Port Authority Bus Terminal Replacement in NYC Gets $1.9B in Federal Funding
Ramps will connect the Midtown Bus Terminal's future staging area directly to the Lincoln Tunnel, removing buses from city streets.
Rendering by Foster + Partners & Epstein
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s plan to replace its Midtown Bus Terminal in New York City received a $1.89-billion boost Jan. 15 as the U.S. Dept. of Transportation announced it would provide a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to help fund the $10-billion project’s first phase.
The project is needed as the bus terminal, which opened in 1950, is deteriorating, according to Port Authority and U.S. Transportation Dept. officials. The planned terminal, which would be built on the same site, would allow for expanded capacity, modern bus fleets, improved operations and greater sustainability, according to the Port Authority.
“The approval of a federal TIFIA loan for this phase of our bus terminal replacement project further demonstrates the unprecedented public and governmental support at every level for our plan to replace a reviled and obsolete piece of infrastructure with a new, state-of-the-art facility that sits in the heart of Manhattan,” Rick Cotton, Port Authority executive director, said in a statement.
The Port Authority says the Midtown Bus Terminal is the busiest bus terminal in the world, serving 250,000 daily passengers.
The first phase includes construction of bus storage and staging facility, which will be used as a temporary terminal during construction of the new 2.1-million-sq-ft main terminal, plus deck-overs covering below-grade sections of some nearby streets. The scope also includes building a ramp structure accessing the Lincoln Tunnel, so that buses can be removed from city streets.
Construction on that first phase is set to start this year, with a goal of completing it in 2029. The Port Authority is also aiming to complete the main terminal in 2032.
Using funding from the TIFIA program will allow the Port Authority to take advantage of subsidized loan costs and favorable repayment terms, officials said.
“By using TIFIA and embracing innovative financing, the Port Authority will provide a state-of-the-art, reliable and efficient bus facility much sooner than it otherwise could,” Morteza Farajian, executive director of U.S. DOT’s Build America Bureau, said in a statement.
Contractor AECOM Tishman also confirmed Jan. 14 that it signed on to serve as construction manager for the $271-million deck-overs after the Port Authority’s commissioners voted to authorize the contract last summer. Officials also selected Great Neck, N.Y.-based MLJ Contracting to perform the work.
Eric Reid, chief operating officer at AECOM Tishman, in a statement called the terminal replacement a “once-in-a-generation project that will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of commuters and enhance the surrounding community.”
Federal Transit Administration officials signed off on the plan in December. The second and third phases of work would cover the terminal itself and the development of two towers on 8th Avenue above the terminal with up to 5 million gross sq ft of commercial space combined, plus the conversion of the deck-overs into public green space.
