Lawmakers celebrate decision to redevelop Port Authority Bus Terminal

Majority and minority leaders in the Senate and Transportation Committee chairs from both chambers celebrated news of an upcoming redevelopment to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on New York City’s Eighth Avenue.

“I am pleased to see the Port Authority moving forward on construction of an expanded Port Authority Bus Terminal at the current site, where New Jersey commuters will continue to have easy access to the many subway and bus lines that run down Eighth Avenue,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck). “New Jersey spoke with a united, bipartisan voice, and we had to fight hard to get the new Port Authority Bus Terminal into the current 10-year Capital Plan.”

The Port Authority on Thursday announced it would revamp the bus terminal’s current location instead of moving it a few blocks westward to beneath the Javits Center, a proposal opposed by New Jersey lawmakers.

“I’m glad our bipartisan efforts on both sides of the Hudson have resulted in this plan to ‘build in place’ the new Port Authority Bus Terminal,” Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Westfield) said. “This has long been our preferred option as it maintains a one-seat ride for New Jersey commuters while preserving convenient access to local subway and bus lines.”

Weinberg and Kean, along with Senate Transportation Chair Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield) and Assembly Transportation Chair Dan Benson (D-Hamilton) are members of the Bi-State Port Authority Bus Terminal Workgroup, which reviewed the redevelopment plans.

The majority leader co-chaired the group with Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).

“This much-needed expansion will help us keep up with the robust growth of public transportation since the terminal’s last update in 1981, an uptick driven by the growing demand for New Jersey’s talented workforce,” Benson said. “This expansion will allow the region to continue its positive economic growth while reducing the impact of cars on our constrained infrastructure.”

The oft-derided bus terminal, the busiest in the country, has been in a state of worsening decay for years.

The renewal could cost as much as $10 billion, though the Port Authority hopes the new construction will increase its bus capacity and reduce the congestion its fleet inflicts on neighboring streets.

“With today’s announcement, the new Port Authority Bus Terminal project moves to the Federal Transit Administration for hearings and review,” Diegnan said. “Like New Jersey’s tens of thousands of bus commuters to Manhattan, I am pleased that the Port Authority chose to build on the site of the current bus terminal, rather than underneath the Javits Center, which lacked the subway access our commuters have a right to expect.”

Disclosure: Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole is a columnist for the New Jersey Globe.