The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently released a report that analyzes 14 different mass transit options to LaGuardia Airport.
After reviewing the report, Options for Mass Transit Solutions to LGA, an expert panel recommended that the Port Authority move forward with improving the existing MTA Q70 LaGuardia Link bus service connecting Jackson Heights and Woodside and creating a new non-stop airport shuttle service from the terminus of the N/W subway line in Astoria.
Improvements to the existing MTA Q70 LaGuardia Link service include a mile-long exclusive bus lane built on the shoulder of the northbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Northern Blvd and Astoria Blvd, lighting, and a specially-designated bus pick-up and drop-off area near Terminal C.
The approximately $500 million shuttle service would include fully electric buses, dedicated bus lanes, and improved facilities at the Astoria-Ditmars Blvd station. It is projected to serve nearly 5 million passengers annually.
The panel felt a subway was the most effective way to move travelers from cars to mass transit, but there were serious, unresolved constructability and a cost of between $2.4 billion to $6.2 billion.
The panel was Janette Sadik-Khan, former NYC Department of Transportation commissioner; Phillip A. Washington, former Los Angeles Metro CEO; and Mike Brown, former Transport for London commissioner.