Construction on a new unified terminal structure at LaGuardia (LGA) is scheduled to break ground in early 2016, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday in announcing details of the long-awaited project.
The first half of the project will have a $4 billion price tag and be built under a public-private partnership with LaGuardia Gateway Partners. The board of directors of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which owns LGA, is expected to approve the project in the first part of 2016, paving the way for construction to begin. The majority of the first half of the project is expected to be open to passengers in 2019, the governor’s office said, with the remainder about 18 months later.
The second half of the new unified terminal is slated to be redeveloped by Delta Air Lines, with that construction beginning on a parallel track with the LaGuardia Gateway Partners project.
“New York had an aggressive, can-do approach to big infrastructure in the past and today, we’re moving forward with that attitude once again,” Cuomo said. “We are transforming LaGuardia into a globally renowned, 21st century airport that is worthy of the city and state of New York.”
LGA is comprised of multiple, fragmented terminals. Those will be replaced by a single unified terminal, necessitating demolition of the current Terminal B building and replacing it with a larger structure. The new structure will include terminal space and a central arrivals and departures hall, which will link to Delta’s Terminals C and D.
Delta will redevelop its existing terminals, connecting them to the central arrivals and departures hall.
The new terminal will utilize an island-gate system, in which passengers access their gates via raised pedestrian bridges that are high enough for aircraft to taxi underneath and which connect back to the main terminal. Together, the relocated terminals and island-gate system will create nearly two miles of new taxiway space.
The governor’s advisory panel, which recommended the unified terminal building, also made several other recommendations, including expanded transportation access to the airport, additional space for security screening checkpoints and increased storm resiliency.
PANYNJ is expected to issue a request for proposals within 60 days to help coordinate development of the remaining recommendations.
