NEW YORK (AP) – New York’s main bus terminal, long ridiculed for leaky ceilings, dirty bathrooms and frequent delays, could be undergoing a major overhaul.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Thursday unveiled a proposal to rebuild and expand the bus terminal in downtown Manhattan.
“Everyone knows the bus terminal. Very few have anything good to say about it, “said Rick Cotton, chief executive of the Port Authority.” It has taken a long time for this building to be replaced. “
The new station will be built above the existing one, with elegant entrances, glass walls and added infrastructure to accommodate more buses. The ramps that stretch over several blocks would be moved and a storage building would be built to keep the buses empty on the streets.
Construction could begin in 2024, be completed by 2031 and cost up to $ 10 billion, the Port Authority said. About $ 3 billion would come from the sale of rights to build four commercial buildings in the area, including one above the terminal. It would also require local and federal funding.
The Port Authority bus terminal opened in 1950 on Eighth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets near Times Square.
A statue of Ralph Kramden, the fictional bus driver at The Honeymooners, is in front of its main entrance. It also provided a suitable backdrop for “Midnight Cowboy,” the 1969 film that illuminated New York’s underworld.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the terminal handled more than 250,000 commuters during the week, many commuting from New Jersey. A study commissioned by the Port Authority has projected that this number will increase to over 330,000 by 2040.
Tom Wright, president of the Regional Plan Association, an urban planning think tank, called the new plan “a creative approach to a complicated problem.”
“Repairing the Port Authority’s bus terminal for the 260,000 people who rely on it every week is one of the highest infrastructure priorities for our region,” he said. “The prosperity of our tri-state area will depend on our ability to provide access to the entire region and connect people to jobs.”
Officials have been debating for years the replacement or overhaul of the busiest bus terminal in the country. But political quarrels between lawmakers and Port Authority officials in both states have left the project stalled as other major infrastructure projects have advanced, including a new World Trade Center transit hub and billions of dollars in LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports. Liberty.
The bus terminal was not included in the Port Authority’s 10-year capital plan in 2014, which increased the anger of commuters and lawmakers in New Jersey.
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Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.