New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Oct. 20 that the state would open design competitions to fix and upgrade New York City’s aging airports.
However, Cuomo said little about where the money would come from to pay for those multibillion-dollar renovations, improvements, and construction. Capital expenditures would normally fall to the state’s Port Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
This lack of specifics didn’t stop the governor from making design and operational suggestions himself, such as linking LaGuardia Airport to Manhattan via ferries and the Long Island Railroad, or adding a hotel to Kennedy Airport.
The New York Times reported that Republic Airport on Long Island and Stewart Airport in Hudson Valley would also be involved in this master plan. Tax-free zones would be established around those two airports to encourage business investment, according to the New York Observer.
One question that remains unanswered is how this design competition intersects with—or might potentially impede—the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s selecting a winning bid from three consortiums for the $3.6 billion construction of a new main terminal at LaGuardia. The Port Authority operates LaGuardia and Kennedy.
Cuomo didn’t think the design competition would counteract any construction contract, although he did state that the Port Authority had been moving too slowly on its plans to improve the airports.
The design competition would commence in late November, and three finalists for each airport would be chosen two months later, and awarded up to $500,000 for further development.
Vice President Joe Biden, who was with Cuomo for the announcement of the design competition, and who famously compared LaGuardia to airports in third-world countries, was noncommittal about the federal government’s financial involvement in these projects.
The area’s third big airport, Newark-Liberty in New Jersey, is not part of the design competition, but already has $8 billion earmarked for upgrades. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark handled roughly one-third of the nation’s airline flights in 2013, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.
Related Stories
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.
| May 23, 2014
Top interior design trends: Gensler, HOK, FXFOWLE, Mancini Duffy weigh in
Tech-friendly furniture, “live walls,” sit-stand desks, and circadian lighting are among the emerging trends identified by leading interior designers.
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.
| May 13, 2014
19 industry groups team to promote resilient planning and building materials
The industry associations, with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP, have issued a joint statement on resilience, pushing design and building solutions for disaster mitigation.
| May 11, 2014
Final call for entries: 2014 Giants 300 survey
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey forms are due Wednesday, May 21. Survey results will be published in our July 2014 issue. The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue.
| Apr 29, 2014
USGBC launches real-time green building data dashboard
The online data visualization resource highlights green building data for each state and Washington, D.C.
| Apr 22, 2014
Bright and bustling: Grimshaw reveals plans for the Istanbul Grand Airport [slideshow]
In partnership with the Nordic Office of Architecture and Haptic Architects, Grimshaw Architects has revealed its plans for the terminal of what will be one of the world's busiest airports. The terminal is expected to serve 150 million passengers per year.
| Apr 9, 2014
Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C
Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.
