NEW YORK (PIX11) -- More than 200,000 people go through the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue every day but it is not a place that most people want to visit.
The transformation of the transit hub has taken a big step forward.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the publication by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the draft environmental impact statement for the terminal’s replacement.
The agency also released revised project plans in response to feedback from stakeholders, commuters, and the surrounding community.
Construction could begin at the end of 2024 or early 2025.
The expanded facility will be built on port property. No private land will be needed or taken by eminent domain.
The new 2.1 million square foot main terminal will be built during phase two. The timeline for that portion is 2029 through 2032. A separate storage and staging building and new ramps leading directly into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel are phase one.
Then the existing facility will be torn down. One of the new structures on the next avenue will be used as a temporary terminal during construction.
“A magnificent new Midtown Bus Terminal cuts to the core of the Port Authority’s mission by knitting together New Jersey and New York to create an even stronger, more economically vital, and easily accessible region,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.
New features will:
- Add capacity to allow curbside inter-city buses that currently pick up and drop off on city streets surrounding the bus terminal to move their operations inside the bus terminal and off the streets.
- Create 3.5 acres of publicly accessible green spaces on Port Authority property by decking over the currently below-grade Dyer Avenue “cut” and building open space on top of the new deck-overs.
- Add new concessions and retail amenities accessible from the community streets and from inside the bus terminal.
- A section of 41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues will be permanently closed to create an atrium entrance.
“The Port Authority’s goal is to bring to the project the same perspective we have brought to our airport transformation projects. Transportation hubs are gateways; they symbolize the region to visitors and residents alike,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.
The next step is 4 public hearings on the draft report and final approval is required from the Federal Transit Administration. A 45-day review process is underway.
The cost estimate is $10 billion, and the agency says the port capital plan will cover most of it. Federal funding and future development with the city could make up the rest.
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