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Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
Published Oct 13, 2026
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Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
Published Oct 13, 2026
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A decade of disruptions for commuters who use the Port Authority’s Midtown Bus Terminal is set to begin on Thursday.
The bistate agency plans to kick off the next phase of major construction on its $11 billion rebuild of the dilapidated, 75-year-old facility used by 200,000 daily bus riders.
Crews will begin removing the existing ramps that run out of the Lincoln Tunnel from street level up into the existing terminal. Buses entering Midtown from New Jersey will be redirected to loop around onto West 39th Street over to 10th Avenue to access another ramp to access the terminal’s gates.
The Port Authority warns bus riders should expect delays and backlogs during weekday rush hours for the foreseeable future. Car traffic along West 39th Street will also be limited to drivers who live or work in the area.
The changes are just the start of the disruptions that are scheduled to last at least another nine years.
Buses entering Midtown from the Lincoln Tunnel will be rerouted along West 39th Street starting Thursday.
Courtesy Port Authority
The bus terminal’s rebuild comes in two major phases. First, the Port Authority will rebuild new ramps and erect a temporary bus facility, where it aims to relocate its operations by the end of 2030. The agency will also build a storage facility and new ramp structure. In the second phase, the Port Authority will construct a shiny new terminal building with the goal of opening it to riders in 2035.
The new facility will allow for expanded bus capacity, “modern” amenities for commuters like new retail and dining options, new connected roadway infrastructure to improve congestion in the neighborhood and easier connections to the underground subway station.
Commuters at the bus terminal Tuesday said they were both excited for the renovations while still anxious about the disruptions from construction.
“I think this terminal needs a desperate renovation,” said commuter Williams Barnes, 57, who described the existing facility as rundown with poor bathrooms. “I’m kind of bummed that I’ll probably be retired when it’s done.”
Joseph Guevara, a tile and marble installer who typically starts work in Manhattan at 6 a.m., anticipated the changes would upend his daily life.
“I’m actually upset because I’m from Jersey and I travel to New York every day,” said Guevara, 32. “So I’m going to be late and I don’t even know if I have a job now.”
Tagged
new jersey
new york city
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Carol Chen
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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