New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a roughly $10 billion modernization of John F. Kennedy International Airport that could incorporate elements of a public-private partnership.
Cuomo pitched the project Wednesday, calling for more interconnected terminals at the New York City airport, improved AirTrain service and reducing bottlenecks on the Van Wyck Expressway that carries traffic to the airport. The Democratic governor said that the enhancements, which were recommended by an airport advisory panel he formed, could be funded in a similar fashion to a P3 implemented for the $8 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport that began last year.
"New York never backs down from a challenge, rather we step up to take on the ambitious projects that are often thought to be impossible," said Cuomo in a statement. "Our vision plan calls for the creation of a unified, interconnected airport that changes the passenger experience and makes the airport much easier to access and navigate."
State officials estimate that the number of JFK Airport passengers will nearly double in the coming decades from 60 million in 2016 up to 10 million by 2050. Cuomo said the current JFK will reach capacity by the mid-2020s.
Cuomo said the advisory panel indicated that the airport transformation could deliver "significant private sector investment" resembling the LaGuardia P3. Two-thirds of the LaGuardia project is funded by the private sector, according to Cuomo.
JFK, like LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The agency's executive director, Pat Foye, described in a statement the current state of JFK as "choked with traffic and burdened with outdated systems and decaying infrastructure" and said the improvements are needed to "meet the needs of 21st century travelers."
Cuomo's proposal includes an estimated $7 billion to $8 billion for airport enhancements and $1.5 to $2 billion for roadway improvements that would be paid for by the State Department of Transportation. Cuomo did not provide an estimate for the mass transit component of the project because different options are being explored that could include AirTrain roughly doubling its capacity to handle more than 40 million passengers a year. He also asked the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to explore the feasibility of offering a one-seat train ride to JFK.
"Expanding access to mass transit and our capacity to move people efficiently and comfortably is critical to the region's growth – and we are grateful Governor Cuomo is making rail access a priority in the transformation of JFK Airport," said MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast in a statement. "The easier mass transit is to navigate, the more people will use it."
