the public got their first shot today to weigh in on a multi-billion dollar plan to replace the Port Authorities Midtown bus terminal the 73-year-old Manhattan facility is slated to get a total overhaul that's expected to give the 200,000 commuters who travel through it each weekday better access to mass transit as Ted Goldberg reports the first and only in-person hearing wasn't without detractors especially those who'll be living next door to the construction today's facility is Antiquated uh Beyond again it save of good repair even Port Authority employees argue that its main bus terminal in New York City needs to be replaced they say the new facility projected a cost1 billion will make life easier for New Jersey's commuters and travelers into the city we are unable to allow for charging stations or double-decker buses which reduces congestion so all of these shortcomings will be addressed and provided for in the new bus facility buses come in from the Lincoln Tunnel and they circulate along local city streets that creates a lack of dependency for the commuter it creates congestion in the local neighborhood and we will be remediating that through a new ramp structure today the Port Authority held its only in-person public hearing for anyone who wants to share their opinions on the ambitious new project there are three more virtual hearings between now and the end of the public comment period City resident Nancy Sharon praised the plan facility saying it looks easier to get around than the current 73-year-old station I was glad to see that there's an attention to the accessibility I'm a senior citizen now and my husband is also a senior citizen 91 years old he has difficulty walking and walks with a cane she also had suggestions for the port authority and she wasn't alone terminals without seating is a real difficulty for people who can't stand for long periods of time um so please think about and my there's no way my husband could sit on the floor the way a younger person could do it if he sat on the floor he wouldn't be able to get up it would be nice if there were a website for this process that let us know what kind of disruption we can expect and for how long it's a modern facility that's just being shoehorned into um into the Midtown Area Regional planner Zoe Baldwin doesn't see it that way we really see this as a kind of a big beautiful ambitious proposal that really represents a lot of what this region needs she says the 10 billion project will only get more expensive with time and the current plan doesn't exactly encourage people to use mass transit getting through the station the wayf finding as we call it is terrible at Port Authority Bus Terminal Baldwin says a crucial part of the plan is the direct ramp from the bus terminal to the link and tunnel you get stuck in traffic in the tunnel normal traffic but then you get stuck in traffic that is literally because the buses are backing up in the terminal the traffic that backs up in the terminal itself is it's maddening because you're so close it makes you want to just hop off the bus when you're a rider and you can't do that for number of reasons right if you want to share your thoughts on this project the Port Authority is taking public comment until March 18th in Manhattan I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news