DEIS released for proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed LaGuardia Airport (LGA) Access Improvement Project (AirTrain) and has opened a 45-day public comment period for the DEIS, which ends on 5 October 2020. 

The AirTrain is an automated people mover that would provide a reliable transit alternative for travellers and employees at the airport. The proposed project would include passenger stations at LaGuardia Airport that would connect with the Long Island Railroad and the New York City subway system. 

The FAA is conducting the EIS because the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) – the project’s sponsor – plans to request funding for the LaGuardia AirTrain under the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) programme. The agency is conducting the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which requires the FAA to identify and publicly disclose the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project.

The LaGuardia Airport AirTrain project’s DEIS is available for review on the project website, which also has information about how residents can comment for the record by U.S. Mail, email and through a web comment form. The FAA notified the Queens Public Library that branches can download the document for residents who are not online.

The FAA will host virtual online workshops and hearings on the LaGuardia Airport DEIS on 22, 23 and 24 September 2020. Workshops will be on 22 and 23 September and hearings will be on 22, 23 and 24 September 2020. Residents can learn about the study during the workshops and can comment for the record during the hearings. The FAA will not hold in-person workshops and hearings due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.