Renderings of Reimagined Port Authority Bus Terminal Released

New proposed renderings of the planned redevelopment of the 73-year-old Port Authority Bus Terminal on Manhattan’s west side were presented this week by the New York City Department of Planning’s transportation policy and analytics division. Hoping to take advantage of the “once in a lifetime opportunity to reinvent one of the major front doors of New York City,” the new larger facility will be bright and offer a modern travel hub that will include ground floor retail and a neighboring park. In 2019, on a typical weekday the bus terminal served an estimated 260,000 passengers on 7,800 buses but PANYNJ officials project that the figure could rise to 337,000 weekday travelers by 2040. Although designs have yet to be finalized or formerly begin the city’s public review process — Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), as well as secure both federal and city approvals, the latest proposal calls for five operational bus floors able to accommodate up to 350 buses, up from the current 50; street-facing retail; and roughly 3.5 acres of public green space on decking constructed over the currently below-street level Dyer Avenue cut and building open space atop.  It is estimated that the new ramps, park space and storage facility could be completed by 2028, followed by completion of the main terminal building by 2032. A portion of the financing for the $10 billion proposal will come from the commitment of $2 billion in property tax revenue that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and city administration agreed upon back in March. Pinning its hopes on the recovery of Manhattan’s office market, the PANYNJ anticipates additional revenue to support the project’s construction will be generated from two proposed commercial towers to be constructed atop the main terminal, plus a third office tower that would be built on land bound by West 30th and 31st Street and 9th and 10th Avenues.

Source:    https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/port-authority-bus-terminal-revamp-sneak-peek