The remaining $10 million will fund planning for a northern expansion with six additional common-use gates. The Port Authority will develop cost estimates and construction phasing ahead of an anticipated project authorization in 2027. Those gates are planned to open in phases from 2030 through 2032.

The additions would expand the $2.7-billion Terminal A, which opened in 2023 with 33 gates and approximately 1 million sq ft of space. Port Authority has not identified a contractor for the expansion, and the southern addition remains in the design stage.

“We left room for growth back then, and now after the terminal shattered passenger forecasts, it’s time to make good on those ambitions,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said in a statement. He said the additional gates would provide new passenger space and greater flexibility for airport operations.

Terminal A was designed to accommodate about 13.6 million passengers annually, according to Munich Airport NJ, which operates the terminal. More than 18 million passengers used it in 2024, with the operator reporting an average of about 49,000 passengers processed daily that year.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) said in a statement that the expansion would help accommodate increased demand while creating jobs.

Port Authority planning documents say the additional gates would maintain terminal service levels during busy periods and irregular operations as well as accommodate passenger growth.

“These expansions at Terminal A are a critical step in our larger plan to overhaul and modernize Newark Liberty,” Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said in a statement.

Garcia said the additional gates will be built alongside a new Terminal B, a replacement AirTrain system and redesigned roadway and taxiway networks intended to increase airport capacity and reduce delays.

Delivered as part of a $1.4-billion design-build package, the terminal build was led by Tutor Perini/Parsons JV, with STV as lead design firm and structural engineer and Grimshaw among the architects. The work included associated airside and landside redevelopment, including a 1,000-ft pedestrian bridge to the consolidated rental-car facility.

Terminal A’s latest expansion is included in the Port Authority’s $45-billion capital plan for 2026 through 2035. The program calls for additional Terminal A gates alongside a new Terminal B, improvements to Terminal C, a simplified roadway network, taxiway improvements and the $3.5-billion replacement of the AirTrain Newark terminal rail connector..

Separately, construction has advanced on the $3.5-billion AirTrain replacement that ENR reported in January, including work on a new elevated guideway between the airport rail station and P4. Tutor Perini/O&G JV is designing and building the 2.5-mile guideway and three stations under a roughly $1.18-billion contract, with Parsons as lead design subcontractor. Passenger service is set to begin in 2030.

The new system is designed to handle 50,000 passengers per day, up from 33,000 on the existing AirTrain, and eliminate the current roughly 15-minute walk between the system and Terminal A.

Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).

Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.

email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591