The following information was released by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey:
Comprehensive revamping of international arrivals area nears completion
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's nearly $350 million comprehensive modernization project at Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal B is nearing completion with the final phase to upgrade the international arrivals greeting area slated to start in May, following Port Authority Board approval.
Agency commissioners authorized a $5.2 million contract at the Board's March 29 meeting to improve the experience for passengers, family and friends by transforming a cramped meet and greet area in the nearly 40-year-old facility. RCC Builders and Developers Inc. of Paterson, New Jersey, the low bidder for the project, is expected to be awarded the contract in April.
International travel has picked up markedly at Newark Liberty in recent years. The hub set a record in 2011 with 11.5 million fliers heading to and from international destinations, among the overall total 33.3 million passengers. The revamped international arrivals area is slated for completion in August 2013, marking the end of the entire terminal modernization initiative.
The Port Authority authorized the multi-phase expansion project in 2004, following agency surveys that reflected the need for improvements as well as customer dissatisfaction. Among the changes already completed to the 1973 terminal is the addition of a new level. In addition, a mid-level domestic departures hall is slated to be finished this summer, with a separate new domestic baggage carousel area and expanded security checkpoints to allow for improved security operations.
Overall, the entire project will mean a total of 2,300 direct and indirect job years, $135 million in direct wages and $575 million in total economic activity.
"Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the nation, welcoming a record number of international passengers in 2011. The Port Authority is investing $350 million in the nearly 40 year-old Terminal B, ensuring Newark Airport will be a modern state-of-the-art facility and remain an economic engine for the region," said Port Authority Chairman David Samson.
"Modernizing our aging airport terminals is a major goal for the Port Authority and completion of the renovations at Terminal B at Newark Liberty demonstrates our return to our core mission of focusing on the region's transportation infrastructure,' said Pat Foye, the Agency's Executive Director. "By year's end, we also will seek a request for information from airport operators and builders toward creating a public-private partnership to build a new Terminal A for Newark Liberty, similar to plans already underway to explore building a new Central Terminal Building at LaGuardia Airport."
"When people from across the globe arrive at Newark, they should find an airport welcome second to none," said Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni. "The Port Authority is fulfilling our commitment to making Newark Liberty Airport one of the world's best."
In addition to expanding the meet and greet area, the work on Terminal B's arrivals hall will include consolidating lost baggage offices, relocating the ground transportation desk to a more convenient location and improving travelers' aid and concession spaces. Additionally, there will be upgrades to the public address, signage, escalator, alarm and fire protection, as well as the heating and air-conditioning systems.
The Port Authority manages the majority of Terminal B, including 15 gates for the B-2 and B-3 satellite wings, as well as a 250,000 square-foot Federal Inspection Services U.S. Customs facility. Delta Air Lines manages the B-1 satellite wing and its nine gates.
The project has transformed the layout of Terminal B with international departures now operating on the upper level, international arrivals and domestic departures sharing the mid level and domestic arrivals and baggage claim on the lower level.
CONTACT:
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Ron Marsico or Sara Beth Joren, 212-435-7777
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which does not receive tax dollars from either state, operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. This includes John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; the Port Authority-Port Jersey Marine Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.
Copyright 2012 States News Service
