The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved Governor Andrew Cuomo's $4 billion makeover of LaGuardia Airport. The result will be a state-of-the-art, 1.3 million-square-foot, 35-gate Terminal B building and associated infrastructure in a project spearheaded by LaGuardia Gateway Partners.
The existing Terminal B, which was dedicated in 1964, serves most of the airport's scheduled domestic airlines and more than 13 million passengers each year. A new concourse will connect Terminals B and C, unifying the airport for the first time. A commercial program offering a number new retail, food and beverage, and amenities options aims to enhance the experience of passengers traveling through Terminal B.
"Our plan will fundamentally transform LaGuardia -- replacing what is now an outdated and poorly designed complex with the world-class airport New York has always deserved," said Cuomo. "This represents a major milestone for the project -- the first of many."
LaGuardia's current terminal layout of fragmented terminals will be streamlined into one main, architecturally unified terminal. The existing Terminal B building will be demolished and replaced with a larger structure, which will include new terminal space and a new Central Arrivals and Departures Hall and will link to Delta's Terminals C and D.
The plan also calls for a rail link between the airport and a subway station in the Willets Point section of Queens and for re-establishing ferry service to the airport.
The first half of the project is expected to open to passengers in 2019, with full completion scheduled for approximately 18 months later. The second half of the new unified terminal is expected to be redeveloped by Delta Air Lines on a parallel track with the LaGuardia Gateway Partners project to complete the new unified airport.
"LaGuardia is one of New York's greatest assets, and it's time that we make the big investments needed to bring it up to speed for the 21st century," said New York Senator Charles E. Schumer. "By redesigning the airport from top to bottom, this plan gives New Yorkers the facilities that our city and our state deserve. I'm glad Governor Cuomo and the Port Authority are stepping up on this huge infrastructure project, and look forward to seeing it move ahead."