Port Authority Bus Terminal's Long-Awaited Replacement Takes Shape

NEW YORK CITY — The Port Authority Bus Terminal's days of being a Midtown eyesore are closer to the end, officials said.

A revised plan for the $10 billion project to replace the current terminal were revealed Thursday in a news conference held by Port Authority, city and legislative leaders. They also announced a 45-day comment period after they published an important environmental review.

The tweaks include a proposal for the permanent closure for part of 41st Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues, a central main entrance, more street-level retail, a multi-story indoor atrium and new public open space, officials said.

"Today we are advancing the revised project plan, which will create a more spacious and welcoming environment for passengers throughout the terminal," said Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a statement.

The major project is planned in two stages, and expected to be fully completed by 2032.

The bi-state agency's $9.3 billion budget for 2024 has money for some big-ticket projects, which includes replacing the world's busiest bus terminal with a modern transportation hub that can accommodate capacity increases and help ease city congestion.

The replacement project is projected to cost up to $10 billion, with about $3 billion coming from PANYNJ's budget.

Officials said bus storage and staging will be added between 9th and 10th avenues first; this will serve as a temporary facility while the terminal is torn down and rebuilt, roughly between 2029 and 2032. New ramps between 10th and 11th avenues will connect buses directly to the Lincoln Tunnel.

The replacement Port Authority Bus Terminal facility will also include open space/green space and commercial, retail, and residential development.

Officials said all of these changes will take place on Port Authority-owned land, so there will be no need for eminent domain or for the agency to buy up private property.

PANYNJ operates many of the region’s busiest transportation hubs, including the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, Port Authority Bus Terminal, the Port of New York and New Jersey, the PATH rail system, and the area’s three major airports: LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and JFK.

International firm Foster + Partners and U.S.-based firm A. Epstein and Sons International Inc. will provide architectural design services for the replacement project, the Port Authority announced in August 2022.

Patch's Eric Kiefer contributed to this article.

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