bnr-midtown-bus-terminal
  1. We are WSP
  2. What we do
  3. Projects
  4. Port Authority Midtown Bus Terminal, New York City

Port Authority Midtown Bus Terminal, New York City

WSP leads the environmental review and preliminary engineering for critical regional transportation project.

Location

  • New York, USA

Project Value

  • $10B

Project Status

  • Design, construction of Replacement Facility to be completed by 2032.

Bus Terminal Facts

  • PABT is the world's busiest bus terminal by passenger volumes.

Bus Terminal Facts

  • The Replacement Facility would meet forecasted bus demand through 2040 – 2050.

The Port Authority Midtown Bus Terminal (PABT), opened in 1950, is the busiest bus terminal in the world, handling more than 250,000 passengers and 8,000 buses on a typical day. The facility however faces capacity challenges, cannot accommodate increasingly common modern bus fleets (including double-decker buses, articulated buses or electric buses) and, due to its age and structural condition, would not be able to accommodate forecast future demand for bus services. Modernizing the facility is critical to meeting the future mobility needs of New York City and the surrounding metropolitan areas of New York and New Jersey.

In partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), WSP led a study to explore rebuilding the PABT in its existing location. The preliminary concept was a “top-down” approach for replacement of the terminal. Tasks included investigating passenger demand and terminal operations, developing a concept of operations through construction, performing traffic modeling, examining pedestrian circulation during construction and post-construction and analyzing construction’s impact on traffic.

WSP then led development of the PABT master plan, which involved:

  • Developing future traffic volume models
  • Estimating travel and delay times at the terminal
  • Estimating peak period bus and passenger volumes
  • Conducting pedestrian analysis at stairs, escalators and intersections
  • Performing traffic simulations at key intersections
img-midtown-bus-terminal

To ensure the future of New York's busiest bus terminal, the Port Authority Midtown Bus Terminal is modernizing to meet the future mobility needs of NYC and the surrounding metropolitan areas.

In order to receive potential federal funding and land-use approvals from the City of New York, PANYNJ produced an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The WSP-led EIS analyzed and evaluated the benefits and potential impacts of the project on technical areas including transportation, air quality and noise, historic resources, neighborhood character and construction. With the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) serving as lead agency, an EIS compliant with both federal (NEPA) and New York City regulations was completed, marked by the publication of the Record of Decision by the FTA on December 4, 2024.

WSP is performing preliminary engineering for the entire program to replace the existing terminal. This includes design of a new ramp system connecting the facility to the Lincoln Tunnel, a storage and staging facility for buses serving the terminal and a new Main Terminal with increased capacity to meet future bus demand, an improved customer experience, and modern sustainability, accessibility, and operational improvements. Preliminary design work includes the analysis of existing surface features, topography, utility information, underground building structures, tunnels and subways.

With completion of the EIS the project is expected to start construction in 2025, with a new bus terminal complete and operational by 2032.

Other challenges that we have overcome