Port Authority Boss Who Rebuilt Agency After Bridgegate to Retire in 2026
In January 2026, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Rick Cotton will depart, closing a transformative era for the nation’s most essential transportation body. Cotton managed the bi-state agency in 2017 amid deep skepticism after Bridgegate. He is recognized with establishing stability, openness, and forward-thinking leadership.
Cotton took over the agency after political upheaval soiled it. Over nine years, he led the Port Authority through significant construction projects, internal reforms, and unusual challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic’s financial impact. The agency recently approved a long-term capital plan for large investments through 2035, which coincides with his retirement.
Cotton said the decision followed years of fully modernizing and repairing the agency. The new capital plan and key milestones are complete, therefore the next boss should take over, he said.
Cotton established public trust and led major regional infrastructure projects. Transportation scholars and agency executives laud his calm leadership after Bridgegate, when the George Washington Bridge was purposely blocked for political revenge. Cotton changed culture by instituting departmental transparency and responsibility.
He led Port Authority revamps of major transit terminals. He kept LaGuardia Airport running while reconstructing it for $8 billion, one of his earliest and hardest tasks. One of the biggest airport successes of recent years was the renovated LaGuardia. Cotton managed Newark Liberty Airport’s Terminal A reconstruction, which was lauded globally.
Cotton settled the Manhattan Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement dispute, advancing a $11 billion renovation that began last year. His leadership unified the agency on seaports, bridges, tunnels, and PATH development after years of delays.
Cotton’s rapport with Chairman Kevin O’Toole, who joined the board simultaneously, kept the agency on track. They collaborated on labor issues, financial management, and operational redesign. In the epidemic, when airport traffic and toll collections dropped and the Port Authority lost $3 billion in revenue, Cotton led the agency through difficult financial decisions and kept key projects going.
New York and New Jersey officials praised Cotton’s leadership with decades-long effects. State leaders claimed cotton met long-standing political and transportation needs from governors from both states.
Officials said the Port Authority will name Cotton’s successor. The new executive will assist Cotton before his early 2026 exit.
Cotton, one of the agency’s longest-serving leaders, left a legacy of modernization, stability, and massive transport infrastructure investments. An organization once plagued by scandal is now ready for its next chapter after restructuring key airports, advancing long-delayed projects, and rebuilding trust in the Port Authority.
Sources
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Statements from agency officials and state leaders
