Beginning March 27, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will implement bus route service changes to and from JFK Airport to accommodate construction at Terminal 6.
The bus route changes will remain in effect until construction at the impacted area is completed in 2026, according to MTA representatives, who provided a brief overview of the JFK Airport Redevelopment Plan at the Community Board 13 Transportation Committee meeting on Thursday, Feb. 10.
“The current bus stop at Terminal 6 needs to be relocated to adjust for the upcoming infrastructure at the terminal. We are working closely with the MTA, community, and elected officials to ensure that everyone is aware of the work at the airport,” said Rachelle Antoine, community outreach manager of the JFK Redevelopment Program. “We are looking at a $20 billion project happening in southeast Queens.”
There are four MTA bus routes that currently serve JFK Airport: the B15, Q10 Local, Q10 Limited and Q3.
These four routes currently stop near Terminal 5, but that stop will be removed and relocated. The B15, Q10 Local, and Q10 Limited will now terminate at the Lefferts Boulevard AirTrain Station, according to Matthew Kroll, transportation planner for the MTA.
The Q3 will instead stop at Terminal 8 and then continue to the Lefferts Boulevard AirTrain Station, along the service road.
For commuters who take the B15, Q10 Local or Q10 Limited to Terminal 5, they will have to get off at the Lefferts Boulevard AirTrain Station, where there is free entrance to the station. The AirTrain stops at every terminal.
If commuters are traveling to the north or south service roads via the B15 or Q10, they can transfer to the Lefferts Boulevard Station and take the AirTrain one stop to Federal Circle, and transfer to a free Port Authority shuttle bus.
Another option for commuters is to take the Q3 bus at the Lefferts Boulevard Station and travel to the service road.
To accommodate the extension of the bus route service changes and more commuters, the MTA will add additional buses to the Q3 bus line during the weekday and weekends when the project begins.
“Once this project is completed, and it’s a bit of a long-term project, we will take all the buses back to their original routing, and a transportation hub will be developed at the Central Terminal Area providing space stops for each of the buses,” Kroll said.
The bus stop will return to the Central Terminal Area in 2026.
The MTA has been conducting extensive outreach in Brooklyn and Queens, which will be most affected by the bus route changes, Antoine said. Customers can expect to see signage on buses, bus stops and the MTA’s website.
