New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Oct. 20 that the state would open design competitions to fix and upgrade New York City’s aging airports.
However, Cuomo said little about where the money would come from to pay for those multibillion-dollar renovations, improvements, and construction. Capital expenditures would normally fall to the state’s Port Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
This lack of specifics didn’t stop the governor from making design and operational suggestions himself, such as linking LaGuardia Airport to Manhattan via ferries and the Long Island Railroad, or adding a hotel to Kennedy Airport.
The New York Times reported that Republic Airport on Long Island and Stewart Airport in Hudson Valley would also be involved in this master plan. Tax-free zones would be established around those two airports to encourage business investment, according to the New York Observer.
One question that remains unanswered is how this design competition intersects with—or might potentially impede—the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s selecting a winning bid from three consortiums for the $3.6 billion construction of a new main terminal at LaGuardia. The Port Authority operates LaGuardia and Kennedy.
Cuomo didn’t think the design competition would counteract any construction contract, although he did state that the Port Authority had been moving too slowly on its plans to improve the airports.
The design competition would commence in late November, and three finalists for each airport would be chosen two months later, and awarded up to $500,000 for further development.
Vice President Joe Biden, who was with Cuomo for the announcement of the design competition, and who famously compared LaGuardia to airports in third-world countries, was noncommittal about the federal government’s financial involvement in these projects.
The area’s third big airport, Newark-Liberty in New Jersey, is not part of the design competition, but already has $8 billion earmarked for upgrades. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark handled roughly one-third of the nation’s airline flights in 2013, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.
Related Stories
Reconstruction & Renovation | Mar 16, 2017
Pols are ready to spend $1T on rebuilding America’s infrastructure. But who will pick which projects benefit?
The accounting and consulting firm PwC offers the industrial sector a five-step approach to getting more involved in this process.
Airports | Feb 23, 2017
New Orleans Airport to add five additional gates and $110 million to current expansion
The project is being hailed as the city’s most transformative since the construction of the Superdome.
Projects | Jan 25, 2017
Trump prioritizes infrastructure projects, as rebuilding America is now a hot political potato
Both parties are talking about $1 trillion in spending over the next decade. How projects will be funded, though, remains unresolved.
Airports | Jan 17, 2017
JFK Airport set for $10 billion renovation
In addition to the airport itself, the overhaul will also improve road and rail access to meet projected passenger growth.
Airports | Dec 6, 2016
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport creates a destination inside Terminal 3
DWL Architects, SmithGroupJJR, and Corgan design passenger experience that connects to the surrounding city and Sonoran desert landscape.
Airports | Nov 1, 2016
FAA forecasts a modest dip in spending for airports over next five years
Latest report based on surveys of 3,340 existing and proposed public-use airports.
Airports | Aug 31, 2016
Aircraft manufacturing facility innovation from The Austin Company
Austin’s many innovations contributed to the success of our clients by enabling them to operate in more efficient environments, optimize the flexibility of their operations, and meet aggressive schedules.
| Jul 29, 2016
AIRPORT FACILITIES GIANTS: Airports binge on construction during busy year for travel
Terminal construction will grow by nearly $1 billion this year, and it will keep increasing. Airports are expanding and modernizing their facilities to keep passengers moving.
Airports | Jun 1, 2016
LaGuardia Airport’s massive redevelopment begins construction
The development consortium has secured financing for the $4 billion project, and signed an operating lease through 2050.
Airports | Apr 6, 2016
HOK leads joint venture to expand and modernize Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s domestic passenger terminal
The domestic passenger terminal is just the tip of the spear, as the world’s most traveled airport is about to undergo 20 years and $6 billion worth of changes.