More Squabbling Expected With New Port Authority Bus Terminal Talks To Continue
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A new bus terminal in Manhattan will be a topic of discussion when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey meets Thursday.
That means political squabbling can't be far behind.
New York and New Jersey legislators have tussled over how much the terminal should cost, and even which side of the Hudson River it should be on.
It is the latest installment in how politics inject themselves into the lives of commuters whose only goal is to get to work on time.
Rail riders saw their hopes for a new tunnel under the river dashed when Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie killed a Democrat-supported project in 2010.
Numerous mass transit projects in New Jersey also have been stymied by funding problems that lawmakers only recently addressed.
Last month, some New Jersey lawmakers slammed Gov. Andrew Cuomo over the bus terminal project, claiming he tried to back out of an agreement to pay for it.
The pushback stemmed from Cuomo's attempt to push aside a Bridgegate-weakened Christie and force the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to cut funds for the new bus terminal so there is more to expand John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports.
Officials said they want $6 billion for the bus terminal – triple the $2 billion that Cuomo is reportedly willing to budget.
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