Following a month-long public comment period, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Board of Commissioners has approved the agency’s US$9.4bn 2025 budget, which includes US$4.1bn in operating expenses, US$3.6bn in capital expenses, and US$1.7bn for debt service and deferred expenses. The investment level spans the redevelopment of the region’s major airports.
PANYNJ’s infrastructure construction plans
The capital spending in the 2025 budget will fund: major construction progress at John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport on the supporting infrastructure for new terminals 1 and 6, as well as the rebuilding of the entire airport roadway network as part of the airport’s transformation into a world-class gateway; the planning and design work needed to move forward on the EWR Vision Plan to transform Newark Liberty into a 21st-century international gateway with a new on-airport mass transit system serving all terminals that will replace the existing AirTrain Newark that opened in the 1990s; and the project to add pedestrian access from underserved Newark and Elizabeth communities to the Newark Airport Rail Link station, expanding mass transit and airport access for people in those communities seeking faster options to employment at the airport or in New York City via NJ Transit or Amtrak.
The agency has also allotted more than US$1bn in next year’s budget – the agency’s largest allocation – to enhance infrastructure safety and security, including new technology and initiatives to address evolving cybersecurity threats. It also added 109 new cadets to the Port Authority Police Department – a highly diverse class that represents the agency’s continued commitment to a police force representative of the communities that it serves.
Investing the future
“For over a century, the port authority has been a pillar of imagination and innovation, shaping infrastructure that endures and evolves with this dynamic region,” said port authority chairman Kevin O’Toole. “This budget continues our effort to set a bold new standard for that work. We’re investing significant money to keep the pedal to the metal on what has become the most ambitious capital program in our 103-year history, overhauling, modernizing and refreshing this region’s critical infrastructure as we chart a course to keep our region moving into an even stronger future.”
“The port authority is rewriting the story of regional infrastructure. We’ve seen LaGuardia rise from worst to first, JFK undergoing a sweeping transformation, Newark Liberty unveil its world-class Terminal A, and the busiest vehicular bridge in the world undergo a comprehensive renewal,” said port authority executive director Rick Cotton. “As we move into 2025 and begin early works construction for a new Midtown Bus Terminal, we are laser-focused on building a future that will benefit this region for generations to come. This budget acknowledges our agency’s extraordinary momentum with ambitious projects that deliver lasting value.”
In related news, PANYNJ and Arup have revealed the team delivering the art, branding and digital experience program for the New Terminal One (NTO) at John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Click here to read the full story.