Route changes for buses exiting the Lincoln Tunnel begin as construction advances on the roughly 11 billion dollar terminal, with the Port Authority warning of years of delays, especially at rush hour
A Terminal Condition
HELL’S KITCHEN. Commuters on buses using the Lincoln Tunnel may face years of delays as the Port Authority advances construction on a new Midtown Bus Terminal, according to amNY’s report on the bus terminal delays starting Thursday. The roughly 11 billion dollar project’s first phase, which broke ground last year and includes a new ramp structure, storage and staging facilities, is slated to finish in 2030, with the broader project expected to be complete in 2035. Route changes for buses exiting the tunnel began on Thursday, October 15, with delays expected to be worst during weekday rush hours.
For the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey commuters who pass through the terminal, the timeline offers a clear message: the new terminal will be magnificent, modern and efficient, and some of them will be retired by the time they use it.
The New Route
Under the changes, buses exiting the Lincoln Tunnel via Dyer Avenue will no longer use the full ramp at Dyer Avenue and West 40th Street. Instead, they will climb part of the ramp, take a slip ramp onto West 39th Street, head west and re-enter the ramp system at the northeast corner of 10th Avenue. The Department of Transportation will restrict most vehicle traffic on West 39th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, with the bike lane and pedestrian path shifting south. The morning exclusive bus lane uses a different ramp and is not affected.
Commuters who tried to follow the description reported that it read less like a route change and more like the instructions for a board game. A Hoboken accountant said she had read it four times. Up the ramp, off the ramp, along 39th, back onto the ramp, she said. It is like a ride at Six Flags, except slower and with worse snacks.
The Old Terminal
The existing Port Authority Bus Terminal, opened in 1950 and expanded over the decades, has long been one of New York’s most criticized buildings, a place that New Yorkers and New Jerseyans describe with a vocabulary usually reserved for dental procedures. It is crowded, confusing and, in the view of many commuters, permanently damp in places that should not be damp. A replacement has been discussed for so long that some regular riders assumed it was a legend, like the Loch Ness Monster or an on-time NJ Transit train.
A commuter from Paramus who has used the terminal for 28 years said he had heard about a new terminal since the 1990s. Every few years, someone says it is coming, he said. Now they say 2035. I will be 71. I will take my first bus from the new terminal, sit down, and my grandchildren will ask me what the old one was like. I will tell them it built character. Mostly in the stairwells.
The Price Tag
An 11 billion dollar price tag has prompted the usual New York debate about whether big infrastructure projects cost too much. Comparisons with other cities, where similar projects appear to cost far less, are a favourite pastime of urban policy experts. Supporters argue that the new terminal is essential for a growing commuter population and long overdue. Critics argue that for 11 billion dollars, the terminal should at minimum include heated seats, a rooftop garden and buses that arrive on time.
A transit advocate in Manhattan offered perspective. It is a lot of money, she said. But the region depends on these buses. Hundreds of thousands of people a day. Without them, Midtown stops working. The question is not whether we need it. The question is whether we can build it before the commuters who need it today have grandchildren who also need it.
The Future Terminal
Phase one is due in 2030 and the full terminal in 2035. Renderings of new transit facilities tend to show spacious, sunlit halls filled with smiling commuters who appear to be in no hurry at all, a style of illustration that regular riders have described as optimistic science fiction.
Commuter Strategies
The Port Authority has advised commuters to allow extra travel time and check with their bus carriers. Commuters have developed their own strategies. Some are leaving home earlier. Some are switching to trains, ferries or remote work. Some have adopted a philosophical approach. A nurse from Jersey City said she now brings a book, a snack and a sense of peace. The bus will come when it comes, she said. The terminal will be finished when it is finished. I have learned to let go. Port Authority has made me a Buddhist.
The Long View
Big infrastructure projects in New York have a long history of delays, cost increases and eventual triumph. The Second Avenue Subway was first proposed in the 1920s and opened its first phase in 2017. The new LaGuardia Airport terminals took years of disruption before winning praise. If the Midtown Bus Terminal follows that pattern, commuters can expect a decade of frustration, followed by a building they will complain about for entirely new reasons.
The Last Word
On Thursday evening, a long line of commuters snaked through the old terminal toward the gates for New Jersey. A man in a suit checked his watch, sighed and turned to the woman behind him. 2035, he said. She nodded. I will be ready, she said. I have already started packing.