Although the development of public-private partnerships WSP has been at the forefront of this type of initiative as one of the original founders of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the team behind the design and construction of the LaGuardia Gateway, and as one of the founders of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the team behind the design and construction of the LaGuardia Gateway. new central terminal building at New York's LaGuardia airport. The total projected cost of the terminal is $3.6 billion, making the project one of the largest public-private partnerships in the United States. Specifically, the private sector will provide more than $2 billion for the construction of the new terminal and supporting infrastructure, while the port authorities will contribute more than $1 billion.
LaGuardia Gateway Partners was selected for the project by the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Partners include WSP and HOK as the design consortium; Skanska and Meridiam as the development and capital investment sponsors; Skanska and Walsh Construction as the construction consortium; and Vantage Airport Group as the operations manager.
LaGuardia Airport, originally built in 1964, made US headlines in 2014, when the airport was described as a "third world building" due to its dilapidated state and found to be in need of refurbishment in order to improving the passenger experience. The main refurbishment project involves the creation of a new central entrance to the building and the unification of the previously unconnected terminals to serve approximately 50 % of the passengers accessing the facility. The new terminal will have a annual capacity of 17 million passengers and will be adapted to accommodate a higher volume of passengers in the future with modern check-in and baggage handling systems, a retail and catering area, a hotel and a business and conference centre. It will also have bridges connecting the train station with large, bright areas from which passengers will have a bird's eye view of airside activities and other areas.
Basic services include transport services such as a shuttle service and an automated shuttle for passengers to move from one end of the airport to the other. Once the project is completed, LaGuardia to become a first-class airport for New York and its visitors with a high operational levelboth during construction and during long-term operations.
The first area is expected to open to the public by the end of 2018. The main terminal building, which will house baggage services, security and shops, is scheduled to open in 2020. Full completion of the project is scheduled for 2022. WSP is acting as engineer of record throughout the construction process.
Tina Millan
Senior Vice President
National Director of Aviation Services
WSP USA
