The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has taken its most concrete step yet towards replacing the aging Central Terminal Building at LaGuardia International Airport, according to the Wall Street Journal, as it quietly issued a request for proposals last month with an eye on starting construction in 2014.
Port Authority is looking for proposals to finance, design and build a new terminal to be completed by 2021 at a cost of $3.6 billion. The agency wants developers to keep the terminal operational during construction and to leave room for a possible rail link, according to the Journal.
“I don’t think anybody feels it’s a 21st-century facility,” Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye said. “I think it’s inadequate from the point of view of passengers, airlines and the Port Authority.”
In addition to attracting new shops and restaurants, a redeveloped terminal could improve flight times. The current terminal was built to accommodate smaller planes that are no longer in use, and therefore force today’s larger planes to taxi to the runaway for longer periods. However, the Journal said that expansion wouldn’t come easy as the airport is already crammed into a small sliver of space between the Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing and Bowery bays.
The Port Authority plans to issue a similar request for Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A in the near future. [WSJ]
