North Jersey travelers face a significant change in their travel plans due to ongoing construction at John F. Kennedy International Airport. This construction, which includes the building of two new terminals and upgrades to the airport roadways, is causing delays and requiring an extra hour of travel time.

Navigating Airport Construction: Impact on North Jersey Travelers

Construction at JFK and Its Impact

North Jersey travelers using John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City now need to budget an extra hour of travel time. This is because of the delays stemming from the construction of two new terminals and upgrades to the airport roadways. All told, it means arriving for a flight three hours early at JFK Airport instead of the typically recommended two hours early. A $19.5 billion project to build brand-new Terminals 1 and 6 is at the height of construction. Terminal 1, which will be 2.4 million square feet and open in 2026, costs $9.5 billion. Terminal 6, which is 1.2 million square feet and also opening in 2026, costs $4.2 billion. Renovations on Terminal 4 were completed this year and on Terminal 8 in 2022. Additionally, $3.9 billion worth of new roadways around the airport are slated for completion in 2026. Construction is particularly challenging as the airport needs to maintain full operations while rebuilding. The travel season is expected to be busy going into the holidays. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2023, the Transportation Security Administration screened over 91,000 passengers, and this year it screened over 105,000 passengers.

Efforts to Cut Vehicle Traffic at JFK

Since June, the Port Authority has managed to remove 4,000 daily cars from the roads going into JFK. This is thanks to efforts like the addition of peak-hour AirTrain trips from the Jamaica station, which can be reached on the E, J, and Z New York City subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. Jessica Forse, a project lead for JFK Airport, said this has been a significant step in reducing traffic. The Port Authority also slashed AirTrain fares in half over the summer to encourage more people to use public transit. They created a designated pickup and drop-off spot away from the congested terminal entrances. Passengers can take the AirTrain via the Lefferts Boulevard station to get to the pickup/drop-off area. The Port Authority said this ride takes an average of eight minutes and costs nothing for travelers.

New Terminal at Newark Liberty

Meanwhile, at Newark Liberty International Airport, the Port Authority is building on the success of its new Terminal A. In October, they unveiled a sweeping plan to modernize the rest of the 96-year-old airport, which handled a record number of passengers last year. The plan calls for a new international terminal to replace Terminal B and upgrades to Terminal C, both of which date to the 1970s. The new Terminal A could also be expanded. There would be major changes to the taxiway area for planes to reduce air traffic delays and accommodate the trend toward larger aircraft. Areas outside the terminals would be expanded and improved to provide more room for vehicles to drop off and pick up passengers and to reduce walking distances. However, the new plan is still just a concept, and actual construction is years away. The Port Authority expects to begin a two- to three-year planning process in 2025 for major elements of the redevelopment, including cost projections.Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor, and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record. Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter: @danielmunoz100 and Facebook.