NEW YORK, NY July 14, 2008 —A key part of the redevelopment of Manhattan's Far West Side has hit a road block. A private developer may not be able to build an apartment complex because of security requirements imposed by the Port Authority. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman has more.

REPORTER: An 800-unit apartment complex called Hudson Mews was supposed to be a key piece of the new Far West Side. It would be built on a platform at West 37th street and Ninth Avenue, over the spaghetti bowl of Lincoln Tunnel entrance ramps, thereby creating a land bridge connecting the east and west sides of the neighborhood. Former Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff even promised the developer, the Dermot Company, that the city would pitch in $10 million to offset the cost of a park it was including. But it has been two years since the Port Authority first agreed to sell the air rights over the entrance ramps and the deal has still not closed. Government officials are complaining that the PA's security requirements are costing $56 million above estimates, and that if the agency doesn't lower its price by the end of August, the development will fall through. For WNYC, I'm Matthew Schuerman.

HOST: The Port Authority says it will continue to negotiate with the developer to resolve any issues.