An overhaul of LaGuardia Airport will begin in early 2016,
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday. The first stage of the overhaul will
cost $4 billion and redo terminals A and B.
Joined at the Times Square Sheraton by Vice President Joe
Biden, who famously compared LaGuardia to a “Third World country” last year,
Cuomo said that all four of LaGuardia's disparate terminals will be torn down
and replaced by a unified terminal.
“It is actually happening,” he said.
The terminal will include a central arrivals and departures
hall and a 200-room hotel. It will be accompanied by new parking garages.
A key component of the project, Cuomo said, is that the
entire terminal area will be moved 600 feet closer to the Grand Central
Parkway, providing more space for flight operations. The extra operational
space is expected to reduce LaGuardia's problem with gate delays.
Connecting LaGuardia with a rail link and high-speed ferries
is also part of the overhaul.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates terminals
A and B at LaGuardia, while Delta Airlines controls terminals C and D. But
Delta has agreed to undertake the terminal overhauls in parallel with the port
authority, Cuomo said.
Work will begin following final approval from the port
authority board next year. Construction is expected to take just under six
years, Cuomo said, with the first new facilities opening after 39 months of work.
LaGuardia will remain open during construction.
Cuomo said more than half of the $4 billion project will be
privately funded.