La Guardia Airport to Get $4bn Overhaul by 2021

New York governor Andrew Cuomo and vice president Joe Biden presented LaGuardia Airport's overhaul plans on Monday.

According to the vision, La Guardia will be renovated into a single, structurally unified main terminal with expanded transportation access, best-in-class passenger amenities and considerably increased taxiway space.

LaGuardia Gateway Partners will manage the construction on the first half of the new unified terminal, which is estimated to cost $4 billion. The project is expected to create 8,000 direct jobs and further 10,000 indirect jobs.

Construction will probably begin in the first part of 2016, when the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is likely to give its approval.

In 2019, it is expected the majority of this first half of the project will be open to passengers, while the completion is scheduled for 18 months later.

Delta Air Lines is expected to redevelop the second half of the new unified terminal after the carrier backed the new vision. The airline wants to complete the new unified airport by overhauling its terminals on a parallel track with the LaGuardia Gateway Partners.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "New York had an aggressive, can-do approach to big infrastructure in the past – and today, we're moving forward with that attitude once again."

"We are transforming LaGuardia into a globally-renowned, 21st century airport that is worthy of the city and state of New York.

"It's the perfect metaphor for what we can accomplish with the ambition and optimism and energy that made this the Empire State in the first place, and I want to thank our many partners for helping us in building the airport that New York deserves."