The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s board of commissioners on Thursday authorized a $31.5 million rehabilitation of Taxiway P at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The airport rehab project will include the realignment of two high-speed taxiways and is estimated to create more than 200 jobs, save an average of nearly $10 million annually, and help aircraft maneuver to and from gates more efficiently.
The work will allow planes to take off at higher speeds and will reduce idle time on the runway, which will help reduce pollution, deputy executive director Bill Baroni said at the commissioners board meeting.
The 10,500-foot-long taxiway, which handles around 190,000 aircraft movements annually, is more than five decades old.
“High-speed taxiways will mean millions of customers at Newark Liberty will breathe a little easier and get home a little faster,” according to Port Authority executive director Pat Foye.
“They will help cut time to and from the gates and help reduce time spent idling on the runways.”
The authority will solicit contract bids from a publicly issued request for qualification.
Work is expected to be complete by mid-2014, with work staged to minimize disruptions to Newark Liberty flight operations, according to a statement from the port.
