With plans for the LaGuardia AirTrain and Astoria subway extension officially shelved, Governor Kathy Hochul, the Port Authority, and the MTA on Tuesday unveiled a $160 million proposal to enhance the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus line, promising faster, more frequent, and more reliable service between the airport and transit hubs in Jackson Heights and Woodside.
“The transformation of LaGuardia Airport into a world-class destination that is recognized for its excellence is an integral part of our bold vision for a new era in New York, and that starts with much-needed enhancements in transportation to and from the airport,” Hochul said. “This new funding will advance several transportation projects, provide new bus lanes, reduce congestion and overcrowding, and install new traffic lights to prioritize buses into the airport.”
Under the new plan, traffic signals will prioritize the Q70 bus on Roosevelt Avenue and Broadway, and an exclusive bus lane will be implemented on the shoulder of the northbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Northern Boulevard and Astoria Boulevard to increase service reliability between Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport. Beginning on June 1, the Q70 bus will have increased frequencies during peak periods from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to accommodate increased ridership. A new, specially designated bus pick-up and drop-off area near Terminal C will be established with direct, exclusive road access to avoid congestion.
“There’s no reason a first-class New York travel experience should be limited to the new LaGuardia Airport,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Liber said. “These common sense, road-tested bus improvements are going to make the ride to and from Queens a lot smoother and faster for tens of thousands of passengers.”
At the governor’s request, a wide-ranging analysis of transit options to LaGuardia Airport began in late 2021 and was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of well-recognized outside engineering, construction, and transportation firms. A blue-ribbon panel was established to oversee the study and make recommendations based on the analysis. The panel recommended substantial improvement to bus service to LaGuardia.
“This proposal will fund the development of the faster, more reliable mass transit link the expert panel envisioned, and passengers traveling to our world-class LaGuardia Airport deserve,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “The installation of bus-only lanes on the expressway portions of the route will create a bus link that will be a fast trip to the airport with the bus able to avoid congestion.”
The investments will also provide wayfinding and lighting improvements at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av/74th St. transit hub and the 61st St-Woodside 7 train and Long Island Rail Road station, along with enhanced branding and signage to promote the improved service.
“Across the region, the Port Authority is making historic investments in new airport facilities that will be among the world’s finest,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “But the finest airports deserve equally modern and efficient public transportation connections, which is why the Port Authority is investing in vastly improved bus connections to LaGuardia Airport.”
The MTA worked closely with the engineering and construction firms and the expert panel throughout the study and attended all panel meetings.
“I’m proud to celebrate these accomplishments and look forward to creating a world-class transit option,” Hochul said.
The governor made the Q70 LaGuardia Express bus a free ride in 2022.
