At a luncheon on January 4, 2017 in New York City hosted by The Association for a Better New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a 10 Billion dollar project to update and connect John F. Kennedy Airport with the rest of the region. The recommended plan provided by Dan Tishman on behalf of the Airport Advisory Panel addresses connecting the terminals, considers building new terminals and consolidating older terminals, access and increase Cargo and aircraft maintenance and operations support areas.
The plan also includes re-routing the highways leading into the airport and the roadways within the airport as well as expanding the transit systems used by passengers and employees by increasing the number of AirTrain cars. There is also a need to overhaul the Jamaica Station and possibly having LIRR direct to JFK Airport from Penn Station New York, Grand Central Terminal, and/ or Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue/Barclays.
Although specific funding plans were not mentioned, Cuomo’s approach to funding the estimated $10 billion JFK project would be similar to that employed at LaGuardia Airport, where there is a public-private partnership with the private entity LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP). “We can drive up to $7 billion in private capital [at JFK],” predicted Dan Tishman, CEO of Tishman Construction Company and the head of Cuomo’s Airport Master Plan Advisory Panel.
JFK Airport is currently ranked at #59 of the world’s top 100 airports. JFK Airport served 60 million passengers in 2016 and supported 285,000 jobs in region according to PANY/NJ.
These proposed project plans will provide passengers, employees and the community with World Class facilities with future growth, safety and security in mind.
