Port Authority Green Lights New LaGuardia Central Terminal, Construction to Begin This Year

An American Airlines hangar at LaGuardia

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s board voted Thursday to update LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports and build a bus terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

The plan, championed by New York Governor Cuomo, calls for replacing LaGuardia’s disconnected terminal buildings with one main terminal. Terminal B would be demolished and a new structure would be built closer to the Grand Central Parkway, a site currently occupied largely by parking facilities. It will feature a central arrivals area and departures hall and be linked to Terminals C and D.

The vote for the $4 billion project allows construction of the project at LaGuardia to get started this year. The structure will replace a cramped, out-of-date building that opened in 1964. Vice President Joe Biden likened LaGuardia to a “third world country” during a 2014 visit.

“This vote marks a critical step forward in our effort to overhaul La Guardia Airport,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement after the agency’s vote was announced. “Our plan will fundamentally transform La Guardia—replacing what is now an outdated and poorly designed complex with the world-class airport New York has always deserved.”

The bus terminal, which was the subject of a tug of war between New York and New Jersey, will be located in Manhattan, although the exact location has yet to be determined. The agency also approved $70 million for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Once constructed, it should significantly ease congestion for travelers from New Jersey.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)