CRAFT AND NOW THEY’RE ASSUMING
THAT IT CRASHED ON THE MOON. >>> ALL RIGHT.
FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS AT
LEAST MUCH OF JFK WILL BE A
CONSTRUCTION SITE.
TAKE A LOOK.
THIS HEAVY CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT WORKING ON TERMINAL 1.
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL. AND THERE’S MORE.
JFK IS WARNING TRAVELERS TO BE
READY FOR GRID LOOK NEAR THE
AIRPORT AS THE $19 BILLION
RENOVATION PROJECT PICKS UP
STEAM.
NEWS 4’S ANDREW SIFF HAS THE
DETAILS.
>> Reporter: A TRANSFORMATION
DECADES IN THE MAKING.
THE HEAVY MACHINERY NOW ON THE
GROUND AT JFK TASKED WITH
TURNING THE TRI-STATE AREA’S BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
INTO SOMETHING MODERN WITHIN
THREE YEARS.
>> THIS IS A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING.
>> Reporter: THE $9.5 BILLION
TERMINAL 1 THE MOST EXTENSIVE
PART OF THE PROJECT.
THE 1.5 BILLION TERMINAL 4 FOR DELTA ALREADY DONE.
A NEW $4 BILLION TERMINAL 6 WITH INVESTORS LIKE JETBLUE.
AND THE NOW FINISHED $400
MILLION TERMINAL 8 FOR AMERICAN
AIRLINES.
PHASE 1 COMPLETION SET FOR 2026. NOW, CONSTRUCTION IS ALREADY
UNDER WAY, BUT REALLY GETS GOING
IN FULL FORCE ON MAY 1st.
AND THAT’S WHEN EXECUTIVES ARE
HOPING TO AVOID A REPEAT OF WHAT
HAPPENED AT LaGUARDIA.
REMEMBER THIS? PASSENGERS WALKING NEXT TO THE
GRAND CENTRAL PARKWAY TO BEAT
THE LaGUARDIA GRIDLOCK?
>> WE DON’T EXPECT THINGS TO GET
THAT BAD. WHAT WE EXPECT IS THAT WE’VE
LEARNED OUR LESSON. >> Reporter: SO THEY’VE OPENED
AN AIRPORT OPERATIONS CENTER AT
JFK WHERE TRAFFIC ENGINEERS ARE
MONITORING CONDITIONS AROUND THE
CLOCK.
>> WE MIGHT PROACTIVELY MITIGATE
AND CLOSE THE ACCESS TO THE
PARTIAL LEVEL AND PUSH ALL THE
TRAFFIC DOWN TO THE ARRIVALS
LEVEL. >> Reporter: OTHER CHALLENGES,
THE AIR TRAIN WON’T STOP AT
TIRNL 1 FOR THE NEXT SEVEN
MONTHS AND THIS TAXI STAND AT
TERMINAL 5 WILL BE MOVED
CREATING A TEN-MINUTE WALK FOR A
CAB.
>> BIG HEADACHE? SMALL HEADACHE?
AND I DON’T THINK IT’S A BIG
HEADACHE AT ALL AS LONG AS YOU
GET THERE, YOU HAVE QUICK ACCESS
IN AND OUT OF THE AIRPORT.
>> Reporter: THE GOAL OF COURSE
IS EVENTUALLY PASSENGERS DELIVER RAVE REVIEWS.
ONCE UNIMAGINABLE AT THE OTHER
QUEENS AIRPORT UNTIL AN $8
BILLION RENOVATION DID THE
TRICK. >> LaGUARDIA’S NICER --
>> PROBABLY MY FAVORITE AIRPORT.
>> Reporter: AIRPORT EXECUTIVES
SEEM CONFIDENT A MODERNIZATION TWICE THAT SIZE WILL WORK
SIMILAR WONDERS AT KENNEDY, BUT