George Washington Bridge Bus Station To Open Next Week: Report

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — One of Washington Heights' most troubled construction projects may finally be coming to an end.

The developers behind the years-long renovation project have assured the Port Authority that the station will open on Tuesday, a Port Authority spokesman told the Wall Street Journal. A Patch inquiry with Port Authority was not immediately returned.

The $183 million renovation project was first proposed in 2008, but the nationwide economic collapse and Hurricane Sandy pushed construction back until 2014. Once construction started, the public-private venture ran into its fair share of trouble and soon the missed deadlines started to pile up.

Who's to blame for the missed deadlines? It depends who you ask.

Port Authority blames the developers, the George Washington Bridge Bus Station Development Venture, the developers blame the contractor, Tutor Perini Corp., and the contractor blames the developers., the Wall Street Journal reported.

But through all the dysfunction it was ultimately the station's commuters that suffered. The station — located on a two-block stretch between West 178th and 179th streets and Fort Washington and Wadsworth avenues — remained operational during the renovation, but several of its entrances and exits are blocked off. Incoming passengers were forced to exit the terminal through one staircase located on 178th street and departing passengers can only access their buses by a temporary staircase on 179th street. Neither of the staircases are ADA accessible.

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.

Photo by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey