Anyone whose experienced LaGuardia Airport knows it's in desperate need of the major overhaul announced last July by Governor Cuomo and Vice President Biden; everyone also knows that the overhaul, like many public infrastructure projects in New York City, will take way longer and cost way more than the officials laid out. Case in point: the Wall Street Journal reports that the the overhaul will now cost about $4.2 billion, or $200,000,000 more than initially anticipated. And work hasn't even begun yet.
The new estimate arises after a few design changes related to the plan to raze Terminal B and build out a new Central Terminal. WSJ notes that a 2014 estimate totaling $3.6 billion from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the airport, didn't include the plan for a new Central Terminal. An exact plan for replacing the terminal is expected to surface in the coming months.
Here's how the costs for the project are expected to break down, according to a resolution released by the Port Authority on Friday: $3.93 billion will go to the rebuild of Terminal B/the Central Terminal and infrastructure that will connect it to the rest of the airport, $147 million will go to payroll and the Port Authority's overhead, $96 million will go to third-party consultants, and $36 million will be spent on constructing a temporary parking deck.
Also in discussion is lifting the ban on flights over 1,500 miles from LaGuardia, but a senior official at the Port Authority said the agency probably wouldn't consider lifting it until the fall. As of right now, the Central Terminal is expected to open by the end of 2021, but we'll see about that.
· La Guardia Airport Revamp Pegged At $4.2 Billion [WSJ]
· Behold, the First Glimpse of a Revamped LaGuardia Airport [Curbed]
· Will LaGuardia Airport's Makeover Actually Be Good For NYC? [Curbed]
· All LaGuardia Airport coverage [Curbed]
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