The head juror for the Port Authority Bus Terminal design competition thinks the agency should consider rebuilding the bus station on top of its current location.
Martin Wachs suggested that agency officials should keep the option on the table, the Commercial Observer reported. The agency revealed five possible design options for the new terminal last month, many of which called for relocating the terminal to agency-owned land between West 38th and West 40th streets — just west of the current terminal. The cost estimates for the design proposals range from $3 billion to north of $15 billion. One design by AECOM [TRDataCustom], with an estimated cost of $15.3 billion, suggested building the new entirely subterranean terminal underneath the current terminal.
Wachs noted that the terminal would need to remain open as they built new top floors above the current facility.
“That’s very complex,” Wachs said. “Yet, when looking at the complexity of the other choices, it seems at least worthy of consideration.”
Port Authority Chairman John Degnan said that all options are being considered. However, the terminal, without question, will be built on Manhattan’s West Side, he said. [CO] — Kathryn Brenzel