Cuomo announces plans for new LaGuardia airport

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday a plan to rebuild large sections of LaGuardia Airport, revamping it with a new, space-efficient layout to alleviate congestion.

The new $4 billion airport will be more structurally unified, with a single, more spacious main terminal replacing the Terminal B building. The western half of the new structure structure would be 600 feet closer to the Grand Central Parkway and would not only include new Arrivals and Departures halls but also link Terminals C and D. Meanwhile, the eastern half will be developed parallel to the Parkway.

Congestion would be further diminished by an island-gate system ringing the airport itself. In this design, passengers would reach planes via raised bridges, providing an additional two miles of taxiways for aircraft beneath.

After the Port Authority Board clears the plan early in 2016, construction is expected to begin the same year. The new airport is expected to begin its first operations in 2019.