Port Authority Clears Major Hurdle for Bus Terminal Redesign

"The Port Authority [of New York and New Jersey] approved a multibillion-dollar plan Thursday to replace the dilapidated 65-year-old West Side bus terminal, with a goal of deciding on a final design by next fall," reports David Porter. The project is expected to cost between $7 billion and $10 billion. Dana Rubinstein reported earlier this year that the price of the terminal could hit $10 billion—ten times more than a Port Authority estimate from only a year earlier.

The vote puts into motion a design competition for the terminal's redesign an specific plan, with a winner expected to be chosen from an international field by September 2016. The Port Authority also authorized the hiring of a consultant "to study ridership projections over the next few decades and review the terminal project in the context of other transit projects in the region," according to Porter.

An editorial in The Record unearths more of the significance of the decision by the Port Authority, noting especially that the recent vote was achieved despite months of delays and dissension in the decision making process. From the editorial: "It will be years before work begins on replacing the bus terminal, but for now, having the 12 commissioners committed to moving forward means something. And it is unlikely that we would see a unanimous vote from the Port Authority board if there were not support from the offices of Governor Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That may add more juice to the project."