Newark airport just hit a major redevelopment milestone as Terminal A opening is weeks away

The Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is poised to receive a major transformation in the coming years.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airport, announced on Monday the selection of a master planner responsible for developing a plan to modernize the Newark airport.

Global transportation planner Arup in partnership with SOM will be charged with executing the Port Authority’s redevelopment ambitions. Arup and SOM have worked on countless aviation projects in the past at major airports such as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and even at Newark, where SOM redeveloped Terminal C in 2003.

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COURTESY PORT AUTHORITY

The firms will analyze the existing airport capacity and build projections for growth into the 2060s and beyond. Based on those estimates, the firms will create a master plan that’ll likely include a complete transformation of the airport.

Details are light at the moment, but it appears that the Port Authority is serious about making major infrastructure changes at Newark.

These upgrades can’t come soon enough, as the airport routinely suffers from congested airside and landside areas. That’s not even to mention the below-average passenger experience that is in desperate need of a big overhaul.

The move to designate a master planner to lead the Newark redevelopment will hopefully help bring the facility into the next generation. The Port Authority is hoping to transform the New Jersey transit hub into a world-class airport much like it’s done at the LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York.

At LaGuardia, the Port Authority opened a brand-new Terminal B in mid-2020, and the project just hit 100% completion earlier this year. In June, Delta debuted an overhauled Terminal C, which features a beautiful new arrivals and departures hall as well as new gate areas, among other improvements.

COURTESY PORT AUTHORITY

While a complete redevelopment of Newark is still years away, flyers will soon get a taste of what’s to come with the opening of a brand-new Terminal A in the coming weeks.

Originally supposed to open this summer, the delayed new terminal measures more than 1 million square feet and will house 33 gates once construction is complete. At $2.7 billion, the new Terminal A represents the largest single investment in New Jersey by the Port Authority in the agency’s 101-year history.

Additionally, a consolidated rental car (ConRac) and parking garage facility are in the final stages of construction with a partial opening scheduled later this year and a full opening in 2023.

Stay tuned to TPG for more updates as the Newark redevelopment progresses!