Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senator Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, and NYC Councilmember Corey Johnson continue to demand greater transparency, comprehensive planning and coordination, as well as public input as part of the Port Authority’s 2015 Midtown Bus Master Plan.
New York, NY -- Today, elected officials representing the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan issued the following statement in response to comments by Port Authority Board Members regarding the agency’s Bus Terminal (PABT) Design + Deliverability Competition that is part of its 2015 Midtown Bus Master Plan:
“Port Authority Chairman Degnan has described the current Port Authority Bus Terminal design competition as an early conceptual step in a larger process. We continue to believe that it is far too early for a design competition to be held. No one is suggesting that the current Bus Terminal should stay as is, or that a replacement Terminal should not be built at least in part in Manhattan. However, many foundational questions remain unanswered about what will be involved in rebuilding the Terminal—both in the interim accommodations and final results.
“The right thing for the Port Authority to do is to terminate the current design competition and begin a new process that fully examines the range of options for a new Bus Terminal and includes local stakeholders— a point that even Chairman Degnan has acknowledged is missing in the Port Authority’s approach.
“Thousands of commuters and travelers depend on bus transit service to get to and from Manhattan. They sorely need a new, improved Bus Terminal. But this critical facility is also an important part of the Hell’s Kitchen community and New York City’s infrastructure. The Terminal, and the Port Authority that will operate it, must be a good neighbor and partner. A project which is premised on a set of fundamental policy decisions made without answers to many outstanding legal and logistical questions, with no real input from local stakeholders, and that wasn’t considered alongside all alternatives, cannot move ahead. This is the wrong way for the Port Authority to make major public planning decisions.
“We look forward to continued dialogue with the Port Authority on creating a robust public process that can address these questions and the needs of all of the stakeholders before any designs for a new Terminal are evaluated.”