The last hurdle was finally overcome. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which “oversees safety measures and provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems,” has approved the $10 billion project to renovate the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42nd St. and 8th Avenue. At this point, work can start next year for completion in 2032.
The project will remove the 74-year-old structure, place parking spaces into a single structure, and create a nearly 2.1 million-square-foot waiting room and new retail and restaurant spaces accessible from the station and the streets. It will start on the west side, from 39th to 40th Streets and most of Ninth to 11th Avenues, then a new staging area and ramp for buses to access the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey. Deck-overs will be built above Dyer Avenue to allow bus access during the heavy work period.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, along with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, celebrated the project for its impact on traffic in and out of the City. “The Midtown Bus Terminal is a crucial transportation hub for New York, serving over 250,000 passenger trips on a busy weekday alone, and we are committed to providing a world-class travel experience to and from Manhattan through this exciting transformation of the terminal. This project will help us meet our projected ridership growth while also reducing congestion on our streets,” she said.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal renovation project dates back to last year. It wasn’t until September that the federal government approved its environmental review, and soon after, the Adams administration’s City Council gave the green light for construction to begin with a unanimous vote.
The Port Authority will pay for a “significant” part of the work while the rest will be covered by the State and the City administrations, which have guaranteed to help fund three infrastructure renovation projects over the next 40 years.
