Photo by Tdorante10 on Wikimedia

Plans to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport are officially dead after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Monday released the results of a 17-month-long analysis of mass transit options to the Queens airport. A panel of experts recommended the Port Authority abandon the proposed 1.5-mile elevated rail line and instead move forward with improving existing bus service and adding a new non-stop airport shuttle. Estimated costs for the bus options are just under $500 million, according to the report, compared to estimates of between $2.4 billion and $6.2 billion for light rail options.

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Renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

Construction has officially begun on the new $4.2 billion Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, marking the final project of the airport’s $18 billion transformation. The 1.2 million square foot, state-of-the-art terminal will include 10 new gates and a new home for JetBlue and create 4,000 new jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs. The first new gates at the terminal will open in 2026, with a completion date scheduled for 2028.

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All photos courtesy of PANYNJ

The pedestrian and bike path on the north side of the George Washington Bridge opened on Tuesday following a renovation and accessibility upgrades. The project, led by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, included widening approach paths, bigger entry plazas, and removing stairs that prevented access to cyclists and users with mobility challenges. The upgraded north walk also features two new viewing platforms, one on the New York side and one on the New Jersey side.

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All renderings courtesy of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Construction officially kicked off on Thursday on John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new 2.4 million-square-foot terminal, set to be the largest at the Queens airport. In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul first unveiled plans for the state-of-the-art Terminal One, which is estimated to cost $9.5 billion, up from the projected cost of $7.4 billion in 2019.

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All renderings courtesy of Foster + Partners

Plans to replace the dingy Port Authority bus terminal are rolling forward. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday announced the selection of two architecture firms to lead the project: Norman Foster’s Foster + Partners and Chicago-based engineering and design firm Epstein. Roughly 10 years in the making, the plan involves demolishing the existing station and building a new world-class facility that can better meet passenger demand. The $10 billion project will also help get idling buses off the streets and create new green spaces.

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Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Gov. Kathy Hochul and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Wednesday that the $4 billion Delta Air Lines Terminal C will open at LaGuardia Airport on June 4. The opening means the all-new $8 billion LaGuardia Airport, the nation’s first new major airport in a quarter-century, is nearly complete. At nearly twice the size of the one it replaces, Delta’s new terminal boasts up-to-the-minute technology, New York-centric concessions–and an impressive collection of new public artworks by well-known local artists referencing the Queens neighborhood’s rich immigrant history and cultural diversity.

This way for takeoff

Rendering courtesy of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday released a set of alternative options to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $2.1 billion LaGuardia AirTrain project, a 1.5-mile elevated rail that would connect the airport with the subway system at Willets Point and link to the Long Island Rail Road. After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted the project last October and urged developers to look for alternate options, Port Authority has come up with 14 alternatives including two subway extensions, five light rail routes, five bus options, a ferry service, and options utilizing “emerging technologies.”

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Image courtesy of Patrick Cashin / MTA New York City Transit

New York City-area transit agencies are looking for ways to restore public transit ridership to the levels they were before the pandemic. The MTA, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, the city’s Department of Transportation, and the Partnership for NYC announced on Monday the fourth round of the Transit Tech Lab, a program that aims to find solutions to problems facing the city’s public transportation system. The agencies put forth two challenges; the first is a solution to help the public transit system recover from Covid-19 and restore its ridership to pre-pandemic levels. The second is a sustainability challenge, looking for innovations that will better prepare the transit system against extreme weather conditions while leaving less of a carbon footprint.

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Rendering courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Tuesday that it would be putting the brakes on any further development of the AirTrain, the proposed 1.5-mile elevated rail that would run between the airport and the eastern Queens neighborhood of Willets Point, with a connection to the subway and Long Island Rail Road. The project was a top priority for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. His successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, has called for a review of alternatives to the project in response to opposition by community groups and local officials who have criticized its environmental review process, its impact on the surrounding community, and a dearth of alternatives being discussed.

Is it the end of the line for AirTran?

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

In a press conference this morning, Governor Cuomo announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will mandate COVID-19 vaccines or weekly testing for employees on the New York side. The protocol will go into effect starting Labor Day. “We beat the damn thing by being smart the first time. Be smart again,” said the governor. This mandate joins a growing number that includes all state workers and all NYC municipal workers, including teachers and NYPD/FDNY members.

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