Conveniently located just eight miles from midtown Manhattan, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) handled nearly 30 million passengers in 2016 and has seen passenger volumes at its Central Terminal Building increase almost twofold since the terminal opened in 1964. To add much needed capacity and relieve congestion, the airport operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) will soon have a new, modern Central Terminal B designed and constructed in partnership with Skanska Walsh Joint Venture (SWJV). SWJV selected ADB SAFEGATE to deploy its state-of-the-art Advanced Visual Docking Guidance System (A-VDGS) and SafeControl Apron Management (SAM) solution to ramp up gate operations at the new terminal.

The Central Terminal B replacement project is the beginning of a new vision for the overall redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport. It will improve the traveling experience for millions of people and be a major economic generator for the region. The project is part of an innovative public-private partnership – the largest in the United States – between LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP) and the PANYNJ. LGP, a private consortium of airport experts including SWJV, will design, build, operate and maintain the Central Terminal B facility.

“ADB SAFEGATE has immense credibility in delivery of turnkey projects and their expertise in the gate area was a deciding factor to bring them on board this project,” said Bob Cranston, Skanska Walsh Joint Venture Project Manager.

Not only has demand far exceeded capacity of the aging infrastructure at LGA, the airport is situated in one of the busiest air traffic corridors in the world, is hemmed in on three sides by water and is regularly exposed to unruly weather conditions of wind and fog. The additional challenge of limited aircraft routing options, particularly in inclement weather, causes operational inconsistencies at the airport contributing to congestion and delays.

To help the airport ensure consistent performance during normal or adverse conditions, ADB SAFEGATE will automate aircraft docking at the new terminal by deploying 38 Safedock T1 A-VDGS and SAM. SAM uses the A-VDGS as intelligent sensors at each gate and will be integrated with the Airport Operational Database (AODB) and Building Management System (BMS) to provide the airport and other stakeholders with updated flight information, gate status and turn progress in real-time. The deployment also includes advanced functions such as an interface with passenger boarding bridges, an apron scan for obstacles and expanded RIDS (Ramp Information Display System) to further enhance safety and awareness at the gate.

“We are proud to have been selected by Skanska Walsh Joint Venture and to work together with LaGuardia Gateway Partners towards the modernization of LGA. We have worked with both Walsh and Skanska on other projects. The experience and professionalism of their combined team has already proven to be very effective and collaborative helping us to ensure a very smooth project. This is our fourth gate solutions project at Port Authority airports and we are committed to making this project the same success,” said Tom Duffy, Managing Director, Gate Solutions, ADB SAFEGATE Americas.

The new LaGuardia Central Terminal B will be a 1.3 million square foot, 35-gate terminal and will feature dual pedestrian bridges that span active aircraft taxi lanes – a first in the world – which will connect the main part of the terminal to two island concourses. Passengers will be able to walk above the aircraft as they make their way to their gate, all while enjoying views of the iconic Manhattan skyline. In addition, this island and bridge design will double the taxi way space to help alleviate issues with aircraft movement on the ground and ease gate access.

The redevelopment plan for LaGuardia Airport will also include new terminals to replace existing terminals C and D, an improved roadway system, new parking infrastructure and other associated projects.

Delivery, installation and commissioning of the Safedock T1 A-VDGS and SAM will take place in phases beginning early 2018 and will be completed by 2022 when the new terminal is fully operational.