Port Authority Board of Commissioners Set to Approve Funding This Week to Advance Project Recommended by Independent Panel of Transit Experts
Project Provides New Bus-Only Lanes to Bypass Traffic Congestion on Highways; Additional Frequencies to Reduce Overcrowding; and Traffic Signals That Will Prioritize the Q70 Bus to Reduce Travel Time
Governor Kathy Hochul, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today unveiled a $160 million proposal to create faster, more frequent and more reliable service on the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus line that connects the airport with the subway in Jackson Heights and the Long Island Rail Road and subway in Woodside.
“The transformation of LaGuardia airport into a world-class destination that is recognized for its excellence is an integral part of our bold vision for a new era in New York, and that starts with much needed enhancements in transportation to and from the airport,” Governor Hochul said. “This new funding will advance several transportation projects, provide new bus lanes, reduce congestion and overcrowding, and install new traffic lights to prioritize buses into the airport. I’m proud to celebrate these accomplishments and look forward to creating a world-class transit option."
The Port Authority Board of Commissioners will vote on the funding proposal at its meeting on March 27. Today’s announcement comes after months of collaboration between the PANYNJ and the MTA, the New York City Department of Transportation and the New York State Department of Transportation to move forward with the Q70 improvements, which will include:
- Traffic signals that will prioritize the Q70 bus on Roosevelt Ave and Broadway to minimize travel time
- An exclusive bus lane on the shoulder of the northbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Northern Blvd and Astoria Blvd, to increase service reliability between Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport
- Increased frequencies during peak periods (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) starting June 1 to accommodate increased ridership
- A new, specially designated bus pick-up and drop-off area near Terminal C with direct, exclusive road access to avoid congestion on the airport roads
- Wayfinding and lighting improvements at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av / 74 St () and 61 St-Woodside Stations (, LIRR) to improve the customer experience
- Enhanced branding and signage to promote the improved service
At the request of Governor Kathy Hochul, a wide-ranging analysis of transit options to LaGuardia Airport began in late 2021 and was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of well-recognized outside engineering, construction and transportation firms. The three-member independent, outside expert panel of world-class transportation leaders was established at the Governor’s request to oversee the study and to make recommendations based on the analysis, and the panel recommended substantial improvements to bus service to LaGuardia Airport.
This panel consisted of Mike Brown, former commissioner of Transport for London and former managing director of Heathrow Airport; Janette Sadik-Khan, principal at Bloomberg Associates and former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation; and Phillip A. Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport and former CEO of Los Angeles Metro. The MTA worked closely with the engineering/construction firms and the expert panel throughout the study and attended all panel meetings.
Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said, “This proposal will fund the development of the faster, more reliable mass transit link the expert panel envisioned and passengers traveling to our world class LaGuardia Airport deserve. The installation of bus-only lanes on the expressway portions of the route will create a bus link that will be a fast trip to the airport with the bus able to avoid congestion.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said, “Across the region, the Port Authority is making historic investments in new airport facilities that will be among the world’s finest. But the finest airports deserve equally modern and efficient public transportation connections, which is why the Port Authority is investing in vastly improved bus connections to LaGuardia Airport.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “There’s no reason a first-class New York travel experience should be limited to the new LaGuardia Airport. These common sense, road-tested bus improvements are going to make the ride to and from Queens a lot smoother and faster for tens of thousands of passengers.”