What's Happening in Rockville Centre, NY…

Plans were recently announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to completely tear down LaGuardia Airport in favor of a new airport, although it will carry the same name.

Those who have been frustrated with crowding at LaGuardia Airport will be pleased to know that New York’s governor agrees that the airport needs to be replaced. However, Rockville Centre residents who shudder at the thought of using another airport during construction can take comfort in knowing that the old airport will hang on until the new one is completed right next to its predecessor.

Included in the new LaGuardia plans are shops, restaurants, and new parking lots. Space for a 200-room hotel is also included, as well as an onsite automated tram that passengers can ride to get to their gate. Another change will be an additional two miles of taxiing space for airplanes, made possible by terminals being closer to the parkway by 600 feet.

To raise airport patrons spirits, a postcard printing service could be employed to produce cards contrasting areas in the present airport with an artist’s rendering of those areas in the new airport.

Cuomo said construction on the first half of project will begin in early 2016 and cost $4bn. Most of the project’s first half is anticipated to be open to travelers in 2019, with the rest about 18 months down the road.