a great moment in Bayonne’s continued resurgence, a new massive 886,000 square foot UPS regional hub and distribution center is expected to officially open this month. The new facility officially located at 400 Port Lincoln Road is in the middle of the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, previously known as MOTBY, on the north side. The eventual opening will mark a five year long transformative process coming to fruition.
The new regional hub, which UPS is calling an ‘automated facility’ will feature state-of-the-art technology. The company notes that new automated machinery is in use at select facilities including technology that helps unload trailers, sort small packages and move irregularly sized shipments. These new advances not only help with the efficiency of operations, but also reduce repetitive tasks while promoting safety for employees.
Of note on the property is wharf access and water rights, a key feature of interest to UPS. The water access gives the parcel carrier the possibility of loading cargo trailers on a barge and sailing it across the New York Bay to their Red Hook facility, thus avoiding traditional bridge or tunnel traffic.
In addition to its 24/7 regional distribution operation, the facility is expected to have some services for package pick-up.
The property was originally purchased by Lincoln Equites Group, the developer of the distribution center, in 2018 and begun working to clear the site. Included in the process was imploding a pair of 1940’s era bomb-proof buildings in August of 2021 and clearing away the rubble for the next several months before construction could start. Once construction commenced, it moved quickly with the building delivered in the fourth quarter last year to UPS. The parcel carrier has been putting the final touches on the facility to get it ready, which it appears it will be this month.
While there is no official opening date yet, the UPS website notes that those training for new positions at the distribution center have been doing so in a nearby facility in Secaucus before a planned October opening. A rep for the city noted by email wrote that the facility is expected to open gradually as the year goes on.
Overall, 1,000 jobs are expected to be created from the facility. The Bayonne government website shows two planned job fairs to be held later this month with one on Saturday, October 14th and one the following Saturday on October 21st. A rep for the city stated that the fairs would be hiring for a variety of roles.
