A key piece of the so-called Newark revival today finally broke ground.

A long talked about pedestrian bridge connecting Newark, Penn Station in the Ironbound to the Prudential Center in Mulberry Commons.

It's literally and figuratively bringing together two parts of a city that are still in the midst of profound change.

A senior political correspondent David Crews reports the new walkway represents so much more.

As a councilman on his way to becoming a mayor, Ras Baraka was never a fan of the prudential arena, built as it was with lots of public money at today's groundbreaking for a new Mulberry Commons pedestrian bridge, though the two term mayor with presumed gubernatorial ambitions was a bit more pragmatic about things.

I'm just happy.

Number one.

Number two, I don't think we were ever against the arena.

We were more interested in development in Symphony Hall, in that area and all of those other kinds of things.

But this is proving to be an incredible asset to the city of Newark, the prudential arena, everything that's around it.

It was suggested that these pedestrian bridges have long been seen as a means of keeping corporate employees and tourists away from the hoi polloi of the Penn Station neighborhood.

Cynical, says Baraka, spinning the project as a bridge to something more than a concert arena.

Well, I mean, you can't stop cynicism.

I mean, that's going to happen.

But that's why we hear, you know, we try to be progressive to fight against cynicism.

But at the end of the day, hopefully, they want they don't want to avoid them.

They can help us to provide for them.

So this bridge will also accompany a a station that we're building up the street, a drop in center for homeless there so they can wash their clothes, clean themselves up, get resources right there on Market Street.

The bridge, as envisioned in these colorful renderings, is part of a long awaited downtown comeback that you can almost see from this scenic view atop the Ironside building, which is adjacent to Mulberry Commons.

The biggest obstacle that the bridge will overcome is MacArthur Highway six.

Often busy lanes that officials say was an impediment to progress connecting to Penn Station and turning this series of parking lots into a vibrant community in just a few years.

Governor Murphy was here today.

The state has kicked in several million dollars to the project, which will cost over $100 million.

All told, he had lots to say about the potential transformative effect the bridge could have.

You're going to unleash an enormous amount of development, and that's going to be hugely important to Newark for REDOUBLES, for jobs, for the economy, and that all of the stuff that goes with that the restaurants, the dry cleaners, the diners, the coffee shops, etc., I think almost a bigger impact is going to be societally.

Families that can't traverse MacArthur Highway will feel free and safe to do so.

I just think the society, the backbone of society in Newark will be so strengthened its already strong.

This will take it to another level.

In case you're one of those cynics, the mayor chastised Baraka says, Come see us in a couple of years.

So you'll all be back for the ribbon cutting.

In Newark.

I'm David Cruz.

NJ Spotlight News.