These headed to JFK Airport forward for Thanksgiving week journey ought to enable for lengthy traces amid airport development, Port Authority officers stated Monday.
“Leave at least three hours to get to the airport,” Port Authority Government Director Rick Cotton stated Monday, including, “And we urge everyone, if you’re traveling, to consider public transportation.”
The congestion warnings come as officers are already predicting a report variety of vacationers over the Thanksgiving Day weekend amid the continuing development of two new terminals. Making maters extra sophisticated, rain is within the forecast for Thanksgiving Day.
“We apologize for any inconvenience that the construction process and the traffic cause for any travelers,” Cotton stated. “But we believe — and we hope everyone will come to believe — that the pain is worth the gain.”
Airport officers anticipate 1.34 million individuals will journey by way of JFK within the coming week, 25,000 extra individuals than final 12 months’s Thanksgiving journey report. In the meantime, the $19 billion venture to construct a brand new Terminal 1 and Terminal 6 is coming into what the port government known as its “peak phase,” with added construction-related site visitors anticipated.
Evan Simko-Bednarski/NYDN
Crews work to finish JFK Airport’s new Terminal 1 — an enormous 23-gate complicated — because of open in 2026. The continued development is anticipated to contribute to congestion on the airport roads throughout the peak journey season of the winter holidays. (Evan Simko-Bednarski
“If you choose to drive this holiday season, you really can expect congestion on the airport roadways,” stated Jessica Forse, the top of the Port Authority’s terminal redevelopment venture.
In an effort to scale back automobile site visitors on the airport, Ubers, Lyfts and different automobile providers have been restricted from selecting up passengers straight from their terminals. As an alternative, Forse stated, a shuttle bus will choose up arriving passengers each 2 minutes, and take them to a parking zone on the sting of the airport the place rideshare providers can function.
Evan Simko-Bednarski /NYDN
Crews work to finish JFK Airport’s new Terminal 1 — an enormous 23-gate complicated — because of open in 2026. The continued development is anticipated to contribute to congestion on the airport roads throughout the peak journey season of the winter holidays. (Evan Simko-Bednarski
The restrictions, which have been in impact since July, have thinned terminal site visitors by about 4,000 autos a day, Forse stated.
For-hire autos can nonetheless drop passengers off straight at their terminal.
Port Authority officers additionally inspired passengers to take the AirTrain.
Evan Simko-Bednarski /NYDN
Crews work to finish JFK Airport’s new Terminal 1 — an enormous 23-gate complicated — because of open in 2026. The continued development is anticipated to contribute to congestion on the airport roads throughout the peak journey season of the winter holidays. (Evan Simko-Bednarski
For customers of mass transit, an AirTrain connection from the Lengthy Island Rail Street or the A practice will value $8.50.
However those that drive to the JFK’s Lefferts Boulevard parking zone — thought-about a part of the airport — can trip the AirTrain to their terminal without cost.
Requested if the Port Authority can be discounting the $8.50 fare for straphangers, Cotton stated there was no plan to take action right now.
However the scenario is unlikely to resolve earlier than the following vacation rush.
The brand new terminals — Terminal 1, an enormous 23-gate, 7.4 million sq. foot hub for worldwide flights, and Terminal 6, a smaller constructing anticipated to share home and worldwide flight duties — are because of open in 2026.
