Offering views of the Manhattan skyline, the western skybridge is the second of two pedestrian skybridges connecting the Arrivals and Departures Hall to two island concourses. The western skybridge stretches 482 feet long and stands 60 feet off the ground, totaling over 34,000 square feet, and is comprised of 2,500 tons of structural steel. The first skybridge, the Eastern Concourse Pedestrian Bridge, opened in May 2021 and is approximately 420 feet long and elevated 65 feet above the ground. LaGuardia is the world’s first airport to feature two of these innovative pedestrian skybridges.
“These skybridges serve as an incredible first impression of New York for visitors and residents returning home,” said Richard Kennedy, President and CEO, Skanska USA. “Skanska is extremely proud to celebrate [the] pedestrian skybridge opening signifying how far we’ve come in delivering a new LaGuardia Terminal B worthy of the great city of New York.”
Skanska, with design joint-venture HOK and WSP, designed these innovative skybridges to span active aircraft taxi lanes to improve circulation and ultimately help reduce traveler delays.
Skanska is a founding member of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, selected in 2015 by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver this extensive capital redevelopment project — a key component of the ongoing $8-billion transformation of LaGuardia into a unified, 21st-century airport.
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Last month, Skanska celebrated the opening of the second phase of the Terminal’s 218,000-square-foot Western Concourse, featuring 55-foot-high ceilings and natural light. With this phase complete, including the opening of four new gates, all final gates of the original 1960s-era Central Terminal Building have closed. Guests no longer must traverse temporary gates or passageways, and may walk through the entire redeveloped site. The last remaining component of the Central Terminal Building is scheduled for demolition later this spring, and the project’s demo and site paving will be completed this summer.
Frank Scremin, CEO, LaGuardia Gateway Partners, said, “With the completion of this final major construction milestone, passengers traveling out of the western concourse now have a direct, seamless journey from the curb to their gate. The new Terminal B is a shining example of a 21st Century airport facility focused on passenger experience and what can be accomplished when we all work together. We’re grateful for the leadership of the NY Governor’s office and the Port Authority, and our partners Vantage Airport Group, Skanska, and Meridiam for their collaboration in making this possible.”
LaGuardia Terminal B has been honored with numerous awards for design and sustainability, including most recently UNESCO’s 2021 Prix Versailles, the global architecture and design award, for best new airport in the world. The annual award recognizes the most remarkable structures in the categories of Airports, Campuses, Passenger Stations, and Sports.
Skanska has worked closely with the Port Authority, LaGuardia Gateway Partners, and other stakeholders to implement sustainability practices across all aspects of the project. In 2021, LaGuardia Terminal B became the first airport in the world to achieve LEED v4 Gold Certification for building design and construction by the U.S. Green Building Council.
In August 2019, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) awarded the Terminal B redevelopment with the Envision Platinum Certification, the highest level of recognition within ISI’s awards program — a designation recognizing projects that lead the industry in their approach to sustainable and resilient infrastructure development. The project includes a mix of sustainable strategies, which meets specific benchmarks for energy efficiency, water conservation, site selection, material selection, and waste reduction.
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