Things are about to get a whole lot worse for the thousands of New Yorkers who rely on the bus to get to work. Beginning Thursday, October 15, a major construction initiative by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey compels buses leaving the Lincoln Tunnel to follow a perplexing new route. If you thought your morning commute was bad before, you better start waking up earlier, because the agency warns these changes could cause delays for years.
This isn’t a quick fix or a weekend project. The bi-state agency has announced a shakeup designed to advance the first phase of a roughly $11 billion project to rebuild the dilapidated Midtown Bus Terminal, according to amNewYork. They say the old facility is too outdated and dingy to keep running as is, so they are tearing it apart to build a fancy new multi-story atrium. But that shiny future doesn’t help the folks trying to get to their jobs right now.
The New Route Nightmare
Here is the reality for the next several years. Vehicles normally departing the Lincoln Tunnel through Dyer Avenue and utilizing the ramp where Dyer Avenue meets West 40th Street are now diverted. Instead of heading straight up, those buses will now travel only a portion of the ramp before getting diverted onto a slip ramp that dumps them onto West 39th Street. From that point, drivers must travel westward to access the ramp system again at the northeast corner.
The Port Authority admits this is going to be a mess. They specifically warned that these route changes could lead to significant delays, especially during the weekday rush hour when the streets are already clogged. They are telling commuters to budget extra time for these potential lags and to check with their specific bus carriers for the most up-to-date information. It is a blunt admission that the pain is just beginning.
A Decade of Construction Ahead
The timeline is brutal for anyone living in Manhattan or crossing into the city. The broader project broke ground last year and is not expected to be completed until 2035. That means New Yorkers are looking at nearly a decade of construction chaos, detours, and gridlock while the new terminal takes shape. The completed project will include a blocked section of 41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues along with a central entry point, yet reaching it involves enduring a lengthy, unpleasant trek.
We need better infrastructure, but we also need to be honest about the cost. Spending $11 billion is a huge price tag, and it is going to come with years of inconvenience for the people who actually use the buses. The Port Authority says these changes are necessary to move forward, but for the daily rider, it just feels like another day of New York City failing to manage its own growth.
The changes kick in immediately on Thursday, October 15.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
