Coordinates: 40°45′25″N 73°59′25″W / 40.756961°N 73.990275°W
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City. It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The bus terminal is a large building located in Midtown, one block west from Times Square, between 8th and 9th Avenues and 40th and 42nd Street at 625 8th Avenue. It serves as a terminus and departure point for both commuter bus routes as well as for long-distance intercity routes. During Rush hour, the terminal's two-mile (3 km) bus lane brings buses from New Jersey directly into the building through the Lincoln Tunnel, avoiding traffic tie-ups and delays on city streets (but not necessarily on the ramps into the terminal). Direct underground passageways connect the terminal with the A C E, 1 2 3, N Q R W, 7 <7>, and S New York City Subway lines.
The terminal is the biggest bus station in the United States and the busiest in the world by volume of traffic.[1] It serves 7,200 buses and about 200,000 people on an average weekday.
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History
The Port Authority Bus Terminal began operation on December 15, 1950 for passengers, originally occupying only the block between 40th and 41st Streets. The terminal was intended as a solution for an array of various terminals spread throughout Midtown Manhattan. The goal was to centralize the flow of buses and create a user-friendly building.
The building has seen expansions and revitalizations over the years, most notably the addition of the North Wing in 1979.[2] While this expansion increased capacity by 50%, the accompanying renovation replaced the art deco styling of the original terminal with a "modern" steel-and-glass look of the sort fashionable during the late 1970s and early 1980s for institutional buildings.
The area around the Port Authority Terminal was once considered dangerous even by the standards of pre-gentrified Times Square, especially after dark, but this is no longer the case. During 1997, the terminal was the subject of a study, co-ordinated by Prof. Marcus Felson of Rutgers University, which identified strategic changes to the design with a view to reducing crime. This is one of the world's leading examples of successful situational crime prevention efforts.
A statue of Jackie Gleason in the guise of one of his most famous characters (and New York's most famous bus driver), Ralph Kramden, stands in front of the main entrance to the original South Wing on Eighth Avenue. The plaque on the base of the statue reads, "Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden - Bus Driver - Raccoon Lodge Treasurer - Dreamer - Presented by the People of TV Land."
An overbuild of the Port Authority Bus Terminal was first proposed in 1999. A 35-story building known as 7 Times Square was to be constructed over the north wing and a driving range was to be constructed over the south wing.[3] However, the project was put on hold due to a decline in the economy following the dot com bust.[4] On November 30, 2007, the Port Authority announced that a joint venture of the real estate investment trust Vornado and the Ruben Companies would lease the air rights over the terminal's north wing and construct a 40-story office tower with 1,300,000 square feet (121,000 m2) of commercial space.[5] The agreement also included the addition of 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of new retail space in the bus terminal, as well as 18 additional gates, which would accommodate 70 additional buses, carrying up to 3,000 passengers per hour. New escalators would be installed to help move passengers more quickly between the gate area and the ground floor. Construction was expected to begin in 2009 or 2010 and take four years to complete.[6]
On November 14, 2008, Reuters reported that Virtualtourist listed the PABT as one of the "World's Top 10 Ugliest Buildings and Monuments."[7]
Bus companies
As of 2007, the following bus companies serve the terminal, many via the Lincoln Tunnel:[8]
- Academy Bus
- Adirondack Trailways
- Bonanza Bus Lines
- Capitol Trailways
- Bieber Tourways
- Community Lines (vans)
- DeCamp Bus Lines
- Greyhound Lines
- Lakeland Bus Lines
- Martz Group
- NJ Transit
- New York Airport Service: JFK and LaGuardia Airports (on 42 Street)
- Peter Pan Bus Lines
- Pine Hill-Kingston Bus Corporation
- Spanish Bus Transportation Corporation
- Susquehanna Trailways
- Trans-Bridge Lines
- Coach USA subsidiaries
- Community Coach
- Olympia Trails: Newark Airport (on 41 Street)
- Red & Tan in Hudson County
- Rockland Coaches
- Short Line Bus
- Suburban Trails
See also
References
- ^ Port Authority Press Release November 30, 2007
- ^ Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City (2nd ed.). Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. 2009. pp. 79-80.
- ^ Bagli, Charles V. (1999-10-01). "Tower to Rise Above Port Authority Terminal". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/01/nyregion/tower-to-rise-above-port-authority-terminal.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Bagli, Charles V. (2007-04-25). "Port Authority Is Reviving Plans for Bus Station Tower". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/nyregion/25terminal.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Bagli, Charles V. (2007-11-30). "Tower Planned Atop Port Authority Bus Terminal in New Wave of Development". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/nyregion/30tower.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (2008-07-25). "Designs Unveiled for Tower Above Port Authority Bus Terminal". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/nyregion/25terminal.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ "Travel Picks: 10 top ugly buildings and monument". Reuters. 2008-11-14. http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE4AD2V720081114. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ^ Port Authority of NY & NJ: Bus Routes and Carriers
External links
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