March 18, 2024 Elizabeth Rogak The Port Authority of New York and

March 18, 2024

Elizabeth Rogak

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

4 World Trade Center, 150 Greenwich Street, 25th Floor

New York, NY 10007

Dear Ms. Rogak,

We appreciate the opportunity to submit comments on the proposed Port Authority Bus Terminal

replacement project. We cannot overstate the importance of the PABT replacement project to the

future of our city. Originally opened over 70 years ago with its last major renovation in 1981, the

current terminal is becoming increasingly obsolete and difficult to maintain. Critical components

will need significant repairs or replacement within the next 5-15 years. Bus size and technology

has advanced significantly requiring new accommodations. And the terminal cannot adequately

handle projected growth in bus passenger volumes as it currently stands.

But perhaps most significantly, the replacement project will create a new, modern, efficient, and

user-friendly transportation hub paramount to the continued growth and success of New York

City. The new terminal will include close to double today’s bus capacity at peak hours, a revived

commercial space with additional street facing retail, two commercial towers, off street bus

staging areas, new open spaces, widened sidewalks, overall improved aesthetics, and much more.

We commend the current proposal by the Port Authority and the extensive community

engagement process thus far, and we look forward to further consideration of specific impacts of

the project as part of the environmental review process.

The new bus terminal must serve the needs of commuters while also enhancing the lives of local

residents and businesses, and the rest of the surrounding community.

Locally Preferred Alternative

We are glad to see that the Port Authority is pursuing a project plan that reflects the extensive

feedback from local stakeholders. After a planning process that began in 2013 and included a

Master Plan study, engagement with stakeholders and public outreach, and a planning-level

scoping process from 2019-2021, we now have the Locally Preferred Alternative considered in

this EIS. This version of the project would build a replacement terminal in place, as well as new

ramp structures, capacity to bring curbside intercity buses into the facility, staging and storing

capacity, new open space on the Dyer deck-overs, new concessions and sidewalk amenities, and

improved facilities. We applaud the inclusion of elements requested by the City and the

community, including the staging and storing facility and permanent open space after

construction. We hope that throughout the environmental review and the public review process

the Port Authority continues to be receptive to feedback from Community Board 4 and other

stakeholders in the neighborhood, particularly around how the new infrastructure and design of

new facility elements will integrate into the area.

Land Use, Zoning, and Public Policy

We commend the Port Authority for choosing to voluntarily conform with the City’s Zoning

Resolution to ensure the proposed project is compliant with local zoning. We look forward to

reviewing any applications submitted by the Port Authority for public review. We hope that the

Port Authority follows through on its intention to conform to zoning for approvals including a

special permit for new bus stations for ten or more berths to modify use and bulk regulations, as

well as potential approvals for the partial closure of 41

Street and for ramps over public streets

or City property.

Socioeconomic Conditions

We are pleased that the proposed project would not result in any direct or indirect residential

displacement. We also appreciate that the Port Authority will explore locations for the 23

existing businesses in the bus terminal to continue operations during construction and then be

relocated back to the replacement bus terminal. We hope that local businesses are included in the

expanded retail options in the replacement terminal.

Historic and Cultural Resources

We hear Community Board 4’s concerns regarding urban design and visual resources, with

changing view corridors on Ninth Avenue within the Paddy’s Market Historic District resulting

from the enclosed ramp structure. We understand the operational need for the ramp structure and

the benefits that come with taking the buses off the streets, but we encourage the Port Authority

to design the ramp structure in a way that creates the least disruption to the visual character of

the neighborhood. We also ask that the agency work to minimize obstruction of views of the

McGraw Hill Building’s eastern façade.

We also ask that the Port Authority work with Metro Baptist Church to ensure that they continue

to get as much sunlight as possible in order to not negatively impact their urban rooftop farm.

This farm helps serve their membership base as well as all persons in need who rely on the food

they get from Metro Baptist Church.

Transportation

The Port Authority has anticipated a ridership demand of 337,000 passengers per day by 2040,

including 42,000 evening peak-hour passenger arrivals and departures. Additionally, buses are

larger than they were when the terminal opened in 1950, bus technology has advanced,

particularly for electric buses, and the Port Authority anticipates that the structural slabs in the

south wing will be functionally obsolete without investment by 2027-2037. We fully understand

the need for a new terminal to address the capacity and structural demands. However, we ask that

the Port Authority continue to monitor estimates of future demand, given that the long-term

assumptions were done in 2015. The Port Authority believes their long-term forecasts are still

accurate, despite decreased ridership during the Covid-19 pandemic, even if the anticipated

ridership occurs later than the 2040 timeline. The new terminal should still be built to

accommodate the anticipated future demands, but the Port Authority should make sure their

numbers are up to date.

We appreciate that the proposed project will help to mitigate the anticipated future bus trip

demand, take buses off city streets, and improve commuter experiences. We echo Community

Board 4’s concerns about adverse impacts to traffic, pedestrian sidewalks and crosswalks, and

subway stairs. We urge the Port Authority to work with DOT and the MTA to implement

mitigations, including interventions already studied as well as any other options for providing

further relief. This effort should include planning for adequate and accessible pedestrian space,

including potentially widening sidewalks, and connections to public transit that can

accommodate the increased bus commuter demand. We encourage the Port Authority and the

MTA to work together to ensure clear connections between the replacement bus terminal and

NYC public transit options, with clear and accessible entrances and wayfinding elements to

direct commuters.

Construction

We appreciate the separation of construction into two phases for the storage and staging facility

to be completed first, to then be used as an interim bus terminal while the new main terminal is

being constructed. We ask for clear plans for the management of bus and pedestrian circulation

during construction to minimize congestion and ensure pedestrian safety, with impacts to the

local area considered in the Transportation Management Plan. We encourage clear

communication during construction between the Port Authority, bus operators, and commuters,

to ensure clarity on bus boarding locations, timings, and any potential delays. We also ask the

Port Authority to mitigate the noise from construction, particularly for surrounding residents, to

keep local stakeholders up to date on construction phasing at regular intervals, and to present

plans for best practices for reducing noise during construction to Community Board 4. We also

echo the board’s concerns regarding traffic impacts during construction when roadways and the

Lincoln Tunnel are fully or partially closed.

We also celebrate the important union jobs that will be created with the construction of this

project and would encourage local hiring or workforce development programs wherever

possible.

We ask the Port Authority to explore any other mitigations that could be done to improve the

area during construction, such as planting street trees on portions of Port Authority property not

impacted by construction and coordinating trash pickup in areas that will be periodically affected

by construction.

Open Space

The Port Authority proposes to deck over two below-grade portions of Dyer Avenue during

construction for bus operations and bus parking. After the replacement bus terminal is complete,

the Port Authority will turn the Dyer Deck-Overs into public open space by 2040. We are very

pleased that this project will result in open space in a neighborhood that currently has few open

space options. We encourage the Port Authority to outline a clear process for deciding who will

operate and maintain the open space. We urge the Port Authority to receive public input on the

design of the open space to ensure the spaces include elements that meet community need,

including replacement space for the Astro’s Community Dog Run.

Financing

We commend the Port Authority not only for listening to feedback and developing the Locally

Preferred Alternative but also for working with the City to arrive at a funding agreement that will

make all of this possible. The City’s and the Authority’s investment will ensure that this terminal

will reap benefits for generations to come.

We know that the Port Authority can address the concerns we’ve outlined above, and we look

forward to working with you on the successful completion of this ambitious project.

Mark Levine Jerrold Nadler

Manhattan Borough President Congressman, District 12

Brad Hoylman-Sigal Tony Simone

Senator, District 47 Assemblymember, District 75

Erik Bottcher

Council Member, District 3