The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is delaying its decision on a plan to replace its Midtown bus terminal for another month in an unexpected setback for plans for a new terminal.
The Port Authority board discussed the matter in a meeting Thursday but opted not to vote on the plans, which would see a new bus terminal built between Ninth and 10th Avenues, a block west of its existing location.
A smaller working group of four Port Authority commissioners voted 3-to-1 earlier this week to endorse the plan, which would raze the existing terminal to make for commercial development, according to Politico.
But the new location would also lengthen walking times for commuters who use subways to get to the terminal, and board members decided Thursday to consider the proposal further before a vote. A Port Authority study earlier this year showed that a new bus terminal facility would cost $10 billion — 10 times more than some earlier estimates — and take at least 15 years to complete.
The aging Port Authority Bus Terminal, at 825 Eighth Avenue, opened in 1950 and is expected to see 51 percent growth in its ridership by 2050. The agency estimates the terminal’s infrastructure will outlive its useful life in 15 to 25 years. [Politico] – Rey Mashayekhi