New Bus Terminal Will Replace Outdated Legacy Infrastructure With 21st Century Facilities To Improve Commuter Experience and Reduce Bus Congestion on Neighborhood Streets
Project To Include New Facility for Bus Storage and Staging, Charging Capacity To Accommodate Electric Bus Fleets, Community-Friendly, Outwardly Facing Retail and New Ramps Between 10th and 11th Avenues
Decks Constructed Over Below-Grade Dyer Avenue Leading to Lincoln Tunnel Will Facilitate Bus Terminal Construction and Ultimately Create 3.5 Acres of Public Open Space
New Bus Terminal To Be Built for the Future and Designed To Be Net-Zero Emissions
Project Will Create 6,000 Union Construction Jobs and Meet Projected 2040-50 Future Bus Passenger Demand
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today broke ground on the Dyer Avenue deck-overs, marking the first stage in construction of the new Midtown Bus Terminal. The deck-overs will facilitate construction of the new bus terminal and will be used for staging of buses during construction. Ultimately, the deck-overs will be transformed into 3.5 acres of new publicly accessible open green space after construction of the new bus terminal is complete.
“Here in New York, we are showing the world what is possible when government and the local community commit to making the vision of modern infrastructure a reality,” Governor Hochul said. “A new Midtown Bus Terminal will deliver an enhanced experience for millions of riders, breathe new life into the surrounding neighborhood and ensure that this gateway to the City is one New Yorkers can be proud of for generations to come.”
The deck-overs represent the first step in the replacement of the existing 75-year-old, functionally obsolete bus terminal with a world-class facility. When complete, the project will include a new main terminal, a separate storage and staging building and new ramps leading directly into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel. The project plan — including the permanent closure of a portion of 41st Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues, a central main entrance, more street-facing retail, a soaring multi-story indoor atrium and new public open space — will enhance the commuter experience at the world’s busiest bus terminal and become a centerpiece for the community. The project is expected to create approximately 6,000 good-paying union construction jobs.
Reliable and efficient bus service between New York and New Jersey is critical to the interconnected economies of both states, as hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents work in New York City. The new terminal is designed to meet projected 2040-50 commuter growth, provide a best-in-class customer experience that serves the region’s 21st century public transportation needs, and enhance the surrounding community. The project does not include the taking of any private property as it will be built on existing Port Authority of New York and New Jersey property stretching as far west as 11th Avenue.
The new bus terminal will be built for the future and designed to be net-zero emissions, accommodating all-electric bus fleets and implementing modern high technology innovations. The new ramp structure will provide a direct connection to the Lincoln Tunnel, with added queue space and bypass capability, thereby reducing congestion, bus circulation, idling and parking on local city streets. Community-friendly outward-facing local retail will benefit commuters and the community alike.
The final plan for the Midtown Bus Terminal replacement project incorporates extensive public feedback from a broad community outreach effort, including input from New York City, New Jersey, commuters, local community boards and elected officials in both states. The total cost of the replacement project has been estimated at approximately $10 billion, with actual procurement for phase one of the project actively in progress. Construction of the Dyer Avenue deck-overs is now underway. The project has received unprecedented support from the community, the city, state and federal agencies.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s construction plan for the new bus terminal calls for it to be built in phases, with the deck-overs being built first followed by the storage and staging facility. The Dyer Avenue deck-overs project encompasses the construction of two decks over below-grade portions of Dyer Avenue and the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway between West 37th and West 38th streets and between West 38th and West 39th streets. The storage and staging facility can serve as a temporary terminal while the existing terminal is demolished and replaced.
About the Midtown Bus Terminal
What is now the world’s busiest bus terminal opened in 1950, after the mayor of New York City requested the Port Authority to consolidate eight separate, smaller bus terminals throughout Midtown Manhattan in order to relieve street congestion. As the regional population grew and spread geographically, the Port Authority expanded the terminal’s capacity in 1963 by converting parking space to a fourth level of bus operations and adding three new levels of public parking for 1,000 cars. By 1966, the terminal served nearly 69 million passengers, once again requiring increased bus capacity. In 1970, the Port Authority created a 2-mile exclusive bus lane (XBL) on the New Jersey Route 495 approach to the Lincoln Tunnel, giving buses faster access directly to the bus terminal and saving commuters up to 20 minutes in travel time.
In 1981, the Port Authority expanded the bus terminal’s capacity by 50 percent with a new North Wing extension to 42nd Street and the diagonal girder façade now familiar to bus riders. The current facility spans 1.9 million square feet as the nation’s largest bus terminal and the world’s busiest. Individual carriers, the largest of which is NJ Transit, serve routes for daily commuters throughout New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and the lower Hudson Valley, as well as provide intercity services to and from locations such as upstate New York, New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Canada. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bus terminal accommodated an estimated 260,000 passenger trips on an average weekday. As of 2024, the terminal served approximately 205,000 average weekday daily passengers.
For more information on the replacement project, visit the Port Authority’s website on the Midtown Bus Terminal replacement.
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