New facility will replace “nightmare” Midtown station with more passenger-friendly hub
Foster & Partners’ proposals to replace New York City’s outdated and unpopular Midtown Bus Terminal with a new US$10bn (£7.9bn) facility have taken a step forward with the release of a draft environmental-impact statement for the project.
The practice’s designs would see the existing terminal – described as the world’s busiest – demolished and replaced with a 195,000sq m main building that is more commuter friendly, along with other infrastructure improvements. The scheme is expected to be delivered in three phases for completion in 2032.
As part of the project, a section of 41st Street would be permanently closed to traffic to create an atrium for the new structure. Other work will see the delivery of around 1.4ha of new green space through the decking-over of the Dyer Avenue Cut and new ramps for buses leading directly into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel.
Fosters’ appointment to the project was announced in 2022, when the practice unveiled a masterplan drawn up for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that also included four new towers on the 800m-long site.
The current terminal buildings are the result of extensions and alterations over the decades. They are described as a “commuters’ nightmare” by Port Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole.
New York governor Kathy Hochul said Fosters had come up with a “bold vision” to deliver a world-class transport hub for the millions of people who rely on the Midtown Bus Terminal.
“We are advancing the revised project plan, which will create a more spacious and welcoming environment for passengers throughout the terminal,” she said.
According to the Port Authority, the terminal serves approximately 98,000 passengers on weekdays, down from an estimated 125,000 departing passengers every day before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fosters is working with US-design firm Epstein on the project.
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