The most expensive show ever in Hell’s Kitchen opened last night to an audience of 17 people (with around 50 tuning in online). The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) put on a special preview of their $10bn Bus Terminal (PABT) replacement to locals before they begin formal public meetings later this month.
Executives from PANYNJ gave a preview of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for PABT which was published last week and described by PANYNJ as being “about 16 inches in thickness.” The release of the DEIS also started the clock on a 45-day public comment period. The project will replace the current terminal and complex of ramps with an extended footprint on Port Authority land snaking from 8th Avenue through Hell’s Kitchen to 11th Avenue. PABT currently serves more than 7,200 buses and about 200,000 people daily.
“It’s not necessarily the most attractive building in New York City,” said Glen Guzzi, Assistant Director of Major Capital Projects at PANYNJ to laughter from the gathered locals. “It’s reviled. We’re going to change that.”
Guzzi went on to present a plan that he stressed recognized the local community as much as the commuters that use the facility for their travel. In particular, he referenced how they had taken input from local elected officials and the community board to move the proposed high-rise development from 9th Avenue to 8th Avenue, wider sidewalks, street-facing retail and trees!
Meanwhile, Hersh Parekh, PABT’s Deputy Chief for Intergovernmental Affairs, compared the bus terminal plan to the organization’s transformation of LaGuardia Airport. “This was the exact same characterization of the old LaGuardia. When it opened back in the sixties, it was a marvel in the aviation industry. It was built on such a small footprint, but probably one of the busiest airports if you look at it per square foot activity,” he said.
“But LaGuardia was not maintained the way it needed to be, did not keep up with modern times, modern technology, the modern customer. It was not the type of gateway that New York deserved. And so the Port Authority undertook a multi-billion dollar effort to rebuild — and it is a beautiful facility now that has received accolades worldwide. And that is the mission that we are bringing to this bus terminal replacement project,” added Parekh. “This bus terminal is a workhorse. It helps so many hundreds of thousands of people get to their destination every day. But this is not the gateway that New York deserves — and it is important that we make it right.”
Parekh set out a vision to make the new bus station an “inspiring transportation facility”, but stressed that PANYNJ was also cognizant of the community in which the facility sits. “At LaGuardia we thought we were close to the community. Although we were separated by an eight-lane parkway, but we knew we had to pay close attention to our neighbors. That’s even more important here because of how close this facility is to the community. We’re keeping in mind not just the commuters that use this facility but also the community that has to experience the impacts of this facility.”
Guzzi presented how the new terminal would be able to accommodate double-decker articulated and electric buses, which are currently not serviceable in the old facility. He said that these would benefit the community with fewer vehicles on the roads and lower emissions helping air quality.
If all goes according to plan, PANYNJ will start the construction project later this year, with completion expected by 2032.
The first job is to create decks over the Lincoln Tunnel on two blocks between W37th and W39th Street to the west of 9th Avenue (after construction, these areas will become a 3.5-acre park space for residents). After that, a staging and storage area will be built between W39th and W40th Street to the west of Rauschenbusch Metro Baptist Church, replacing existing PABT ramps. This will be used as a “Temporary Terminal” to allow the Main Terminal to be reconstructed into a reimagined transport hub. The ramps for the facilities will be extended from 10th Avenue through to 11th Avenue, with better access in and out of the Lincoln Tunnel.
The main terminal will accommodate two office towers on 8th Avenue. “The purpose of those towers is to drive funding to help build this project because $10bn is a very large project and we need to make sure that we have it fully financed,” said Parekh.
When asked about the current market for offices, Parekh said: ”There’s data showing that the commercial market is on the rebound. Just the other week there was a building that Gucci bought or sold for three times the amount that the experts predicted. We’re talking about these towers being built in the 2030s, so there’s a long timeline from now to then — and we believe that there will be demand for commercial, especially commercial on 8th Avenue facing Times Square.”
The space on 8th Avenue will be transformed with the closure of W41st Street to accommodate an atrium and better access to the subway. This was a feature in the two visuals released by PANYNJ of the new plans.
Attendees asked if 24-hour working (with associated construction noise) would be needed to get delivery on their eight-year plan. “I do not expect to be working 24/7. We didn’t even do that at the World Trade Center and that was a project where we were given a lot of carte blanche to fix what occurred in Manhattan,” said Parekh. “For instance, on 40th Street, there are hotels, they’re in the business of selling space for people to sleep.”
He added, “I do not want to paint a picture that it’s going to be an easy project, and we also have to make sure that the bus terminal remains operational because that’s an important factor too. So all of these different factors, the community, the commuters, the businesses, traffic, are things that we need to be mindful of. This will be a disruptive project — billions of dollars of construction will be happening in a very dense urban environment. We recognize that and we will work with the community, with our stakeholders, with the elected officials to make sure we are communicating to minimize and mitigate where possible.”
So, we asked the million-dollar question at the end of the night… Will there be a dog run in the 3.5-acre park attached to the new $10bn Port Authority Bus Station? “We’ve communicated to Astro’s that during the construction that dog run will need to close,” said Parekh. “What happens after construction is finished and whether there might be a dog run or not? I don’t know at this time.”
We were hoping this Hell’s Kitchen show has a happy ending… To be continued…
UGH!!! I had registered to attend in person but was unable to at the last minute!!! So bummed not to be there in a surprisingly intimate group!!!
It’s nice that’s great. But our Astros dog run is not included. This park has been a great access to the community and Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a great dog run for seniors and people with disabilities. Tell me why Astros Dog Park that’s been here for years is not included. All this green space and upgrades but no dog parks. Sad! I call it doggy discrimination
What she said ^^^^^^^
In a decade of biking NYC, my only injury happened at 42nd and 9th. There’s a constant traffic jam of vehicles, people, and bikes at the station’s main entrance. Please design a good traffic flow for local people, not just buses or bus riders. Perhaps this is decided by a different agency than Port Authority, nevertheless it should be a primary concern.
They are planning a 3.5 acre park literally across from the space they are taking away from Astro’s and proclaim to put the community first but can’t say if there will be a replacement dog run??
They are taking our (Astro’s) space and we were promised a replacement, because we’ll be going without a temporary home after Astro’s closes until we have a new space in the Grand Design. Thanks for keeping us relevant in the story Phil! We’ll be at the neighborhood hearings making sure we are part of the plan!
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if they’re building so far out west, as far as 10th & 11th avenues, isn’t this the right opportunity to incorporate into this project that additional no. 7 train station at 41st and 10th?
…And then bring the 7 train up to 60th st and West End Ave..! We need to connect with the subway living here of the FAR West Side!
We need that stop!!
They want a developer to pay for the 10th Avenue Station in exchange for rights to develop the area.
What are they going to do with all the bums and crackhrads currently in and around PABT?
There’s got to get a lot better places to take your dog than the current dog run. Does not look very pleasant if you ask me.
YIKES — Talk about the thing that ate Midtown-West !!! Another 50 yrs of heaping fumes and run-for-your-life intersections to this part of town. Buses really are the lowest form of public transportation — But why do they have to lessen all the rest of our lives, with them ????
The plan looks great but going to be a longer walk from the temporary structure to the subways for the commuters who come in on the bus. Hopefully they will run a ton of shuttle buses from the temporary garage down 42nd St & 34th St to alleviate the extra walking – or add a 7 train stop close-by.
I would mandate as part of it building the 41st Street/10th Avenue station for the (7) that was originally supposed to be part of that extension to Hudson Yards.. I would have it run from 9th-10th Avenues on 41st with a direct entrance to PABT from 9th Avenue and 41st.