November 15, 2022
Press Pool Story by: Colleen Wilson, NorthJersey.com
NEWARK, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy received a tour of the new Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday.
“This is a game-changer,” said Murphy. “Folks will find something that is not only modern, high-tech, open, transparent, plenty of light, easy to maneuver, but it’s Jersey.”
The significance of the $2.7 billion building was on display at its christening with 700 invitees, a procession of the state police color guard and bagpipe musicians, and a band to greet the governor and First Lady Tammy Murphy on their tour.
The December opening of the first 21 gates was slightly delayed due to “a revenue downturn” that resulted from the pandemic and slowed construction, according to Port Authority board chairman Kevin O’Toole. The 12 remaining gates will open in nine months.
United Airlines, JetBlue, Air Canada and American Airline will be the first companies to transition to the new Terminal A, with Delta moving over next year.
Bids on a more than $2 billion replacement of the Newark AirTrain came in over budget, which has delayed the bid process for construction on that project, too, but the current monorail will service the new Terminal A in the meantime.
Construction on the new facility began in 2018, the bulk of which took place during unprecedented times with the pandemic and supply chain issues from the invasion of Ukraine.
“The most extraordinary part of this is that we overcame COVID, over a year-and-a-half of decimating our labor force, men off sick on quarantine, replacements, late delivery of materials because of manufacturing problems,” said Ron Tutor, CEO of Tutor Perini, the construction company that built the new terminal.
The current Terminal A at Newark Airport was designed for nine million passengers to pass through annually, but has served millions more than that per year for years, making the building feel cramped and overall outdated. The new building will be able to handle at least 13 million passengers annually, with nearly double the number of gates as the old one, 60 kiosks that can be used by flyers from any airline to check in and take care of baggage labels, and vastly increased space and lines for security. Those parking or renting a car will be able to walk directly to that new facility, as opposed to driving to the old parking lot serviced by the previous terminal.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Rick Cotton said, “We have worked hard to create a truly New Jersey sense of place.”
The airport’s artwork features local artists, whose choosing came with the assistance of the First Lady, and bathrooms that are themed for four areas of the state, like Ocean. There are six local concession spaces of local businesses that stick out for their industrial-inspired design using shipping container framing, paying homage to the birthplace of the steel containers with Port
Newark and its cranes visible from the terminal’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
Press Pool Photos by: Chris Pedota
Govenor’s Office photos below:
