New York, New Jersey airports to get “aggressive” $4.5bn boost

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last week unveiled $4.5bn worth of transport projects to boost passenger handling capacity at its three biggest airports.

The authority said it had “moved aggressively forward” on the projects to cope with “unprecedented, record-breaking growth” at John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports.

To keep pace, the authority on Friday, 25 October authorised:

• $2.05bn billion to develop AirTrain LGA, which would connect the airport with a new station at Willets Point. linked to the Long Island Railroad service to and from New York City;
• $2.05bn to develop a new AirTrain Newark to serve Newark Liberty International Airport;
• $35m to pay for master planning for a new Terminal 2 at Newark Liberty;
• $445m to pay for early work JFK’s $13bn Redevelopment Program.

“Today’s actions reflect our commitment to rebuild our legacy airports and invest in new infrastructure to accommodate the unprecedented levels of air passenger growth,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Ensuring continued progress on these projects will enable us to provide 21st century facilities that offer the world-class customer experience our passengers expect.”

Image: JFK from the sky in November 2018 (Brandon Van Acker/CC BY-SA 4.0)