OPINION: An Underground Idea That Deserves Sunlight
Let’s imagine, for a minute, that you had tickets for Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden (yes, in this scenario, you’re pretty lucky and well-off). You were a witness to the most improbable turnaround in the history of sports, but you just moved Upstate to Albany.
Unfortunately for you, the last train of the day was sold out, so you purchased a ticket for the 12:01 a.m. bus leaving the Port Authority Bus Terminal, arriving in Albany at or around 2:40 a.m.
When you wake up in Albany, you disembark at a decrepit, putrid bus terminal for New York’s capital city. A husk of 1970s cheap architecture with less than savory bathrooms and not a single food option outside of maybe a vending machine. You leave the terminal – and as regretful as that experience was, you’re thankful to have some cover versus travelers riding with Trailways, where they are dropped off on the next block at a trailer. Yes, a trailer – no exaggeration.
Hopefully, you have a friend or a ride; otherwise, you are left waiting outside at 3 a.m. Maybe in the rain or the snow? And at that hour, it can feel unsafe.
Is this any way for the capital of New York State to welcome travelers? I think not.
For years, there have been fits and starts about transforming the state of intercity bus service in Albany. Each idea has either come with a monumental price tag or lacked the political and community will, or a combination of the two. With the upcoming redevelopment of Liberty Square (also known affectionately as the “Parking Lot District”) by the city’s economic development agency, Capitalize Albany, both the existing Greyhound terminal and the Trailways trailer are on borrowed time.
Most recently, a proposal led by Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy that would have transformed a former McDonald’s into an intercity bus terminal as a replacement was scuttled due to community opposition. The county executive’s eager efforts, however, were laudable in driving attention to the issue in a way that politicians have not been forceful enough on.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of travelers visit Albany – whether for work, recreation or any other purpose – by intercity bus. By comparison, the Albany-Rensselaer train station, a marvelously beautiful station built for $53.1 million and championed by late State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, is the nation’s eighth busiest train station. Albany International Airport, owned and operated by the county, handles more than 1.5 million air travelers and is undergoing a $100 million expansion project.
When travelers enter Albany via air or train, they are treated to a first-rate facility for a first-rate region; the dream dies when they enter via bus, where they are treated to a fourth-rate welcome, and as we know, first impressions are everything.
Albany deserves a dignified, safe, well-lit and centrally-located intercity bus station and the answer could have been underground all along.
The Empire State Plaza sits at the core of Albany, with more than 10,000 state employees working within the Wallace Harrison-designed government complex. Within the plaza is a concourse – an “underground city” if you will – where a food court, varied retail and other amenities exist. And, most importantly, a bus station that checks off many boxes.
Our proposal, the Empire Plaza Terminal, looks to engage stakeholders in making this bus station idea a reality through discussions, public engagement and ultimately, direct negotiations with New York State.
This bus station, which is located across from a recently redesigned and reinvigorated food court, is perfectly equipped to serve as an intercity bus terminal hub. Nearby, the New York State Police maintain a 24/7 presence within the concourse. Travelers would enter and exit through the Madison Avenue entrance to the concourse, a short distance.
There is a former bank branch close by that can serve as a ticket office for the carriers. New seating inside the existing bus station, along with ticket kiosks, could be installed. Wayfinding and signage are a must. Out on the bus deck, a number of gates would be identified for buses. Bus maintenance and operations would remain off-site, as is the case presently.
Inside the concourse, it is connected to the New York State Capitol, the State Museum, the Egg, the MVP Arena, the Albany Capital Center convention facility and other points in downtown Albany through covered and secured walkways. Lastly, if you are familiar with Albany’s “tropical” climate, the location is fully enclosed and protected from inclement weather (unlike the existing reality of being left on a curb).
It is also Albany’s “Moynihan” moment.
In the early 1960s, Trailways opened a modest midcentury-era terminal that screamed “Mad Men” and “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Buses would arrive downstairs, with a waiting room upstairs. By the 1990s, Trailways had consolidated its operations at the Greyhound terminal, where it remained until 2022.
That site is linked to the aforementioned Liberty Square redevelopment, so a restorative future is not possible. However, we can harken back to that history by utilizing the Plaza bus station, which was built at the same time.
This is very similar to efforts to make up for the destruction of Penn Station in the 1960s by opening Moynihan Train Hall across from the James A. Farley Post Office. Both structures were built at the same time, just like the Trailways station and the Plaza were. And although we can’t turn back time, we can use our imagination to connect the past to the present here.
Our effort – co-led by yours truly and Albany Chief City Auditor Sam Fein – deserves attention for no other reason than: why not?
More often than not, when it comes to public projects, we are told they are too ambitious, too costly, or not effective enough. We are more prone to killing an idea, no matter how good or challenging it may be, before it has legs, versus giving it the air (or the sunlight) it needs to be fleshed out.
What if – and bear with me – we had a project that could be cost-effective, ready-to-go and would increase utilization of the Empire State Plaza?
This is that project. This is that moment. Let’s make it happen.
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