Page 30 - 2021 Queens Economic Development Guide

Port Authority of New York
Gateway to the World
Hersh K. Parekh, Director of Government
and Community Relations for New York Aviation Redevelopment at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, reveals how infrastructure is a major driver of economic recovery in Queens and beyond. Here, he shares:
An overview of the projects.
We have embarked on the redevelopment of three major airports in the New York metropolitan region: John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty. We started with LaGuardia, which was one of the most reviled airports in the country for decades. In early 2014, then
Vice President Joe Biden compared the airport to a third-world country. Later that year, Governor Cuomo announced a vision plan to redevelop LaGuardia and turn it into a modern, 21st century gateway that was
befitting of New York. In 2015, the developer was announced for the new Terminal B and in 2016 we broke ground on that project. Then, in 2017, we started the Terminal C project. Once complete, from terminals to roads and garages, to underground infrastructure, we will literally see a brand-new, unified airport, the first in the country in over 25 years.
We have been hitting milestones every 8-12 months since we first broke ground. The project is on time, on schedule and on budget, even during a global pandemic, thanks
to the partnership between the Port Authority, the private developers,
and the dedicated union workforce. More than 60 per cent of a Whole New LGA is already open to the public. Terminal B is more than 80
per cent complete, including the
new arrivals and departures hall
that opened 14 months ago. We see Tweets and comments from customers complimenting the new airport and even questioning whether they have
landed at the right airport! The new Terminal C arrivals and departures hall will open in the second quarter of 2022. The New LaGuardia Airport is magnificent and grand and what a New York airport should be.
Taking the train to the plane.
Another important part of A Whole New LaGuardia Airport is the AirTrain. We have a proposal to build an AirTrain that connects the airport to mass transit at Willets Point. It will provide a convenient, reliable, and sustainable travel option for airport customers. The Federal Aviation Administration has completed its environmental review of the project and we are currently awaiting a decision, which is expected soon.
The impact of COVID on JFK.
While LaGuardia is an $8 billion project, JFK was announced as a $13+ billion project which would expand, modernize or rebuild every terminal. Unfortunately, COVID-19 had a huge
The Port Authority has embarked on an ambitious initiative to transform the area’s major airports, while supporting economic development across the borough.
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QUEENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
© Courtesy of Port Authority of NY & NJ