BY CYRUS STORLIE
In the wake of a $50 Billion 10-year capital spending plan introduced last December, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey presented an update on the capital projects affecting NYCs two major airports to Queens Borough President Donavan Richards Jr. and Community Board Chairs on Monday Oct. 8 at the borough hall.
Queens is home to both LaGuardia (LGA) and John F. Kennedy (JFK) international airports. Though the Port Authority’s 10-year-plan covers projects spanning the five boroughs and New Jersey, the meeting on Oct. 8 centered around past and future improvements to both airports, expansion of service and infrastructure for the Q70 bus line and an increased fee for ride-share and taxi pickups at all local airports.
Hersh Parekh, Deputy Chief of Intergovernmental Affairs for The Port Authority, started the meeting by praising the work done in the previous decade to improve both airports. With a special emphasis on LGA highlighting the renovation of terminals B and C, Parekh cited specific awards as proof of the progress LGA has made. Specifically, an award from Forbes magazine naming the airport as the best in the nation for two years running.
“10 years ago, if you look back, if you think back, our airports were the laughing stock of the nation,” said Parekh. “If you fast forward to today, the headlines are a total 180 difference.”
Turning to the future, the new plan introduces a demolition and re-construction of LGA’s terminal A. These upgrades are seen as a priority. In Parekh’s own words, the current terminal A “is where the raccoons live.”
The plan also includes expansion to the Q70 bus line, which is the only public transportation currently running to LGA. The line connects the airport to local subway lines but often sees delays on its route along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The Port Authority is looking to add a bus-only lane to this portion of the BQE in order to cut down delays. While building an entire new lane may be too costly, they are planning on expanding the current shoulder to allow for bus traffic on the side of the road. The plan also looks to increase the frequency of the line, highlighting the motto of the Q70 “Free, Fast and Frequent.”
The Port Authority is funded by fees and tools not by tax income, its budget is not reliant on funding from city, state or federal dollars. According to the presentation they are “entirely self-sustaining.”
To pay for these expansions, there has been an increased access-fee for ride-share and taxi pickups at the airports. Ride-share airport access-fees increased from $2.50 to $5.00, while taxi fees are incrementally increasing from $1.75 to $2.50 for every pickup. The cost is passed on to the riders. The Port Authority is hoping this results in larger ridership on the Q70 bus line.
At JFK, the end of 2026 is supposed to bring the opening of a new terminal 6, while terminal 1 will be opening in the first quarter of 2027. In total, 25 new gates will be opening in the airport.
“Before the end of this year we are going to see a ribbon cutting,” said Parekh. “Borough President, get your scissors ready.”
Similar to LGA, the port authority is hoping to make travelers’ journeys to JFK easier. Outlining an addition of 10 miles of new roadway around the airport, reducing driver “disicion-making points” by 30 percent. The goal of these improvements is to limit congestion and last minute merging. The air-train is also set to get more traincars as ridership increases, with current cars being taken out of rotation and replaced with up-to-date models.
Borough President Richards Jr. voiced some concerns around baggage theft at JFK and how it may cast an ill-light on the borough. Calling on an increased Port Authority police presence in the baggage claim area of the airport.
“There’s a lot of grand larceny happening at the baggage handling and those numbers are being reflected into our numbers in southern Queens,” said Richards Jr. “PA [The Port Authority] should have to answer for their stuff, rather than it being a reflection of larceny happening in our neighborhood.”
Parekh promised increased emphasis on maintaining public safety in those spaces.