It has been years within the making, and the end line is now nearby: The remodeled John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) is just a bit greater than a 12 months away from opening.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages and oversees the airport, has undertaken an enormous $19 billion transformation challenge throughout the complete airport. The challenge contains two brand-new terminals, renovated concourses at current terminals and a totally optimized roadway construction.
Highlighting the redevelopment challenge is little doubt the airport’s new flagship Terminal One, which is able to turn into the biggest and maybe most iconic portal to the worldwide airport that’s the gateway to New York. (In reality, it’s going to be almost the identical dimension as two new terminals at LaGuardia Airport mixed.)
With 23 gates spanning greater than 2.4 million sq. ft, this terminal is poised to turn into one of many nicest in the complete nation.
Whereas the primary part of the brand new Terminal One will not open till 2026, work is effectively underway — it is almost 50% there, in response to the Port Authority — with main upcoming milestones, together with the terminal changing into weathertight, slated to occur within the coming weeks.
As building progresses, the Port Authority invited choose media retailers for a hard-hat tour of the brand new Terminal One on Monday.
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In opposition to the backdrop of what is poised to be the airport’s busiest — and most annoying — vacation journey season ever, there’s a number of pleasure build up. Here is every little thing you want to know.
JFK’s new Terminal One
When full, the brand new Terminal One will measure a whopping 2.4 million sq. ft, making it the biggest terminal at JFK and among the many largest nationwide.
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It’s going to sit on the positioning of the present Terminal 1, in addition to the previous websites of Terminals 2 and three.
Proper now, building is targeted on the primary departures and arrivals headhouse and the primary concourse of gates, which is able to open in 2026. (The remainder of the terminal will open in 2030.)
Stepping inside the brand new Terminal One reveals a surprising new facility that is more likely to impress even probably the most refined frequent flyers who’ve handed by way of the likes of Dubai and Singapore.
The departures space, which shall be on the third stage of the headhouse, is drenched with pure mild and supported by visually interesting columns that make for a dramatic entrance.
There shall be 4 check-in islands servicing a number of airways, in addition to a centralized safety space that’ll funnel into the second stage of the headhouse.
The present safety setup in Terminal 1 is probably the worst within the nation, so this one will undoubtedly be an improve. (In spite of everything, merely including extra capability could be sufficient to improve the present setup.)
After clearing safety, you may descend one stage to the airside departure space. That is the place you may discover loads of concessions and a handful of to-be-announced airline lounges.
This foremost space will then be related to 2 concourses, every with 10 wide-body-capable gates. The headhouse itself may have three gates related on to it.
The primary concourse to open would be the one going through the east aspect of the airport. (The second concourse, which shall be on the west aspect of the terminal, will not be constructed till the present Terminal 1 is demolished.)
The gate areas will function two ranges: a foremost stage for passengers and one other for airline lounges. This structure ought to be largely harking back to the setup in JFK’s current Terminal 4.
Whereas it is exhausting to get a way of how the terminal will look as soon as full, I really like the usage of glass to maximise the quantity of pure mild that streams into the house.
Plus, in case you squint exhausting sufficient, chances are you’ll even catch a glimpse of Manhattan within the distance.
One other large improve would be the location of the Customs and Border Safety facility, which shall be on the third stage of the terminal.
This implies arriving passengers will not be funneled into some basement dungeon within the bowels of JFK as their first entry level into the U.S.
After clearing immigration, passengers will take escalators right down to the arrivals stage, the place customs, baggage declare and floor transportation shall be situated.
The brand new Terminal One shall be related to the AirTrain through the present cease for the outdated Terminal 1. The Port Authority is constructing a climate-controlled bridge connecting the station to the brand new terminal.
Talking of floor transportation, the Port Authority is presently constructing a brand new roadway community at JFK that features a new parking storage and expanded terminal frontages. Till this work is full in 2026, vacationers are suggested to count on lengthy delays when arriving or departing by automobile.
Vacation visitors chaos
Whereas the brand new Terminal One will seemingly be well worth the wait, Rick Cotton, the chief director of the Port Authority, is reminding passengers that “that is the biggest infrastructure challenge within the nation.”
With that, he expects “unprecedented challenges” in terms of navigating round JFK in the course of the busy vacation season (the Port Authority is forecasting 25,000 extra passengers throughout Thanksgiving week in comparison with final 12 months’s historic excessive) and into subsequent 12 months.
“We’re rebuilding JFK whereas sustaining full operations,” Cotton stated, reminding passengers as soon as once more to take a look at the company’s journey suggestions in the event that they’re heading to the airport within the coming months. (My favourite tip is to take the AirTrain to keep away from the mess completely.)
A part of the chaos is the relocation of ride-hailing providers at three airport terminals (4, 5 and seven), together with frequent lane closures and everlasting reroutes till the transformation challenge is full.
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On the finish of the day, “we all know that vacationers will see that the ache is well worth the achieve,” however within the meantime, you should definitely pack your persistence and arrive early in case you’re flying from JFK.
New Terminal 6
The opposite new terminal being constructed at JFK is Terminal 6. Whereas no media previews had been supplied, this house can be anticipated to open in 2026.
As soon as full, this $4.2 billion challenge will span 1.2 million sq. ft and supply 10 new gates — 9 of which might deal with wide-body jets. The brand new terminal is being constructed adjoining to the present Terminal 5, which is dwelling to JetBlue Airways’ JFK hub.
As soon as full, the 2 terminals shall be related airside, giving flyers a extra seamless connecting expertise.
When it first opens in 2026, solely 5 of the terminal’s 10 gates shall be prepared; the remaining 5 are as a consequence of be accomplished by 2028.
Backside line
JFK airport officers took the wraps off the development taking place on the airport’s new Terminal One, which is bound to be a significant improve to the airport expertise.
Regardless that a lot work nonetheless must be completed, the power because it stands right now is a harbinger of fine issues to come back for JFK.
After all, the timing of the development course of signifies that vacationers will undergo by way of a number of visitors and roadway closures for the foreseeable future.
Nevertheless it’ll be well worth the wait.
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