LaGuardia Airport

April 5, 2017

Laguardia Airport expansion could replace jail at Rikers Island, report suggests

On Friday 6sqft reported Mayor Bill De Blasio's announcement that the Rikers Island jail complex will be closed, following a report by the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform. “New York City has always been better than Rikers Island,” said the mayor when he announced the decision. The report also included ideas for the future of a post-jail Rikers. One such idea suggests that the island be used for the expansion of nearby LaGuardia Airport, raising the possibility of a new runway and additional terminal space, according to USA Today. “The Island is uniquely positioned to accommodate an expanded LaGuardia Airport that would reduce delays and could serve as many as 12 million more passengers annually,” the report states.
Find out more
February 21, 2017

Port Authority may add $4 curbside taxi fee at airports

Image by Grant Wickens via flick CC As far back as 2015, 6sqft reported that the Port Authority was considering fees for vehicles pulling up curbside to drop off or pick up passengers at New York City's airports as a way to reduce the congestion that has worsened since services like Uber and Lyft have arrived. The city's airports are among the only ones in the U.S. that don't charge curbside access fees. Now the Daily News has obtained a Port Authority draft proposal outlining the proposed fees. Taxi and hired car passengers could be hit with a $4 charge for each trip in and out of Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports as early as next year. The fee would be charged to the car operators and would presumably be passed to passengers
The idea is not getting a warm reception
February 17, 2017

Port Authority approves $32.2B capital plan, will include new bus terminal and airport upgrades

The Port Authority Board of Commissioners yesterday approved a $32.2 billion, 10-year capital plan--the agency's largest ever. The major allocations include: $3.5 billion to begin the planning and construction of a new Port Authority Bus Terminal; $10 billion towards improving trans-Hudson commuting, including a $1.5 billion Goethals Bridge replacement, completion of the $1.6 billion Bayonne Bridge rebuilding, and a $2 billion rehab of the George Washington Bridge; $11.6 billion in major airport upgrades, which factors in $4 billion for the new LaGuardia Terminal B, a plan to extend the PATH train from Newark Penn Station to the Newark Airport, and the beginning of Cuomo's JFK overhaul; and $2.7 billion towards the Gateway rail tunnel project.
More details ahead
December 20, 2016

LaGuardia ranked nation’s worst airport in new study

J.D. Power has just released their 2016 North American Airport Satisfaction Study ranking the nation's airports by customer satisfaction, and New York's LaGuardia Airport has been bestowed the title of the country's worst. According to the study—and just about anyone who's visited LGA in the last few months—construction woes related to Governor Cuomo's $8 billion plan to transform the hub into a world-class airport by 2020 has led to serious headaches for travelers, and a 6-point drop in overall satisfaction from 2015. Last year, LGA ranked as the second worst airport in the U.S., just after Newark International.
See all the rankings here
August 24, 2016

LaGuardia Airport to get $5M in repairs prior to complete revamp

Though work on Governor Cuomo's LaGuardia Airport overhaul commenced in June, the first part of the project, the replacement of Terminal B (which will alone carry a $4 billion price tag) is expected to be completed in phases between 2018 and 2022. But travelers will now get some more immediate relief, as the Wall Street Journal reports that $5 million in improvements are coming to the terminal by the end of the year in order to keep it up and running until the new buildings opens its doors to passengers in 2020. This includes repairing the current leaky ceilings, adding well-lit signage, improving ventilation and air conditioning, putting new seating and tables into the two food courts, painting walls, sprucing up restrooms, and bettering the acoustics at security checkpoints.
More this way
June 15, 2016

LaGuardia Airport Overhaul Will Cost More Than $7B, Cuomo Releases New Renderings

Since Governor Cuomo announced his plans last July for LaGuardia Airport's long-awaited revamp, the price tag has been set at $4 billion, but yesterday at a groundbreaking for the project, that number rose to a whopping $7 billion, reports The Real Deal. Alongside Vice President Biden, the Governor explained that phase one, which includes the replacement of the Central Terminal Building (Terminal B), will carry the $4 billion cost, while the redevelopment of Delta's Terminals C and D will require another $3 billion. And that's not all; the new AirTrain and 24-hour ferry service will require even more funds. Aside from the updated cost estimates, Tuesday's affair also brought new details and renderings.
See them all here
June 14, 2016

Construction on LaGuardia AirTrain Kicks Off This Afternoon

Earlier this month, it was announced that work on Governor Cuomo's $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport would begin this summer, and today NY1 reports that a groundbreaking ceremony for the new AirTrain (part of the overall modernization plan) is taking place this afternoon. It will span 1.5 miles along the Grand Central Parkway, connecting with the 7 train and Long Island Railroad at Willets Point. A 2015 estimate put its cost at $450 million.
Find out more
June 2, 2016

$4B Overhaul of LaGuardia Airport to Begin This Summer, New Renderings

When Governor Cuomo revealed details and flashy renderings for his planned $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport, he assured New Yorkers "It’s not a plan; it’s not a sketch; it’s not a dream; it’s not a vision—it’s actually happening." And he wasn't kidding; LaGuardia Gateway Partners, a public-private partnership formed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, announced yesterday that they closed on the deal to develop a "replacement to the maligned LaGuardia Airport's Central Terminal Building and operate the new facility through 2050," according to Crain's. With work expected to kick off this summer, Curbed has also uncovered a few new renderings of the plan.
More details ahead
January 20, 2016

Top 10 Transportation Proposals That Would Transform New York City

Commuting in and around NYC can at times be a daunting task, and with the all of the pending subway closures, things are about to get a bit more complicated. However, all hope is not lost, and a trouble-free ride to work right be in the near future. From a city-wide ferry system to cell-phone friendly subway cars, both Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have several new initiatives in play to improve the city's infrastructure. In addition to these ambitious government-backed measures, there are also a slew of motivated residents looking to make some changes, including a 32-Mile Greenway in Brooklyn and Queens and a High Line-esque bridge spanning the Hudson River, just to name a few. To keep your spirits high when subway lines are down, we've put together this list of top 10 transportation proposals for NYC.
See all 10 here
November 5, 2015

Port Authority Mulls Fee for Curbside Access to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports

If you're someone who takes advantage of curbside pick up/drop off at NYC's airports as a way to avoid parking fees, that prudent sidestep could soon be coming to an end. CBS reports that the Port Authority is considering access fees as a way to reduce congestion outside airport terminals. Traffic is said to have become a real problem as services like Lyft and Uber have begun using the front of the terminals as prime spots to pick up business. “The operations of For-Hire-Vehicles and taxis at our airports are evolving rapidly and we are in the early stages of review,” the Port Authority noted in a statement. They also added that NYC's airports are one of the very few in the U.S. that do not charge curbside access fees, and where tolls are implemented, car services usually just pass the buck onto riders—meaning services and taxi drivers shouldn't worry about lost fare, but you will be shelling out even more cash to make up the difference when you get in their cars.
more here
August 27, 2015

Before LaGuardia, There Was Glenn H. Curtiss Airport

Last month, Governor Cuomo revealed his $4 billion plan to overhaul LaGuardia Airport, the third-worst airport in the country that Vice President Biden recently likened to a third-world country. While today it's hard to imagine New York City without its sub-par airports (JFK is THE worst airport in the nation), they weren't always a fixture in the city. In fact, LaGuardia was preceded by a much more modest facility with links to world aviation history -- Glenn H. Curtiss Airport. It opened in 1929 as a private airfield off Flushing Bay; became a commercial airport called North Beach in 1935; and a decade later was changed to what we know today when then Mayor La Guardia wanted the city to have its own airport and not have to rely on Newark.
Get the full history right here
August 12, 2015

POLL: Do You Agree That the New LaGuardia Plan Is Non-Functional and Uninspiring?

On Monday, resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley shared his thoughts on the the new $4 billion LaGuardia airport proposal, and let’s just say he is not impressed. He feels the design is “especially lackluster and uninspired when compared to many new 21st-century airports” with no “new urban mascot, logo or icon to offer and amuse.” He […]

August 10, 2015

The New LaGuardia Airport: Not Functional, Not Inspiring, Not an Icon

Carter Uncut brings New York City's breaking development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. This week Carter looks at the new $4 billion LaGuardia airport proposal.  The recent announcement by Governor Cuomo and Vice President Joe Biden of plans to “rebuild” La Guardia Airport at a cost of $4 billion was described in a Page One caption in The Post as “the end of an error,” a reference to the airport’s reputation that became tarnished over the years. Last October, Biden remarked that if someone had taken him to LaGuardia, he’d think he was in “some Third World country.” Since its opening in 1939, when it accommodated “flying boats” at its Marine Air Terminal, the airport has not kept up with the growth of jumbo jets and air travel in general, but in the days of the Super Constellation passenger planes with their triple-tails and sloping noses, it was a very nice Art Deco place. The published renderings that accompanied the announcement were not terribly reassuring, as they depicted a very long curved terminal with gangly tentacles raised over plane taxiways that hinted at torsos of praying mantises: an awkward rather than a graceful vault.
More from Carter here
July 29, 2015

LaGuardia Overhaul Could Actually Cost $8 Billion and Take Over 10 Years to Complete

Womp womp. For those of you still flying high over yesterday's news that LaGuardia Airport would soon be getting a major revamp, here comes some unfortunate news that might bring you back down to earth. As Crain's reports, Governor Cuomo appears to have grossly underestimated his vision for the upgraded air hub. "According to several sources with direct knowledge of the project," the paper says, "a new LaGuardia could take more than 10 years to build and cost close to $8 billion"—a price that's double the Cuomo administration estimates of $4 billion, with at least another five years tacked on to the schedule.
Find out more here
July 29, 2015

POLL: Should the MTA Get Money from the State Before LaGuardia Airport?

Yesterday, we learned of Governor Cuomo’s plans for a major, $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport. The project includes consolidating the four terminals, moving the entire facility south, introducing a 24-hour ferry service, and launching AirTrain service that’ll connect travelers to the 7 line in Willet’s Point. Today, however, the revelry took a turn when it […]

July 28, 2015

Governor Cuomo Reveals Renderings for $4 Billion LaGuardia Airport Overhaul

After much anticipation, Governor Cuomo unveiled his plan yesterday to overhaul LaGuardia Airport, which he called "un-New York" in its current state. The $4 billion project includes consolidating the four terminals into one hub and moving the entire facility south the length of two football fields, according to Crain's. Additionally, Cuomo's controversial AirTrain, which will connect travelers to the 7 line in Willet's Point, will be put into effect, as will a 24-hour ferry service that will operate out of the landmarked Art Deco Marine Air Terminal. The development will be handled by LaGuardia Gateway Partners, a new public-private partnership formed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who will oversee the construction, financing, and operation of the new terminal under a 35-year lease.
Lots more details and renderings this way
February 10, 2015

New York’s Airports Come In Last for Mass-Transit Accessibility

If you've ever endured the long ride to any of the area's airports, all the while lugging your suitcase and anxiously wondering if you'd miss your flight, then this statistic probably comes as no surprise. According to a study by the Global Gateway Alliance, "John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports rank last and third-to-last, respectively, in mass-transit accessibility compared with 30 of the world's busiest airports," reports Crain's. The analysis looked at total travel time for public transit users, mode of transportation and number of transfers and cost, scoring them from 0 to 100. And if Anthony Weiner is correct, the new LaGuardia AirTrain will only increase travel times–not good news those for us who prefer not to sit in insane taxi traffic or fork over $99 for a private helicopter ride.
More on the study here
January 22, 2015

New LaGuardia AirTrain Will Actually Increase Travel Times, Anthony Weiner Weighs In

Get ready to have your bubble burst. As it turns out, Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposed AirTrain to LaGuardia would actually increase the time it takes to get to the airport, and for some areas, almost double travel time. The Transport Politic enlightened (and dispirited) hopefuls yesterday in an analysis that highlighted the fact that the new train would would deliver commuters to the 7 subway station at Willets Point, which is further away from Manhattan than the airport. In light of the findings, Anthony Weiner threw in his two cents this morning, penning an op-ed in the Daily News, saying "if we are going to solve this problem, we should do it right." The former congressman also threw a proposal of his own into the ring.
More on what Weiner had to say