MANHATTAN — The Port Authority will move forward with plans for a new bus terminal on the West Side of Manhattan, not far from the current terminal on Eighth Avenue that many consider an eyesore.
At a meeting Thursday, the Port Authority's board of commissioners voted to replace the “aging and outmoded current facility” with a new, “multi-billion dollar” terminal, although they did not specify exactly where the terminal will be built or how much it will cost.
At an October board meeting, three out of four members of a working group for the project agreed Port-Authority owned property between Ninth and 11th avenues would be the best site for the replacement terminal.
“By committing to build a much-needed 21st century bus terminal on the West Side of Manhattan, with the understanding that no bus terminal will be built in New Jersey, we are making a crucial investment in our region’s economic growth,” chairman John Degnan said in a statement.
“This is a vital service for many thousands of riders who rely on this critical link for their daily commute for decades to come,” he added.
With his statement, Degnan put an end to the hopes of local groups, including Community Board 4, that the Port Authority would build the new terminal in New Jersey.
A letter CB4 sent to Port Authority executive director Pat Foye last month claimed building on the proposed site between Ninth and 11th avenues would “obliterate” Hell’s Kitchen, as residential and commercial buildings would likely be demolished.
“We invite these commissioners to shop at the stores lining the Avenue, to talk to some of the residents, to visit the Metro Baptist Church on West 40th [Street]. They will surely get some ‘stakeholder input,’” the letter said.
In its statement Thursday, the Port Authority reiterated its intent to select a plan for the new bus terminal through an international design competition announced in October.
The authority said it will unveil a winner in September.
At Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to “approve financing a new terminal whatever the ultimate cost,” the New York Times reported.
The Port Authority has also committed to upgrades at Newark Liberty International Airport and a more than $4 billion plan to “fundamentally transform” LaGuardia Airport.