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NJ DOT Commissioner Jim Simpson Suggests NJ TRANSIT Bypass Port Authority Bus Terminal

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New Jersey TRANSIT bus passengers might be able to avoid the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.

WCBS 880's Levon Putney reports

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New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson wants NJ TRANSIT to explore picking up passengers on the streets of Manhattan and bypassing the congested terminal.

"We start the bus service on the east side of Manhattan at 42nd Street and you make some series of stops. Rather than having all these people go to the cramped Port Authority, you pick them along the way then you get right onto the tunnel rather than having everybody charge to this terminal that's functionally obsolescent," Simpson told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.

NJ TRANSIT official Stan Roble said they have looked at the idea of bypassing the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but said they're restricted by Manhattan's traffic patterns.

Simpson asked board members to consider a pilot program, which they said they would.

NJ TRANSIT pays $1.78 million a year to use the Port Authority and George Washington bridge bus terminals.

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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