The good, the bad and the ugly: Port Authority Midtown Bus terminal

Today, the Port Authority held the first of multiple sessions to collect comments from the public. CLICK HERE to attend a session by zoom and give your comments.

• February 21, 2024 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• February 21, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• February 22, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

The good

This crucial and bold project will benefit regional commuters, long distance riders, residents of Hell’s Kitchen as well as promote the economic growth of the city while reducing automotive emissions. It will be achieved without displacing residents or businesses through the use of eminent domain:

• Peak hour terminal capacity will increase from 460 today to 1,030 buses , more than double with nearly all buses travelling on the ramps and not on the street. 
• All intercity bus operations and commuter bus parking will be removed from our streets, parking lots and sidewalks and put into the new complex.
• All bus parking spaces will be electric-ready.
• 141,000 sf of street facing retail will be added and many sidewalks widened , to  improve the streetscape. 
• Two large green spaces will be created at the end of the project

The Bad

This is a massive project with enormous impacts in the midst of a vibrant residential neighborhood. The total project includes  8.5 million sf – seven times larger than the current building with three terminal / ramp buildings instead of one presently and two towers. The western part of the project is located in an area zoned as residential. Click here to download comparisons before and after

• We will lose some sky and some views : the analysis indicates that View corridors are seriously affected  along Tenth Avenue, Eleventh Avenue, West 40th Street, West 39th Street, and Hudson Boulevard. The new terminal and tower would also limit or obscure views of the McGraw-Hill Building’s east façade from West 42nd Street, West 41st Street, and Eighth Avenue. 
• We will lose significant sunshine: Incremental shadows of 6 to 12 hours (in winter and summer respectively) will affect the McGraw Hill Building. (6:34 hour) for Metro Baptist Church.
• As if it was possible, the traffic congestion will get worse: in our district already overwhelmed with vehicles and pedestrians, the project will add 11,607 pedestrians and 851 vehicles trips in the PM.  45 of the 58 intersections will experience significant adverse impacts that cannot be mitigated. 12 subway stairwells will experience negative impacts. 15 pedestrian elements would see their level of service reduced to one of the two worst. The impacts on cycling were not studied.

The Ugly

As indicated by the Port Authority, construction will be extremely challenging for community: it  will last 10 years with nightly construction noise , bus traffic on surface streets and congestion. Half of the buildings are closely intertwined with residences and historical structures : some buildings are 6 inches from existing tenements. 

• The construction schedule calls for five workdays per week, with two 8- hour day shifts and one 8-hour overnight shift . The noise will exceed maximum permitted. Nighttime closure of Lincoln Tunnel will create congestion in other parts of the district.
• Phase 1 will necessitate closures of roadways, and re-routing of buses for extended periods of time. Multiple roadways and sidewalks would have lane closures or be closed entirely for the duration of phase 2 –resulting in minimum delays of 6 to 15 minutes on multiple streets. The impact of traffic delays on air quality is not clearly outlined. 

People say we do not do large projects any longer; People say not in my backyard. This project is definitely worth doing in our backyard. Lets’s just make sure there is proper mitigation and compensation for the surrounding community.