Last Thursday, united officials from New York and New Jersey and the Port Authority joined together to shovel some dirt in a vacant lot on W. 38th St. It was the symbolic start of construction of the new Port Authority Bus Terminal, the world’s biggest bus depot, and to most of us, one of the world’s yukkiest places.
When the PA first proposed their plan many years ago, it was panned by us and others as too big and all wrong and unnecessarily using eminent domain to condemn private property in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. And this for a facility largely used by out-of-town commuters. “No thanks” we said and many agreed with the sentiment.
But instead of trying to shove it through, the Port threw away their drawings and started from scratch, this time with the community and local leaders. The result was something everyone could be happy with and it didn’t seize any private property, a major improvement.
Double decker buses, now too tall to enter the PABT, will be able to get inside for the first time and all the buses idling on the streets will be ended as the new terminal will be able to accommodate 1,000 buses an hour, an increase of 400 over the current capacity.
The open cuts on the approaches to the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway and Dyer Ave. will be decked over, creating 3.5 acres of new public green space in place in the current polluting eyesores that divide the area.
The local members from Congress, the state Legislature and the City Council said yes, as did Community Board 4. The change in land use was ratified with a unanimous 45-0 Council vote.
Compare this to what Amtrak has been pushing to fix their lousy Penn Station by needlessly expanding the station to the south by using eminent domain to seize Block 780, which is opposed by everyone from Gov. Hochul on down.
Like the PA did, Amtrak should listen to its critics and use through running instead and avoid taking any property.
