Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that the east side of the new LaGuardia Airport, which will house Delta terminals, has officially started construction.
Terminals C and D will be completely rebuilt and the four new concourses will be connected with a canopy and walkways so passengers can easily access other parts of the airport.
This will be the first major reconstruction of an airport in the country since Denver International Airport was built in 1994. In a visit to Philadelphia in 2014, Vice President Joe Biden compared LaGuardia Airport to a “third world country.”
Soon after, Cuomo announced a $6 billion private-public partnership that would transform the Queens airport, which was opened in 1939, into a “globally renowned airport.”
Construction began in 2016 on the largest public-private partnership in United States history, with LaGuardia Gateway Partners financing two-thirds of the project. Delta Airlines will contribute $3.4 billion to construct its new terminal.
Half of the new gates in Terminal B will be open to passengers by 2018. The main terminal area, which will connect Terminal B and Terminal C for the first time, will be open in 2020 and a second set of gates will open in two phases – one later in 2020 and the last phase in 2021.
“We’re going to build that’s smarter, more efficient, more effective than ever before,” Cuomo said at the press conference.
He also announced that JLC Infrastructure, a joint venture consisting of Magic Johnson Enterprises and Loop Capital Markets LLC, will become a partner in the project with LaGuardia Gateway Partners. This is the first time in the state’s history that a Minority Owned Business will was named a partner in a private-public project.
“Today this state is leading the way to provide economic opportunity for every New Yorker and ensuring that MWBE participate at every level of the economy,” said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.
The airport will also include conference rooms for business meetings, retail and a new hotel. Terminals will also be constructed closer to the Grand Central Parkway, resulting in 240 percent more tarmac space.
“We are building not only for this generation but for generations that come for our children, for our children’s children and we are building every step of the way, through this governor, a better and a stronger and a more competitive New York,” said Queens Borough Melinda Katz.
Watch the full event here:
