Foster + Partners, Epstein Announced as Architectural Advisors for Port Authority’s Midtown Bus Terminal in Times Square, Manhattan

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has selected Foster + Partners and Epstein to help reimagine Manhattan’s 72-year-old Midtown Bus Terminal in Times Square. The replacement project will create a new terminal for New York City buses, dedicated spaces for intercity buses, staging areas, electric vehicle charging stations, outward-facing retail, and 3.5 acres of public green space.

The existing main bus terminal will be demolished and replaced with a new facility to better serve more than 260,000 daily passengers. Based on pre-pandemic ridership trends, demand through 2040 is expected to increase by 30 percent with estimates of up to 337,000 daily weekday passenger trips.

New renderings of the project also offer a glimpse of four mixed-use towers that could rise above Times Square, as well as a detailed site plan for facilities beyond the main terminal.

“In addition to substantive new redevelopment and transportation projects such as the rebuilding of our airports and the World Trade Center campus, the proposal to build a new Midtown Bus Terminal continues our agency’s essential role of delivering major transportation projects that can transform entire neighborhoods for the better and revitalize the regional economy,” said Port Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole.

The new Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The new Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Site plan and elevation diagram for the new Midtown Bus Terminal and proposed mixed-use towers – Courtesy of Foster + Partners

Site plan for the new Midtown Bus Terminal – Courtesy of Foster + Partners

Throughout the design phase and environmental review process, Foster + Partners and Epstein will provide advisory services on urban design, streetscape and community impact, construction materials, building efficiency, and interior design. The joint team will also provide critical support during the ongoing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, a requirement that helps predict the environmental impact of major federal project.

“Already the world’s busiest bus terminal, the project also has the potential to become the most desirable destination in Midtown,” said Juan Vieira-Pardo, a partner of Foster + Partners. “We believe that together with the Port Authority, Epstein, representatives of the surrounding community, stakeholders and passengers, we can help deliver an innovative, state-of-the-art, net-zero transportation facility that is fit for the 21st century.”

In 2019, the Port Authority unveiled its plans to replace the Midtown Bus Terminal in a draft scoping document that analyzed how the agency could improve one of the largest bus terminals and transportation districts in the country. This latest proposal was updated to reflect feedback from local community groups, elected officials, bus riders, and urban planners.

“As we make crucial upgrades to the roads, bridges, and tunnels within our most pivotal transportation corridors, we must ensure that we improve not just the functionality and efficiency of our infrastructure, but the experiences of our commuters,” said New Jersey governor Phil Murphy. “The Port Authority’s announcement of an architect advisory team to guide the replacement of the Midtown Bus Terminal comes in response to New Jerseyans and New Yorkers who are rightfully demanding better.”

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