Last summer, a report was put out by RPA entitled “Upgrading to World Class – The Future of the Region’s Airports Revisited” to address their recommendation to upgrade the region’s airports through expansions, enhanced transit connections, and climate adaptation.
The Regional Plan Association, also known as RPA, is an independent, non-profit organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve economic health, environmental resiliency and quality of life of the New York metropolitan area. With this mission in mind and the region’s three major airports ranking 1st, 3rd, and 4th for having the worst delays in the nation, RPA believed that it was time for an improvement. RPA has recommended a plan to expand Newark Liberty International (EWR) and John F. Kennedy International (JFK) airports over the next 30 – 40 years with an investment of $50.8 billion; $1.5 billion annual investment. They plan is split into phases of ten years for each main airport. In ten years, the hope is to begin the construction of the first runway at JFK and construct the new terminal A at EWR. In thirty years from now, RPA hopes to complete the JFK renovations completely, however, for EWR they are hoping to begin the construction of the new western runway, finishing the renovations forty years from now.
With these plans in mind, RPA hopes to achieve an increase in jobs as well as a decrease in delays of these airports so that they run more smoothly and in turn, save more money for participating businesses as well as passengers. Though the plan seems well thought out, many residents of the region have questions about the cost of the upgrades and where the money would be coming from. They are worried about how the funding can affect their own experience in the process of using airport transportation in the future.
