$316m AirTrain facility enters final phase.

Following the successful launch of the Airtrain service to John F. Kennedy International Airport last year, work on the $316 million multi-modal facility at Jamaica Station, Queens, has moved into the final phase.

The complicated construction project to build a mezzanine bridge to link a public concourse to the LIRR and subway lines is being performed while the station remains fully operations, serving 300,000 passengers daily.

"One of the biggest challenges we are facing is that Jamaica Station is an active train station and the main hub for the LIRR, the largest commuter railroad in the nation," said Glen Johnson, project manager for Tishman Construction Corporation which, in a joint venture with Bechtel Infrastructure, is collaborating with The Port Authority's own construction team and overseeing building of the Jamaica Control Center (JCC)/ Vertical Circulation Building (VCB).

"Much of the work we are doing with Bechtel within the train station is being performed at night or on the weekends. An aggregate of millions of passengers literally roll by, largely unaffected by this huge undertaking in the making."

The year-end inauguration of John F. Kennedy International Airport's new AirTrain service added another important link in the Northeast Corridor's vast rail transportation system.

With the opening of the critical AirTrain Terminal at Jamaica Station, Queens, by The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, the all-encompassing, $316million, multi-modal JCC/VCB project moved into its final phase.

At this new facility, AirTrain JFK passengers can connect directly to several city subway lines, buses, and the Long Island Rail Road.

The new AirTrain system links the VCB to JFK's airline terminals, car rental agencies and employee/ long-term parking lot, tying them into New York's regional transportation matrix. The trip from Midtown Manhattan to JFK now takes less than 45 minutes.

Designed by Port Authority architects and engineers, the JCC/VCB is truly intermodal in nature. Passengers are able to connect in Jamaica with the new, 8.1-mile, $1.9-billion AirTrain JFK, 740 daily Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains, three New York City Transit subway lines, and a dozen local bus lines to points across Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan--inclusive of Penn Station.

Daniel R. Tishman, Chairman & CEO of Tishman Construction Corporation, said: "We are proud to be playing a part in bringing this critical piece of New York's transportation infrastructure to life. "Planners have long recognized the need for such a project, and with the cooperation of The Port Authority, other consultants, the state government, and thousands of construction workers, it is becoming a reality. This project will further empower the region to attract and retain business, bolster the multi-billion dollar tourism industry and help rejuvenate the economy of the Jamaica and regional business communities."

Tishman and Bechtel have completed the VCB, which is presently open to the public, and the base building work on the JCC, which will house administrative offices for the LIRR and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Police on five floors.

The heart of the passenger portion within the Terminal is the fourth-floor AirTrain Public Concourse, which opened in late December, and features the potential for baggage check-in and ticketing, and connects to the AirTrain platform.

The final phase of construction entails building a mezzanine bridge, having a segmented-arch, barrel-vault "portal" overhead, which will link the public concourse to the LIRR and subway lines.

The bridge serves a dual function as the new mezzanine for transfers between LIRR platforms and the subway station. The project's scope also includes renovations and improvements to the subway mezzanine level, in addition to the resurfacing of LIRR plat forms and renovation of canopies.

The first floor of the Terminal has a street-level entrance and provisions for a vehicle drop-off area; this portion opens to a nine-story, 2,000-squre foot glass atrium that connects to the fourth floor concourse via two glass-and-steel-enclosed elevators, two escalators, and a stairway. The structure was designed to accommodate an additional 10 stories in the future.

Tishman's work with The Port Authority of NY & NJ is part of what is known as JFK 2000, a massive airport upgrade that will service the 32 million passengers who utilize JFK each year, a figure that is expected to increase to 45 million by 2013.

Tishman has performed a significant amount of work for the JFK 2000 project, including a new air traffic control tower, east parking garage, new roadway systems, an employee child-care center, and retail shops in the International Arrivals Building.