GWB Bus Station to Get 'Major Overhaul'

Commuters who cross the George Washington Bridge by bus to get to Manhattan will one day be arriving at what the Port Authority calls “a state-of-the-art-transportation facility,” complete with about four times the current retail space.

The Port Authority announced last week a development in plans for what it calls a “major overhaul” of the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, which opened in 1963, on the New York side of the bridge. The Port Authority Board approved a $3.2 million increase for the more than $180 million project, which it says will cover an increase in the amount of work necessary to complete the facility and create 746 jobs.

The Port Authority is working with developer George Washington Bridge Development Venture LLC, in what it calls “a public/private joint venture” to renovate and expand the 47-year-old facility. The developer is investing $100 to expand retail space at the bus station from 30,000 to 120,000 square feet and has already finalized leases with major national retailers, officials said. The Port Authority’s total investment will be $83.2 million.

The current station consists of two three-level facing structures on the east and west sides of Broadway over the Trans-Manhattan Expressway. The new facility will include a brand new bus station with 21 gates, “a modern waiting area for passengers and better integrated transfers to the MTA’s subway system,” according to Port Authority officials.

But Bergen and Passaic County bus riders shouldn’t get too excited just yet. The project isn’t scheduled to be completed until the end of 2013.