News and Updates – FAA to Hold Meetings on LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project Environmental Study

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will host two public scoping meetings in June 2019 for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project. The meetings will help interested members of the public learn about the Port Authority of New York & New Jerseys proposed project, and help define the scope of issues to be addressed in the study.

The Port Authority is proposing to construct an elevated automated people mover that would provide direct access between LaGuardia Airport and Willets Point in Queens, where passengers can connect to the New York City subway system and the Long Island Rail Road. LaGuardia Airport is now only accessible by road.

The Port Authority intends to submit to the FAA, an application to impose and use passenger facility charges to fund the automated people mover. As a result, the FAA is the lead agency for the project and is conducting the EIS, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Scoping is a required part of the EIS process.

The public scoping meetings will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6, at the New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott Hotel at 102-05 Ditmars Blvd. in East Elmhurst, Queens. The meetings will include an open house where displays covering environmental topics can be viewed. Those who attend the meetings can make private comments to a stenographer, or complete and submit a comment card. Interested members of the public can also send comments at any time during the comment period to the following email address: comments@lgaaccesseis.com. The public comment period runs from Friday, May 3 to Monday, June 17. Comments received during scoping will be used to help define the scope of issues to be addressed in the study.

The LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project EIS will evaluate the potential cumulative environmental impacts that may result from the proposed automated people mover. The EIS will consider a range of reasonable alternatives that could potentially meet the purpose and need for the proposed project and it will evaluate a No Action Alternative.