JFK Airport: What’s finished and what’s left to do in $19B project
Traffic congestion continues to aggravate some motorists as a yearslong, $19 billion makeover remains ongoing at Kennedy Airport, but officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said this week that progress is being made on the overall project.
Smithtown resident Linda West, who runs Heart Wheels Senior Transportation and shuttles people who have mobility issues, said Wednesday that driving at the airport lately has been a “nightmare.”
West said she’s confused by the road construction, calling the transportation hub “a bit of a mess and it just seems like it’s never-ending.”
Port Authority’s JFK general manager Teresa Rizzuto said in a statement provided to Newsday that rebuilding the airport while serving passengers “is an exceedingly complex project that has also made getting to and from JFK a challenge for many of our customers during busy travel seasons.”
Rizzuto also said agency officials realized there also would be “inconvenience” during the upcoming summer travel season, but added that “the end result will be a spectacular new airport that will be easier to reach and a pleasure to use.”
She suggested that airport patrons who must drive to the facility prebook parking to guarantee a spot and repeated prior recommendations.
Port Authority officials previously have urged passengers to use mass transit and large billboards on airport grounds apologize “for any inconvenience.” Other signs aim to steer travelers to a parking lot on Lefferts Boulevard in South Ozone Park, Queens, that opened last June where the AirTrain stops – providing a free, quick ride to the airport.
Last spring, the Port Authority opened an airport operations center to oversee and manage traffic and the agency said it would make changes to roadway construction plans when necessary.
Former Bellmore resident Nancy Antonius, 77, who arrived at JFK on Wednesday from Palm Springs, California, was using the AirTrain to connect to the Long Island Rail Road.
“It’s easier for me,” she said, comparing it to a car pickup.
Antonius also said the old JFK was “outdated” and complimented some of the renovations that have been completed.
Here’s a look at where the construction project currently stands, according to Port Authority officials:
At a price tag of $9.5 billion, this is the largest part of the project and broke ground in September 2022. The terminal sits on the south side and is being built on the existing Terminal 1 site, plus those that once housed Terminals 2 and 3. In 2026, 14 new gates plus an arrivals and departures hall will open. The final nine gates will open in 2030.
The $1.5 billion rehab by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal, which operates the terminal, is nearly complete. The new modern terminal now has an additional 460,000 square feet and Delta is able to run all its operations from that terminal, whereas it used to operate from two terminals. The project added 10 new aircraft parking positions and an additional domestic baggage claim carousel.
The $4.2 billion dollar renovation at Terminal 6 on the airport’s north side will turn it into a 1.2 million-square-foot terminal with 10 international gates, some of which are scheduled to open in 2026. A second phase of construction then will begin with the tearing down of the existing Terminal 7, which will extend Terminal 6. It will be completed by 2028.
The $400 million revamping by American Airlines debuted to the public in late 2022, and includes an addition of 130,000 square feet and five new gates that fit wider aircraft. Lounges, enhanced baggage systems and state-of-the-art check-in areas are among the new amenities.
There is a $125 million concessions redevelopment underway, which broke ground in 2024. Several new concessions and retail spaces already have opened to the public, with most of it expected to open later this year.
Traffic congestion continues to aggravate some motorists as a yearslong, $19 billion makeover remains ongoing at Kennedy Airport, but officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said this week that progress is being made on the overall project.
Smithtown resident Linda West, who runs Heart Wheels Senior Transportation and shuttles people who have mobility issues, said Wednesday that driving at the airport lately has been a “nightmare.”
West said she’s confused by the road construction, calling the transportation hub “a bit of a mess and it just seems like it’s never-ending.”
Port Authority’s JFK general manager Teresa Rizzuto said in a statement provided to Newsday that rebuilding the airport while serving passengers “is an exceedingly complex project that has also made getting to and from JFK a challenge for many of our customers during busy travel seasons.”
Rizzuto also said agency officials realized there also would be “inconvenience” during the upcoming summer travel season, but added that “the end result will be a spectacular new airport that will be easier to reach and a pleasure to use.”
She suggested that airport patrons who must drive to the facility prebook parking to guarantee a spot and repeated prior recommendations.
Port Authority officials previously have urged passengers to use mass transit and large billboards on airport grounds apologize “for any inconvenience.” Other signs aim to steer travelers to a parking lot on Lefferts Boulevard in South Ozone Park, Queens, that opened last June where the AirTrain stops – providing a free, quick ride to the airport.
Last spring, the Port Authority opened an airport operations center to oversee and manage traffic and the agency said it would make changes to roadway construction plans when necessary.
Former Bellmore resident Nancy Antonius, 77, who arrived at JFK on Wednesday from Palm Springs, California, was using the AirTrain to connect to the Long Island Rail Road.
“It’s easier for me,” she said, comparing it to a car pickup.
Antonius also said the old JFK was “outdated” and complimented some of the renovations that have been completed.
Here’s a look at where the construction project currently stands, according to Port Authority officials:
At a price tag of $9.5 billion, this is the largest part of the project and broke ground in September 2022. The terminal sits on the south side and is being built on the existing Terminal 1 site, plus those that once housed Terminals 2 and 3. In 2026, 14 new gates plus an arrivals and departures hall will open. The final nine gates will open in 2030.
The $1.5 billion rehab by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal, which operates the terminal, is nearly complete. The new modern terminal now has an additional 460,000 square feet and Delta is able to run all its operations from that terminal, whereas it used to operate from two terminals. The project added 10 new aircraft parking positions and an additional domestic baggage claim carousel.
The $4.2 billion dollar renovation at Terminal 6 on the airport’s north side will turn it into a 1.2 million-square-foot terminal with 10 international gates, some of which are scheduled to open in 2026. A second phase of construction then will begin with the tearing down of the existing Terminal 7, which will extend Terminal 6. It will be completed by 2028.
The $400 million revamping by American Airlines debuted to the public in late 2022, and includes an addition of 130,000 square feet and five new gates that fit wider aircraft. Lounges, enhanced baggage systems and state-of-the-art check-in areas are among the new amenities.
There is a $125 million concessions redevelopment underway, which broke ground in 2024. Several new concessions and retail spaces already have opened to the public, with most of it expected to open later this year.
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