Port Authority Wants To Beef Up Bus Capacity At Lincoln Tunnel

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Port Authority officials are giving two technology firms a daunting challenge: find a way to squeeze 30 percent more buses through the Lincoln Tunnel during the morning rush hour.

On Thursday, the Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved $4.8 million for a contract with the two participating companies, Texas-based Southwest Research Institute and Maryland-based Robotics Research Inc.

The firms will now each get a chance to show how their technology can help beef up bus capacity at the Lincoln Tunnel.

Port Authority officials said they’re setting the bar high. The goal is to hike “morning peak-hour” bus capacity by 30 percent, which would require squeezing about 200 more buses carrying 10,000 more passengers into the busy tunnel during the a.m. rush hour.

The key to the plan is the Lincoln Tunnel’s Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL), a 2.5-mile contraflow lane that only serves New York-bound buses. According to the Port Authority, the XBL handles 1,850 buses carrying more than 70,000 passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. each weekday.

The lane hits maximum capacity for 90 minutes of its four-hour operation, which is “challenging acceptable service quality and reliability,” officials said.

Here’s what the Port Authority is looking for, officials stated:

“The technology being tested does not eliminate the use of bus operators, who will still have operational control over their vehicles. Rather, it will provide driver assistance capabilities for the operators to shorten the following distance between buses, allow buses to travel at higher speeds, reduce incidents with better lane keeping, and promote smoother merging into the Exclusive Bus Lane.”

Over the next 18 months, Southwest Research Institute and Robotics Research Inc. will be holding technology demonstrations at off-site test facilities. Some tests will also take place at a closed Exclusive Bus Lane on early weekend mornings to avoid impacts to normal traffic, officials said.

No passengers will be aboard the buses during testing, officials added.

The demonstration program is being done in partnership with a project oversight committee that includes representatives from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Turnpike Authority and three bus carriers: NJ Transit, Coach USA and Greyhound.

In addition to the $4.8 million in Port Authority funds earmarked for the program, the Federal Transit Administration, in conjunction with the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transit Research, has committed an additional $250,000 that will be used to collect data and undertake a comparative analysis of the two technical solutions demonstrated.

Following completion of the demonstration program in 2021, the Port Authority will explore moving to a pilot test of the best technology, officials said.

• See related article: Toll Booths Will Go Extinct At GWB, Lincoln And Holland Tunnels

“The Lincoln Tunnel’s Exclusive Bus Lane was a groundbreaking innovation when it first opened in 1971 and it remains a key element of the trans-Hudson transit network,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said.

“The XBL is the most productive highway lane in the nation in terms of the passenger trips it carries, but the lane’s popularity has made it a victim of its own success,” O’Toole continued. “Today’s demand in the XBL far exceeds the bus capacity it can accommodate. This demonstration program will begin to explore how technology can maintain this lane as a reliable mass transit operation into the future.”

“This upcoming demonstration program is a perfect example of seeking out 21st century technology to improve our capabilities,” Port Authority Vice Chairman Jeffrey Lynford agreed.

• See related article: NJ Transit Will Test Self-Driving Buses

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Hoboken Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.