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Last week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released new designs for the renovated midtown bus terminal in Manhattan that was announced a while back.
The new plan, made public alongside a draft environmental impact statement, includes a main terminal, a storage and staging facility, and updated ramps to access the Lincoln Tunnel.
The whole project will be built in two separate phases that could kick off as soon as this year (woohoo!). The predicted completion date is 2032.
As laid out in official documents, the phased construction approach, which will cost $10 billion in total, includes the building of the bus storage facility first so that it could eventually “serve as a temporary terminal while the existing [one] is demolished and rebuilt.”
“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 Kevin O’Toole, chairman of the Port Authority, in an official statement. “We are replacing what’s been a commuters’ nightmare for decades with what will be a beautiful, efficient new bus terminal that will be the world-class gateway our region deserves.”
As seen in the renderings released by architecture firm Foster + Partners, who will be leading the renovations, the renovated hub will feature a multi-story glass atrium on 41st Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, the destination's official entrance.
In addition to revamping the current infrastructure, officials are hoping to infuse the transportation hub, which debuted back in 1950, with a bit of sustainable modernity, including artificial intelligence systems for bus management, space for electric buses and chargers, heat recovery reuse and an on-site generator of renewable energy.
Just as exciting is the fact that the Port Authority revealed that, once the project is completed, it will be able to give back 3.5 acres of green space to the neighborhood as a whole.
The proposal is currently undergoing a 45-day public comment period, with an in-person hearing scheduled for February 21 and virtual sessions following on February 21 and 22. After the time frame, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will publish a final environmental impact statement and an official decision regarding the project as a whole will likely be made later this year.