by: Bria Donohue
Leaders in New York continue to demonstrate what is possible to reduce embodied carbon in our built environment. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is the latest innovator in advancing the circular economy with their deconstruction pilot project at the Lincoln Tunnel. To make way for the new ramps serving the Midtown Bus Terminal, PANYNJ is deconstructing the Lincoln Tunnel’s retaining walls, which were originally built between 1937 and 1945. Instead of dumping the demolished material in a landfill, PANYNJ partnered with Orbit, a marketplace for the circular construction sector, and Chief Bricks, specialists in salvaged materials, to preserve and recirculate the deconstructed bricks back into the local economy (i.e., a circular economy in action).
Launched in 2025 by Kelly Tigera, a business consultant and the Founder of the creative consultancy Proof, Orbit is a marketplace for reclaimed construction materials. PANYNJ tasked Orbit with testing the viability of a large-scale deconstruction and reuse initiative for the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is scheduled to come down in the next several years. The pilot will evaluate the impact of brick salvage and reuse on financial and embodied carbon savings in comparison to conventional demolition, while also testing market demand for historic reclaimed materials.
For the Lincoln Tunnel pilot, PANYNJ did extensive research on the provenance, finding the original specification used for the brick material. There are a variety of potential uses for the reclaimed bricks, including repairs of projects built at a similar time with this historic material. Most notably, the reclaimed bricks are less expensive than purchasing new bricks, with uniquely shaped bricks priced 4–5x less than new bricks and bricks of the same size priced slightly less than new bricks. As AIA New York continues to lead the way on policy addressing the whole life cycle of carbon, projects like this provide the critical testing ground and case studies needed to meaningfully advance our work.
Bricks are expected to be available for delivery in late summer 2026. Learn more about the Lincoln Tunnel bricks and express interest in available inventory here.