WTC Permanent PATH Terminal—Environmental Impact Statement

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), in cooperation with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is undertaking the reconstruction of a permanent terminal at the World Trade Center (WTC) site in lower Manhattan for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) System.  The Permanent PATH Terminal will be a regional transportation hub, which will re-establish transportation access and to Lower Manhattan.  The proposed facility will enhance prior accessibility and will be coordinated with the existing as well as future transportation infrastructure.  The FTA is the designated federal lead agency and the project is being coordinated through PANYNJ.  The project is being funded as part of the Federal government’s multi-billion dollar Lower Manhattan Transportation Recovery Effort.  HMM is part of the multi-disciplinary team performing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the WTC Permanent PATH Terminal.

HMM performed a baseline assessment to characterize current conditions with respect to contaminated materials, infrastructure and energy, as well as construction materials and methods.  The baseline description, or affected environment, was prepared under pre-September 11, 2001 baseline conditions as well as under a changed scenario given the site conditions as a result of the events of September 11, 2001.  Impacts were assessed under four alternative scenarios (future common to all alternatives, a no action alternative, an alternative with a Liberty Plaza Connection and an alternative without a Liberty Plaza Connection) for three time periods (construction period, opening year, and design year).  The project included extensive historical research and contact with a numerous agencies.   The project was approached through a team concept and its success exemplifies the ability of individual team members and firms to meet or exceed interim and final deadlines.  The technical expertise of all the involved parties as well as the cooperation among team members, as well as cooperation between the team and regulatory agencies and project agencies/partners, allowed this project to be accomplished within the aggressive nine month schedule for preparation and issuance of a preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement (pDEIS).