New Jersey, New York Officials Fight Over Replacing Port Authority Bus Terminal

MIDTOWN, NY — Officials on opposite sides of the Hudson River are far apart in negotiations to move forward on plans to replace the aging Port Authority Bus Terminal, with both sides shooting back at each other in letters sent this week.

New York officials are concerned that the construction project to build a new bus terminal may require eminent domain — a process whereby the government acquires private property to use for government purposes — and they say it would have a negative impact on their constituents in Manhattan. The letter sent by New York officials requested that Port Authority Board Chairman John Degnan recuse himself from determining the site, design or features of the new terminal.

"It has become apparent to us that Port Authority Board Chairman Degnan has not been negotiating in good faith," said the letter, signed by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assemblyperson Linda B. Rosentha; and city Councilmember Corey Johnson. "We are disturbed by reports from New York appointees on the Port Authority Board of Commissioners that despite our positive and constructive conversations over the past few months that the Chairman appears to be continuing to pursue a replacement bus terminal that uses eminent domain, for a facility in Manhattan which serves customers primarily from New Jersey, without regard to cost and impact on our constituents in the surrounding Hell’s Kitchen community."

Furthermore, the letter accused Degnan of failing to properly estimate the cost of the new terminal, slamming him for suggesting in 2014 that it would cost $2 billion before changing that number to $10-15 billion earlier this year.

A debate also heated up over whether the new terminal should be in New York or New Jersey, with many in New York accusing the Garden State of placing financial and construction burdens on New York. The representatives in New York said that Degnan is using his own "political needs" to favor the terminal's location.

Officials across the river, clearly angered by the letter, responded with their own letter only a day later. New Jersey's representatives scoffed at the allegations in their response, saying that Degnan was in no way acting in a manner that was "political or personal."

"Plans for a New Port Authority Bus Terminal are part of the rededication to the Port Authority's core transportation mission that was the chief recommendation of the bi-state Special Panel on the Future of the Port Authority appointed by Governors Christie and Cuomo in 2014," the letter read.

New Jersey officials continued, presenting what they believed was proof that the process was a joint one and not representative of the letter sent by New York officials.

"In fact, the language proposed by New Jersey staffers for a joint statement from the Nadler-Weinberg working group urged that the new bus terminal 'should entirely or to the greatest extent possible avoid the use of eminent domain or the acquisition of private property in order to preserve the integry [sic] and character of the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood,'" the letter read.

Officials in New Jersey strongly rebuked accusations over construction delays, arguing in their response that it was primarily New York officials who called for an international design competition and a new trans-Hudson capacity study.

Hoylman did not immediately respond to our request for a comment regarding the letter sent by officials in New Jersey.

Lead photo via Hudconja/Creative Commons