Port Authority Bus Terminal Plans $90 Million Patch-Up Job
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - The Port Authority bus terminal hasn't had a face lift in 35 years and at the moment, there isn't any money for one.
But as WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, the agency has a plan to at least fix a few things.
One woman in the terminal, Linda, said she found the terminal clean, until Silverman pointed out the holes in the ceiling that sometimes drip.
"I don't look up. Maybe that's my problem, but okay I can see where that would definitely be a benefit," she said.
Port Authority Bus Terminal Plans $90 Million Patch-Up Job
The $90 million patch-up job will include a bypass lane to make it easier for buses to get to the terminal's fourth floor, and more staging areas so buses don't have to return to New Jersey after the morning commute. Charging stations, fans and better Wi-Fi either have been installed or are in process, officials said. Two of the dozen or so restrooms will be completely renovated by year's end, with the rest done by 2017, according to Cedrick Fulton, the agency's head of bridges, tunnels and terminals.
The $90 million comes indirectly from the Port Authority's project to replace suspension cables on the George Washington Bridge, Fulton said. Since that money is available but earmarked for the back end of the project, it is being freed up now by deferring or slowing current work on other projects, including the Lincoln Tunnel helix and roadway repairs near the New York side of the tunnel.
But all New Yorkers really want is efficiency, Silverman reported.
"You know, coming in at rush hour is nothing but trouble in this place," one commuter said.
The work at the bus terminal is due to be completed in the next three to four years. In the meantime, the Port Authority will look at longer-term solutions.
"It's a necessity, it's not an option, to build a new station or do a fundamental redevelopment," board member Kenneth Lipper said Wednesday.
The terminal is the busiest in the country, handling about 220,000 passenger trips daily.
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