Port Authority to unveil major update on plans for new ‘state-of-the-art’ bus terminal

MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — The Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City is getting ready to undergo a major transformation from an outdated and undersized commuter hub, to a “state-of-the-art” transit facility.

Port Authority is expected to provide a significant update Thursday afternoon for its long-promised modern bus terminal, a massive multi-billion dollar project that will have to keep the current transit hub operating for the decade it takes to build on the busy west side of Manhattan.

The bi-state agency previously announced that the old terminal will be torn down and rebuilt, with an estimated opening date of 2031 for the new one. But before that can happen, a bus storage facility will be built that will handle bus operations in the interim.

Once the storage facility is built, bus operations will shift from the current terminal to the bus storage facility while the old terminal is torn down and rebuilt.

After construction is completed, the Port Authority will give back 3.5 acres as green space for the neighborhood.

When Port Authority first opened in 1950, it was also described as “state of the art” and “magnificent,” but now, seven decades later, the building is in need of improvements.

Commuters arrive to leaks, cracks and tears — far from a modern marvel.

The new bus terminal is expected to have new features like artificial intelligence for bus management, accommodations for future growth and larger buses, bus storage space, which the current terminal doesn’t have, and sustainability components including space for electric buses and chargers, heat recovery reuse and onsite generation of renewable energy.

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