Newark Airport breaks ground on 2.7B new terminal

Newark Liberty International Airport is getting a new, $2.7 billion terminal meant to replace “functionally obsolete” Terminal A, the airport’s smallest terminal.Newark Liberty International Airport is getting a new, $2.7 billion terminal meant to replace “functionally obsolete” Terminal A, the airport’s smallest terminal.

On Wednesday, lawmakers and state, local and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials gathered at the site of the planned 1 million-square-foot Terminal One for a groundbreaking ceremony.

Opened in 1973, Terminal A was designed to serve up to 9 million passengers a year, but now serves more than 11 million passengers annually.

Proponents say the new terminal will provide the airport with a modern appearance, and boost Newark Airport’s capacity to handle its 43 million yearly passengers.

21 of the gates in the terminal will available for use by 2021, with 12 more gates opening the next year. Most of the gates will accommodate United Airlines, which already has the largest presence of any airliner at the airport.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-3rd District, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-19th District, were both on hand at the ceremony, as well as Tim Sullivan, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

“New Jersey’s transportation infrastructure network plays a vital role in the continued growth of our state’s economy and this project will mean tens of thousands of high-paying construction jobs and a boost to the Garden State’s long-term economy,” Sweeney said in prepared remarks.