The placement of the second of two pedestrian bridges 60 ft above an active airfield last month marked the final piece of significant construction for the new $5.1-billion Terminal B at LaGuardia International Airport. Demolition of the old terminal is now underway as the largest U.S. aviation project under a public-private partnership stays on track for an on-time completion late this year.
The 482-ft-long western pedestrian bridge and the 440-ft-long eastern bridge, both 2,500 tons, are the first of their kind and opened up two miles of new taxiway space, says Jane Garvey, former Federal Aviation Administration leader and currently chair of Meridiam. The firm—along with Vantage, Skanska and JLC Infrastructure—comprises LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the development and equity investment team. Skanska Walsh is the design-build joint venture. HOK and WSP led design.