The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced the commencement of steel beam placement for the Dyer Avenue deck-overs, marking a significant construction milestone in the Midtown Bus Terminal Replacement project.
The deck-overs will initially serve as a bus staging and operations area during terminal construction before being converted into 3.5 acres of publicly accessible open green space upon completion of the new facility.
The deck-over structure will be supported by 139 steel girders, each weighing between 60,000 and 80,000 pounds and measuring up to 81 feet in length, spanning below-grade portions of Dyer Avenue and the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway between West 37th and West 39th streets.
The steel has been fabricated at facilities in Olean, New York, South Carolina and Delaware, painted in Millville, New Jersey, and is being transported into Manhattan via the George Washington Bridge for installation.
Pre-cast concrete decking will be placed on top of the steel girders once positioned.
To facilitate overnight deliveries and installation, the Port Authority has implemented overnight closures of the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway between 11pm and 5am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, continuing through August, with New Jersey-bound traffic diverted to 10th and 11th Avenues.
The Dyer Avenue deck-overs form part of Phase 1 of the broader terminal replacement project, which also includes construction of a staging and storage facility and new ramp structures connecting to and from the Lincoln Tunnel.
Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in 2030, at which point Phase 2 will commence, encompassing demolition of the existing terminal and construction of its replacement in the same location, with completion targeted for 2035.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia described the steel placement as the creation of new real estate in the heart of Manhattan, delivering a long-promised community amenity.
Chairman Kevin O’Toole framed the milestone as tangible evidence that the new terminal, after decades of planning, is now firmly underway.
