Bus Terminal Passage To Be Reopened

The West 41st Street passage that bisects the Port Authority Bus Terminal will reopen to traffic again starting tomorrow, marking the end of roughly $100 million in security measures, including stronger exterior columns and a reinforced parking structure. The street, which runs at grade but is covered by part of the station, has been closed since Sept. 11, 2002.

The Port Authority, in announcing the move in a press release today, said that restoring the street between Eighth and Ninth avenues would “alleviate some traffic congestion in the surrounding area by providing another westbound artery for motorists.”

Here's the full release:

Port authority to reopen West 41ST between 8TH and 9TH avenues

Street Runs Under Busand Pedestrian Overpasses at the PA Bus Terminal;

Closure was a Post 9/11 Security Precaution;

Approximately $100Million Invested in New Security Enhancements

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will reopen West 41st Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues to vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Wednesday, September 19. West 41st Street, which runs westbound beneath bus and pedestrians overpasses at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, has been closed since 9/11 as a security precaution.

"Above all else, our first priority is to ensure safety at our facilities. After careful review of the substantial investments in projects designed to harden specific structural components of the bus terminal since 9/11 and following consultation with NYPD, we have concluded it's appropriate to reopen West 41st street," said Port Authority Deputy Executive Director for Operations Ernesto Butcher. "We have had consistent conversations with area community groups that favored the reopening and this should be welcome news for residents of this neighborhood."

Among the security projects undertaken at the bus terminal by the Port Authority are: strengthening of exterior vertical columns, reinforcement of parking level support structure and reinforcing the exterior glass around the terminal. A complete retrofitting of the terminal to protect against a seismic event and installation of perimeter bollards are currently under way. These security projects represent roughly $100 million in new investments at the terminal. Since 9/11, the Port Authority has spent more than $200 million to protect the bus terminal.

The reopening of West 41st Street should alleviate some traffic congestion in the surrounding area by providing another westbound artery for motorists and allowing motorists to proceed west without utilizing often congested West 42nd Street.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; the Port Authority-Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.