LaGuardia Airport’s massive redevelopment begins construction

The public-private partnership LaGuardia Gateway Partners has signed a 35-year lease agreement and has negotiated the financing to begin the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport’s Central Terminal B in New York City.

The members of LaGuardia Gateway Partners—Vantage Airport Group, Skanska Infrastructure Development, and Meridian—signed the lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The $4 billion makeover is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the U.S. It includes a new 35-gate Terminal B, Central Hall, West Garage, and related roadways and support infrastructure.

The new 1.3-million-sf Central Terminal B will feature the world’s first dual pedestrian bridges that span active aircraft taxi lanes and connect the terminal to two island concourses. The bridges will improve airline circulation and gate flexibility.

The new facilities are expected to begin opening in 2018, with completion of the project scheduled for 2022. The project’s financing is a combination of equity, debt, and retail and airline revenue. (The existing terminal will stay open during construction.) Two thirds of the project are being financed by private funds.

“Today is a milestone step forward for the project, the broader New York community and the nation,” said Stewart Steeves, LaGuardia Gateway Partners’ CEO. “With the beginning of this lease, our team brings its award-winning experience to the project and will deliver a sustainably-designed, state-of-the art facility at LaGuardia Airport.”

Central Terminal B is being reconstructed to achieve LEED Silver certification.

This redevelopment is the largest project that Skanska has undertaken in its history. As a one-third partner in the consortium, its equity investment will be about $70 million. Skanska has a 70% share of the $4 billion design/build contract, the amount of which will be divided equally between Skanska USA Building and Skanska USA Civil. 

Johan Karlström, Skanska’s CEO and President, believes this partnership puts his company in a “strong position” to pursue other P3 projects in the U.S.

Skanska USA and Walsh Construction formed a design-build joint venture for this project. HOK and WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff are its design advisors. Vantage will manage the terminal operations.

The redeveloped terminal will feature pedestrian bridges over active taxi lanes that will give passengers views of the airfield and Manhattan's skyline. Rendering: LaGuardia Gateway Partners