Wiz at PANYNJ.jpeg

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex before he testified at Thursday's Port Authority board meeting. Wisniewski told the board that replacing the agency's Manhattan bus terminal was good for the regional economy and is not just a New Jersey issue. (Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Supporters of building a new Port Authority bus terminal in the next 10 years did not get the full funding they'd hoped for in the agency's revised capital plan, which was unanimously introduced Thursday's at board meeting.



The revised $29.5 billion, 10-year-plan would allocate $3.5 billion toward replacement of the midtown Manhattan bus terminal, which critics said is not enough money to build it. The board voted unanimously to introduce he capital plan and hold hearings.

The plan retains $1.7 billion to extend the PATH to Newark Airport and about $1.5 billion to build a rail link between LaGuardia Airport and the No. 7 subway line. Funding for various New York airport improvements supported by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the plan.



Several New Jersey lawmakers and transit advocates appealed to the board to fully fund bus terminal design and construction in this revised plan. Preliminary estimates put the cost between $8 billion and $10 billion.



"It will be harder to find the money later," said Janna Chernetz, Tri-State Transportation Campaign's New Jersey Policy Director. "Put priority on funding the bus terminal up front. It is more deserving than any other project in the region."



State Senator Loretta Weinberg warned that delaying bus terminal construction could have severe consequences if one of the 107-year-old Hudson River rail tunnels has to be closed to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy. The Gateway Tunnel Project, which has $2.7 billion allocation in the plan, is still in the study and engineering phase.



"It can be finished over the next decade, unlike the Gateway Tunnel, which won't add capacity until 2030," she said. "That's why it's vital the capital plan contains sufficient funding to build a new bus terminal."

But Port Authority chairman John Degnan said the $3.5 billion should get the bus terminal replacement to a "shovels in the ground" stage at the end of the 10-year plan.



"We want a dedication ceremony (in 10 years)," State Senator Robert Gordon, D-Bergen, said afterward.



New York Commissioner Kenneth Lipper led an unsuccessful effort to amend the plan and delete the PATH extension and AirTrain to LaGuardia, citing concerns that capital and operating deficits could leave the agency in financial difficulty.



Lipper voiced concern that the combined capital and added operating costs for those rail lines could prompt the agency to raise tolls again, which he said would be unfair to the agency's regular commuters. Last month, commissioners balked on introducing the plan after Lipper raised similar questions.



Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said no toll increase is being considered and federal grants and other Port Authority revenues will fund the plan.



PATH PTC work to curtail service

The plan will be the topic of a long on-line public comment period, until Feb. 15. Two public hearings are scheduled, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 31 at 4 World Trade Center and on Feb. 7 at the Port Authority facility at 2 Montgomery Street in Jersey City, near the Exchange Place PATH and light rail stations.

A final vote on the plan would take place at the Feb. 16. board meeting.

Meanwhile, the joint legislative oversight committee will hold a hearing about the revised capital plan on Jan. 17, where officials will quiz senior Port Authority managers, Gordon said.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

