Port Authority races to secure funds for Midtown bus terminal before Trump takes office
Port Authority officials said on Tuesday they were racing to land a federal loan that's key to the reconstruction of the Midtown bus terminal, and were hoping the money will be secured before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
Officials said they've already applied for the loan — valued at $1 billion — and that it is crucial to pay for the project, which aims to replace the agency's shabby travel hub on Manhattan's West Side with a sleek new facility . But they feared the incoming administration would nix the funding, similar to the way federal officials stalled other New York infrastructure projects during Trump's first term in office.
"We are optimistic that we should be able to close on the loan in a timely manner," Hersh Parekh, deputy chief of intergovernmental affairs for the Port Authority, said at a New York City Council zoning committee meeting on Tuesday. "If the loan does not pan out in the way that is needed for this project, we will have to take a look at the funding plan and take a look at the project and likely make some very hard decisions about it."
The loan, alongside $3 billion approved in the Port Authority's current 10-year construction plan, would jumpstart the first phase of the new bus terminal. Officials said they expect work to begin as early as next year.
It was not clear how the bus terminal plan would change should the loan not come through. But the Port Authority is far from the only public agency in New York that's rushing to secure federal funding before Trump takes office.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA have faced similar questions about the future of congestion pricing and whether the governor can reverse her "pause" on the Manhattan tolling program before Inauguration Day. Trump previously promised on social media to "TERMINATE" the program, which requires federal approval, during his first week in office.
During Trump's first term, officials in New York and New Jersey also faced years of delays in receiving federal funds for the Gateway program, which centers on the construction of a new Hudson River rail tunnel that's now underway due to grants issued under President Joe Biden.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, who has supported the Port Authority's push to fund the new bus terminal, said he planned to use his Garden State moxie to ensure the loan comes through.
"We're going to fight Jersey-style to make sure these projects get built and continue to move ahead," he said. "When anyone looks at this [and] studies how critically important a new bus terminal is, they'll realize that 20% of America's GDP [gross domestic product] runs through this region. It's critical to our economy and the United States. So any president should look at this, and it should be a no-brainer to move forward on."
The Midtown bus terminal replacement is slated to cost $10 billion , with the new facility estimated to open to the public by the end of 2032.
Port Authority officials say a new terminal is necessary because the existing 73-year-old building is rapidly falling into disrepair.
City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents Hell's Kitchen, where the bus terminal sits, has called the facility "gritty, dingy" and "maze-like."
"If the happiest place on Earth is Disneyland, then arguably one of the least happiest places has got to be the Port Authority Bus Terminal," Bottcher said.
The Port Authority officials say the project will turn the terminal into a "world-class" facility, including high ceilings, a more modern look, dining options and more retail stores. They say the new terminal will meet growing demands, and estimate it would handle up to 1,000 buses an hour by 2040, up from its current capacity of about 600 buses per hour.
