George Washington Bridge Bus Station

See also: George Washington Bridge Plaza, across the bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey

George Washington Bridge Bus Station
view of the station from the northwest (2013)
Location	between Ft. Washington & Wadsworth Aves, and W. 178th & 179th Sts. Manhattan, New York City United States
Owned by	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Operated by	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Platforms	Lower Level ( closed ) Upper Level Gates A through E.
Connections	New York City Subway: 175th Street ( trains) 181st Street ( trains)
Construction
Architect	Pier Luigi Nervi
Other information
Website	GWBBS
History
Opened	January 17, 1963
Traffic
Passengers (2012)	4.7 million

George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter bus terminal located at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan in New York City, New York. The bus station is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. On a typical weekday, approximately 17,000 passengers on about 950 buses use the station.

Major renovations, including an expansion of retail space from 30,000 to 120,000 square feet (2,800 to 11,100 m²), have been in progress with an expected cost of more than US$180 million. The work started in late 2013 and is expected to be completed in the late spring of 2016.

Architecture

The station is built over the Trans-Manhattan Expressway (Interstate 95) between 178th and 179th Streets and Fort Washington and Wadsworth Avenues, and features direct bus ramps on and off the upper level of the bridge.

The building was designed by noted Italian engineer Pier Luigi Nervi and is one of only a few buildings he designed outside of Italy. It opened January 13, 1963 as a replacement for a series of sidewalk bus loading areas that existed between 166th and 167th streets further south. The building is constructed of huge steel-reinforced concrete trusses, fourteen of which are cantilevered from supports in the median of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, which it straddles. The building contains murals as well as busts of George Washington and Othmar Amman, the civil engineer who designed the bridge. The building received the 1963 Concrete Industry Board’s Award.

The first floor of the bus terminal has space for shops (all currently vacant as of December 2013) and a passenger waiting area.

Renovation

A renovation project is currently underway in the terminal. The project is expected to cost US$183 million. The project is a partnership between the Port Authority and a private company known as GWBBS Development Venture, LLC. Tutor Perini received a $100 million construction contract in August 2013. Construction, which was repeatedly delayed, began at the end of 2013; the project is scheduled to be completed in the late summer of 2016.

The renovated building will be improved with better access to local subway stops, displays of bus departure and arrival times, and central air conditioning. It will increase retail space from 30,000 to 120,000 square feet (2,800 to 11,100 m²) with large tenants like Marshalls, Key Food, and Blink Fitness. It will be fully ADA compliant for accessibility to those with disabilities.

Accessibility

Some portions of the terminal are wheelchair accessible, but many of the bus platforms are not. In addition, the New York City Bus' M4 route provides wheelchair accessible service to Fort Tryon Park bus accessing the bus stop one block south of the station, continuing inside the park to the Cloisters Museum when open.

New York City Subway

The complex is served by the 175th Street station of the New York City Subway, located on Fort Washington Avenue, with entrances at 175th Street and 177th Street, the latter one block south of the bus station. The subway station, operated by the New York City Transit Authority and served by the A trains, was part of the Independent Subway System (IND)'s first line, the IND Eighth Avenue Line, which opened in 1932.

The bus station is also within walking distance of the 181st Street station of the same line, and the 181st Street IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line station on the 1 trains.

Bus service

The station seen from the western approach in 2006

As of 2013, the bus lines detailed below serve the terminal for the New York City Transit Authority, New Jersey Transit, and Coach USA (Rockland Coaches and Short Line). Service is also provided by Spanish Transportation with its Express Service jitneys,along with Ameribus, Inc.

MTA New York City Transit

Local buses stop at a lower level and on the streets outside the station. Local service includes:

• M4 on the Ft. Washington Av side, M5, M100 and Bx7 (outside the station on Broadway)
• M98, Bx3, Bx11, Bx13, Bx35 and Bx36 (on 178th & 179th street's between Ft Washington Av and Broadway). The Bx13 serves Yankee Stadium.

New Jersey Transit

See also: List of New Jersey Transit bus routes (100-199)

Aerial view of station and I-95

Route	Terminal	via	notes
171	Paterson Broadway Bus Terminal	GWB Plaza Route 4
175	Ridgewood Bus Terminal	GWB Plaza New Jersey Route 4 Hackensack, Paramus, Rochelle Park	some trips do not stop at Garden State Plaza or Bergen Community College
178	Hackensack Bus Terminal	GWB Plaza, New Jersey Route 4 Grand Avenue, Teaneck Armory, Englewood Avenue	express variation of 182 limited Sunday service
181	Bergenline Ave. Station	GWB Plaza, Palisade Avenue, Bergenline Avenue	Limited Service
182	Hackensack Bus Terminal	GWB Plaza, Fort Lee Road, DeGraw Avenue	local variation of 178
186	Dumont	GWB Plaza, Sylvan Avenue, Palisades Avenue, Teaneck Road
188	West New York	GWB Plaza, Via River Road Edgewater 60 Street at Kennedy Boulevard	Limited Service

Coach USA

Rockland Coaches

For purposes of service hours, the following terms are used:

• Peak: Service operates weekdays in the peak direction (to Manhattan between 4:30 AM and 9 AM, from Manhattan between 3 PM and 7:30 PM).
• Reverse peak: Service operates during peak hours against the peak direction.
• Shoulder: Service operates in the peak direction (to Manhattan AM, from Manhattan PM) 1–2 hours before or after the peak period.
• Midday: Bi-directional service to and from Manhattan off-peak, including the shoulder period.
• Evening: Service operates after the PM rush (bi-directional unless noted).
• Saturday: Route operates on Saturday.
• Sunday: Route operates on Sunday.

Route	Service	Terminals	via
9A & 9W	Peak Reverse peak Midday Evening Saturday Sunday	New City (9A and 9W) (full-time) Central Nyack (9W) or Stony Point (9) (peak service only)	Sylvan Avenue, Oak Tree Road, Piermont Avenue/River Road, Broadway, Nyack Turnpike (Central Nyack trips only) Lake Road, Main Street, Route 9W (Stony Point trips only)
25	Peak	New Milford	Route 4, Teaneck Road, New Bridge Road, Prospect Avenue, Madison Avenue, Boulevard, River Road

Short Line

Weekday service only.

Route	Service	Terminals	Serving	Notes
208	PM peak	Montgomery, NY Route 211 and Clinton Street	Washingtonville, Monroe, Central Valley, Ridgewood, NJ	Route owned by the New York State DOT.
	AM peak	East Side, Manhattan 23rd Street and 2nd Avenue	Manhattan neighborhoods: Washington Heights, Harlem, East Harlem, Yorkville, Upper East Side, Turtle Bay, Murray Hill, Kips Bay.	Route owned by the New York State DOT. Does not serve Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Ameribus

Route	Service	Terminals	via
11C	Peak Reverse peak Saturday Sunday	Spring Valley	Fort Lee, Englewood, Bergenfield, New Milford, Oradell, Emerson, Westwood, Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, Montvale, Pearl River, Nanuet
20/84	Peak Reverse peak	Tappan, NY	Englewood, Tenafly, Cresskill, Demarest, Closter, Harrington Park, Norwood, Northvale, Rockleigh

See also

• Port Authority Bus Terminal
• Journal Square Transportation Center

References

Notes

External links

• GW Bridge Bus Station home page
• NJ Transit route finder
• Rockland Coaches
• ShortLine Bus