City Councilman Erik Bottcher says he is excited about the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's newest plan to construct a new bus terminal. The current one in midtown Manhattan is in his district.

"This is going to correct a really, really poor urban planning mistake of many years ago, which is the design of the Port Authority Bus Terminal," Bottcher said.

What You Need To Know

  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking federal approval and funding for construction of a new bus terminal
  • The new bus terminal would include a main terminal with a large central atrium, a bus storage facility, a ramp that connects the terminal right to the Lincoln Tunnel, open public space and two commercial office towers that would help finance construction
  • The Port Authority had dropped its plan to construct the bus terminal by using eminent domain, and they will instead construct it on its own property
  • Officials are hopeful to start construction this year and be complete by 2032

It is a flip from the days when Bottcher was a City Council staff member and West Side politicians were united against the Port Authority's efforts to build a new terminal in their backyard.

"When the Port Authority first came to the community, their intention was to use eminent domain to really demolish some of the surrounding blocks to the station, to expand the station," Bottcher said.

Now, with a new $10 billion terminal to be built entirely on Port Authority property, West Side politicians universally back it.

Rep. Jerry Nadler praised the plan earlier this month on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Port Authority officials held a public hearing Tuesday as part of its planning process.

"This project, high level, is going to create a new facility that is going to meet the demands of the future," said Glenn Guzi, the assistant director of major capital projects for the Port Authority.

New Yorkers got the chance to opine on the project, its construction and how the terminal should be designed.

"Terminals without seating is a real difficulty for people who can't stand for long periods of time," said Nancy Sheran, a Manhattan resident who travels through the bus terminal.

The project would include the construction of a new five-story main terminal with a large central atrium, a bus storage facility with as many as 350 spots, a ramp that connects the terminal right to the Lincoln Tunnel, three-and-a-half acres of open public space and two commercial office towers that would help finance construction.

"The original design didn't include any green space, which the neighborhood made clear was needed to make this project acceptable and most importantly, it takes out all the dirty buses off of the street and puts them inside," Assemblyman Tony Simone, who represents the area, told NY1.

The new design, Simone said, is a benefit to commuters and his constituents.

"New Yorkers deserve better," Simone said. "We're all aligned, all the West Side elected officials and the community."

The Port Authority is seeking federal approval and funding for the project.

Officials are hopeful to start construction this year and be complete by 2032.

There’s also a component that requires Port Authority to go through the city’s public land use review process.