(Bloomberg) -- Newark Liberty International Airport is embarking on a major overhaul of its terminals, air train and parking facilities, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Thursday.
The project will span four decades and a cost analysis hasn’t yet been provided, according to officials from the bistate agency that oversees the New York City-area airports and seaports.
A significant feature of the so-called “EWR Vision Plan” is building a new, world-class international terminal to replace Terminal B — an outdated segment that dates back to the 1970s in desperate need of refurbishment. The proposal also calls for enhancing Terminal C. Both facilities will be spacious and streamlined to accommodate passenger growth and allow for future expansion if needed, according to a Thursday release.
The airport, a hub for United Airlines Holdings Inc., is located about 15 miles from midtown Manhattan and currently contains three runways, three terminals and 110 gates.
The facility is “heavily constrained with increased passenger volume,” said Jacquelene McCarthy, director of aviation redevelopment at the Port Authority, in a press conference. More than 49 million people passed through Newark Liberty in 2023, a record and a 6% increase over the previous high set in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic, according to agency figures.
The increase in passenger traffic was accompanied by challenges like insufficient taxiways, gate capacity and aircraft parking which “cascades into numerous delays, making us one of the most delayed airports in the country,” McCarthy said.
Those constraints were a factor in the $2.7 billion redevelopment of Terminal A, which opened last January, as the largest design-build project in New Jersey history. The new 1 million-square-foot terminal replaced the previous structure that opened in 1973. The facility holds 33-gates and features new concourses, digital technology, modern passenger amenities, dining and retail options and a public art program showcasing dozens of local artists.
“Newark’s Terminal A is an extraordinary terminal built for modern air travel,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton in a release. The plan released Thursday lays out a “a blueprint to transform the airport to accommodate future growth,” he said.
The Port Authority expects to begin a two- to three-year planning process in 2025 for major elements of the redevelopment, including cost projections and project delivery alternatives, according to the release.
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