New York Construction Report staff writer
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has begun installing the first steel beams for the Dyer Avenue deck-overs, marking a major milestone in the agency’s Midtown Bus Terminal Replacement project and advancing one of the largest transit infrastructure redevelopments in New York City.
The work involves the placement of steel girders that will support a temporary operations platform during construction of a new bus terminal, which will later be converted into 3.5 acres of publicly accessible green space.
“After decades of fits and starts over plans for a new bus terminal, we finally get to see the placement of the first steel girders,” said Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia. “We are literally creating new real estate in the middle of Manhattan and a great community amenity for the city’s future.”
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said the milestone demonstrates progress on a long-anticipated project aimed at improving both commuter operations and community conditions around the aging terminal.
The Dyer Avenue deck-overs consist of two structures built above below-grade portions of Dyer Avenue and the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway between West 37th and West 39th Streets. During construction, the decks will serve as a bus staging and operations area before being transformed into permanent public open space following completion of the new terminal.
According to the agency, the structure will be supported by 139 steel girders weighing between 60,000 and 80,000 pounds each and measuring up to 81 feet in length. The steel components are fabricated at facilities in New York, South Carolina, and Delaware, then painted in New Jersey before being transported into Manhattan via the George Washington Bridge and delivered through Broadway and Ninth Avenue.
To accommodate installation and deliveries, overnight closures of the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway have been implemented, with New Jersey-bound traffic diverted to 10th and 11th Avenues between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on select nights through August.
The deck-overs are part of Phase 1 of the broader Midtown Bus Terminal replacement, which also includes a new staging and storage facility and a modernized ramp structure connecting directly to the Lincoln Tunnel. Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in 2030, with demolition of the existing terminal and construction of a new facility to follow in Phase 2, targeted for completion in 2035.
The future seven-storey staging and storage facility, located between Ninth and 10th Avenues, will temporarily handle passenger operations during construction and later serve as a long-term bus storage hub with capacity for up to 350 buses. It will also include electric charging infrastructure for layover charging.
A new ramp structure between 10th and 11th Avenues is designed to improve traffic flow and operational efficiency by allowing buses to move between floors and gates without entering city streets, reducing congestion and idling in the surrounding area. Both the ramp and staging facility will also incorporate street-level retail space once the new terminal is complete.
The Port Authority said the project is intended to modernize one of the busiest bus terminals in the world while improving commuter reliability and delivering long-promised public amenities to the surrounding community.
