JFK Terminal 5 road work may snarl traffic, officials warn

A sign directs travelers to a temporary taxi stand at... — A sign directs travelers to a temporary taxi stand at Terminal 5 at Kenndy Airport on Sunday, June 19, 2016. The taxi stand will be closer to the parking structure during reconstruction of the lobby. Credit: Anthony Lanzilote

By Zachary R. Dowdyzachary.dowdy@newsday.comJune 20, 2016

JetBlue officials announced that construction on Terminal 5’s roadway in JFK Airport may snarl traffic and they encourage travelers to take advantage of parking garage discounts at other lots in the airport to ease congestion.

“Customers flying to Terminal 5 this summer, please be aware that high traffic volumes and airport construction may impact your journey,” the airline said in a statement Monday.

The project, designed to ease traffic flow, began Monday and is scheduled to last through August. It comes as the terminal also undergoes construction of a new hotel.

“Additionally, with construction on the new hotel at the Saarinen site now under way, we are implementing a new transportation operation plan in order to provide the best travel experience for customers.”

The airline is reducing the per-day price of parking in the garage at Terminal 7 by $10 and the long-term parking garage by $4. The daily rate for parking in Terminal 5 remains $33 while parking in Terminal 7’s garage is $23 and long-term parking is $14 for the duration of the construction.

“Customers who wish to take advantage of the Terminal 7 [orange] parking discount simply need to ask the parking agent for the JetBlue customer discount upon exiting,” JetBlue said in a statement announcing plans to ease traffic woes.

The company said customers who want to use the long-term parking discount may download a coupon from http://www.panynj.gov/coupons/summer_abm_jfk_p9_PA250.html.

Taxis, shown Sunday, June 19, 2016, will follow a new... — Taxis, shown Sunday, June 19, 2016, will follow a new traffic pattern at Terminal 5 at Kennedy Airport in Queens. The taxi stand will be closer to the parking structure during lobby reconstruction. Credit: Anthony Lanzilote

JetBlue also said it would soon offer “express morning drop-off” to customers who have checked in online and who are not checking bags and “express evening pickup” between 5 p.m. and midnight, for customers to avoid congestion by having friends and family pick them up on the departures level.”

In addition, Uber and Lyft will soon have a dedicated pickup location on the arrivals roadway and “the NYC Airporter, which operates express buses to Manhattan as well as Newark and LaGuardia airports, will have a new, dedicated loading area.”

The airline’s taxi stand has been relocated across the skywalk, near the old Terminal 6 site, due to necessary airport construction, the airline said.