The Port Authority’s plans to redevelop its bus terminal on 42nd Street and 8th Avenue will do more than add office space to the area. The redesign includes 18 new bus gates and upgraded existing gates allowing for an additional 70 buses, carrying about 3,000 passengers, to travel through during peak commuting hours (the terminal currently has 223 gates). This is an increase in peak-hour bus capacity of 18% — a significant boost. The redevelopment also includes better pedestrian circulation with new escalators from gates to the ground floor.

Commuters traveling across the Hudson River would greatly benefit from this increased capacity, as the bus and train networks which cross the Hudson have become increasingly congested. As MTR previously reported, the PA is also studying the addition of a high occupancy toll (HOT) lane in the Lincoln Tunnel as a way to alleviate congestion in the popular Exclusive Bus Lane. However, the HOT lane and increased bus service is contingent on capacity expansions at the terminal or elsewhere.

According to the Port Authority, the terminal is the world’s busiest bus hub, boasting an estimated 57 million passenger trips on more than 2.1 million bus movements in 2007. Approximately 200,000 passenger trips occur on an average weekday.