Sweeney Praises Weinberg For Successful Battle to Fund Port Authority Bus Terminal Expansion

Sweeney lauds O’Toole-Cotton Port Authority leadership for expediting project to provide needed capacity for 30,000 more NJ commuters

NEW YORK CITY – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg today praised the release of the new Port Authority Bus Terminal “scoping document” as a vital step in upgrading and expanding the facility to accommodate an additional 30,000 New Jersey commuters.

“While no decision has been made on a final plan, today’s announcement puts us on track to add two  new floors to the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is the ‘build-in-place’ option preferred by both New York and New Jersey leaders,” said Senator Weinberg (D-Bergen). “With new rail capacity from the Gateway tunnel at least 15 years away, expansion of the bus terminal is critical to expanding trans-Hudson capacity and ensuring that New Jersey commuters share in Manhattan’s projected job growth.”

“Today’s announcement is a tribute to the vision, leadership and perseverance of Senator Weinberg,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “Three years ago, expansion of the Port Authority Bus Terminal wasn’t even in the 10-year Capital Plan; it was a project that would have been done in the 2030s, if then. If it were up to me, I would name the new bus terminal after her.”

Speaking at today’s Port Authority Board meeting, Senators Sweeney and Weinberg praised the bi-state leadership team of Port Authority Board Chair Kevin O’Toole and Executive Director Rick Cotton for working cooperatively to make the Port Authority Bus Terminal project a reality, building on the early work and advocacy of former Chair John Degnan.

“We have a tremendous leadership team in place at the Port Authority with Kevin O’Toole and Rick Cotton,” Senator Sweeney said. “From planning for the new Port Authority Bus Terminal, the new Terminal A at Newark Airport and expansion of PATH capacity and to their support for a $15 minimum wage, they have teamed up to provide smooth, thoughtful leadership for the most important bi-state agency in the nation.”

Senator Weinberg noted that the build-in-place option has the full support of the Port Authority Bus Terminal Bi-State Elected Officials Working Group that she has co-chaired with Congressman Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and that includes Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) and Senate Transportation Committee Chair Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex).

“New Jersey legislators, our representatives in Washington and local officials have been united on a bipartisan basis in our support for this project,” Senator Weinberg said. “Today’s announcement is an important step in realizing our joint vision.”

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