New York governor says new LaGuardia airport will be fast-tracked in bid to boost infrastructure
New York state will now focus on the possibility of starting up much-needed infrastructure projects in an effort to boost the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the rebuilding of LaGuardia airport a major focus.
Governor Andrew Cuomo mentioned infrastructure being a top priority for the state as all regions of New York except the city will be entering Phase One by Wednesday.
The reopening phase was two parts, Mr Cuomo said. The first part was to monitor regional reopenings by remaining smart about how to open industries in each area.
The second part was then to "supercharge" reopenings by accelerating long-overdue infrastructure projects like the LaGuardia airport remodel, the LaGuardia AirTrain project, and the Penn Station rebuild while usage was low.
"You have an infrastructure that's crumbling, you need to jump-start the economy, you need to create jobs, do it now," Mr Cuomo said during his press briefing on Tuesday. "It's just common sense."
Another infrastructure project the governor wanted the state to focus on was the cross-Hudson River train tunnel, which would require federal government approval.
Mr Cuomo would be travelling to Washington DC tomorrow to meet with President Donald Trump and discuss these infrastructure projects, among other issues.
"Scheduled to meet with the president to talk about a number of things," he said, mentioning the need for federal funding to help "supercharge" the listed infrastructure projects.
LaGuardia airport's $8bn rebuilding project drastically slowed down at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The goal of the project was to completely rebuild a new airport on the old one while still remaining operational for people to fly in and out of the international hub.
Construction did not completely stop for the airport, though, as Mr Cuomo deemed it an essential project to stay running during the pandemic.
The governor also said the state government would also turn its focus on reopening New York City because it was the only region yet to reach all seven requirements to enter into Phase One.
"We're going to attack the virus at its source. That will really bring the numbers down in New York City," Mr Cuomo. "We started that last week but we're really going to bring it to a new level this week."
Phase One of New York's reopening planned involved allowing construction, manufacturing, wholesale supply chain businesses to reopen. Retail stores – including clothing stores, florists, and sporting goods – could offer curbside pickup for customers.
New York state was hit the hardest by the coronavirus in the US, so the state has been slower to reopen businesses in a bid to prevent another resurgence of the novel virus. The state reported 73 deaths from Covid-19 on Monday, the lowest number the single-day death toll has reported since the pandemic started.
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