FAA approves $2 billion LaGuardia AirTrain project
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The LaGuardia Airport AirTrain was approved by the FAA on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Rendering via Governor’s office/Flickr
By Jacob Kaye
Despite delaying the project last month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved LaGuardia’s $2 billion AirTrain project Tuesday.
The controversial elevated rail set to link subway and Long Island Railroad riders to LaGuardia Airport, has been championed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who called Tuesday’s decision “the culmination of years of advocacy.”
“The new LaGuardia Airport – the first new airport in the United States in over 25 years and the front door of New York – deserves a reliable, efficient, and affordable transit connector worthy of its destination,” Cuomo said in a statement. “With the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval today of the LaGuardia AirTrain, that’s exactly what New Yorkers will get.”
According to its supporters, the AirTrain, which is part of an $8 billion upgrade to the airport, will cut the commute from midtown Manhattan to the Northwest Queens airport down to 30 minutes.
The project would pick up and drop off riders at Willets Point – connecting with the 7 train and the LIRR Port Washington branch – and take them on a 6 minute elevated journey along the Flushing Bay and through a portion of East Elmhurst, according to project proposals.
“Today’s Record of Decision from the Federal Aviation Administration approving the LaGuardia AirTrain clears the way to provide a reliable, predictable and non-polluting rail link to LaGuardia Airport,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Once complete, the LaGuardia AirTrain will fulfill Governor Cuomo’s vision for a new, 21st century LaGuardia Airport, which will at long last have the modern and efficient rail access that is essential to meeting the global standards of today’s travelers.”
The Port Authority has promised the project will create 3,000 construction jobs and $500 million in contracts for minority and women owned businesses.
In its decision, the FAA called the project “reasonable, feasible, practicable, and prudent,” despite raising concerns about alternative routes that may prove more practical during previous reviews of the project.
Queens Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Grech celebrated the FAA’s approval of the project Tuesday.
“The Queens Chamber of Commerce is delighted that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved The LaGuardia AirTrain, a project that will be a boon to Queens’ business community and our entire region,” Grech said. “This investment in LaGuardia Airport will catalyze economic activity that supports local businesses and local communities, and comes at a time when many small businesses in Queens are struggling to survive after a difficult year.”
The FAA’s final decision on the project was stalled in June after concerns were raised over the project’s environmental review process by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who joined a growing coalition of community leaders and organizations opposed to the project.
Ocasio-Cortez said the money for the project would divert needed funds from the surrounding community, which was hit particularly hard by the pandemic. She also said the project caters to Manhattanites and tourists trying to get to the airport once called a “third world country” by President Joe Biden before he was elected.
“The community surrounding LaGuardia was among the hardest hit by COVID-19, and many of its residents are now facing eviction or other serious economic consequences of the pandemic,” Ocasio-Cortez said last year. “It would be the ultimate insult to finally send aid to this community in the form of a project that they firmly oppose and that could further jeopardize their health and safety.”
Additionally, opponents of the project said the AirTrain would be a nuisance and cause pollution during construction, something the FAA found to be true in its own assessment of the project.
The agency found that the surrounding residential area would “disproportionately experience high and adverse noise and vibration impacts” during construction and significant light emissions once the link is in operation.
The elevated rail would also obstruct the views of the Flushing Bay for nearly 100 homes close to the proposed route, according to the Associated Press.
“This is a huge slap in the face by [Cuomo] to the residents of East Elmhurst,” State Senator Jessica Ramos said on Twitter following the FAA’s decision. “COVID has already taken a devastating toll on our neighbors. The last thing we need is a multi-billion dollar vanity project that will further affect the health and well-being of our communities.”
