JFK $19 Billion Project Expected to Cause Major Disruptions

JFK $19 Billion Project Expected to Cause Major Disruptions

If you are flying in or out of JFK Airport you have probably started noticing big changes. The airport is undergoing a major $19 billion project, which will impact impact the Air Train, a taxi pickup stand and more starting this week.

The project has been underway for a while now, with the aim to expand and improve one of the country’s busiest airports. Officials showed off renderings Tuesday that help to visualize the eventual outcome with brand new terminals 1 and 6 rebuilt and expanded from the ground up.

But the Port Authority hopes that it will not be a nightmare to get in and out the airport. “We don’t expect things to get that bad, what we expect is that we’ve learned our lesson at LaGuardia,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.

Check out more details about the project and what changes you might expect starting this week.

JFK Transformation – New Terminal 1

• Enormous, modern terminal with spacious ceilings to serve dozens of major international airlines and provide NY sense of place
• State of the art technology, best-in-class sustainability practices, appealing public art, and popular local New York concessions
• Majority of New gates opening in 2026

Terminal 1 Rendering – Interior

Terminal 1 Rendering – Exterior

Terminal 1 Rendering – Interior

JFK Transformation – New Terminal 6

• Spacious, airy floor-to-ceiling windows and high ceilings connected to existing Terminal 5 (JetBlue) with a NY sense of place.
• State of the art Security screening and check in facilities.
• Locally-based restaurateurs, craft beverage options and Taste of NY stores.
• Inspiring public art by New York-based artists and architectural elements depicting New York landmark.
• First gates opening in 2026.

Terminal 6 Rendering – Exterior

Terminal 6 Rendering – Exterior

Terminal 6 Rendering – Interior

JFK Transformation – The Next Few Years

The Port Authority will have a full 24/7 Airport Operations Center monitoring traffic. 

As part of the construction, there will be temporary changes to pick up areas for shared rides and taxis. As of Wednesday, the taxi pickup stand at JetBlue’s terminal 5 will no longer exist. Passengers will need to walk to a secondary location.

By Monday, the Air Train won’t stop at JFK’s Terminal 1. It will be replaced by buses. This will go on for at least 7 months.

On top of that, many of the existing roadways will be under construction. They will either undergo upgrades or get completely demolished and built again from scratch. So you should see massive traffic jams, much worse that what you’re used to at JFK. Hopefully Port Authority will indeed avoid total gridlocks that we saw at LaGuardia during construction where passenger had to walk along highways and ramps to get to terminals.

In order to avoid traffic, you should look at public transit options, the Port Authority says. Some of those options include:

• JFK AirTrain (via Jamaica or Howard Beach)
• LIRR or subway are both options
• JFK AirTrain is 20 minutes from Penn or Grand Central via LIRR
• Subway connects to AirTrain via A, E, J and Z trains
• JFK AirTrain located on LIRR main line, providing direct access from all Long Island Rail Road stations