FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 30, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Parks begins fi rst phase of Vanderbilt Motor Parkway reconstruction
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens elected offi cials and community
leaders joined NYC Parks Commissioner
Gabrielle Fialkoff on Friday, Dec. 17,
to cut the ribbon on the completion of
the fi rst phase of reconstruction of the
Vanderbilt Motor Parkway in Alley Pond
Park.
“Th e Vanderbilt Motor Parkway is both
a recreational asset and a living piece of
New York City history — and now this
bike and pedestrian path has received the
makeover it deserves,” Fialkoff said.
Originally built in 1908 as a racecourse
by the railroad mogul and fi nancier
William Vanderbilt Jr., today the path
serves as a scenic bike and pedestrian
walkway that connects Cunningham and
Alley Pond Parks in eastern Queens.
Th e reconstruction project was funded
with $1.85 million total, including $1.435
million from Grodenchik and an additional
$415,000 from Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Th e project is the fi rst phase of work that
includes the reconstruction of 0.8 miles
of the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway from
Winchester Boulevard by the entrance to
Alley Pond Park to Springfi eld Boulevard.
Th e scope of work includes new asphalt
pavement, new rustic timber guide rail,
benches, trees and shrub plantings.
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards, Senator John Liu,
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, Councilman
Barry Grodenchik, Community Board 8
Chair Martha Taylor and President of the
Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation
Society Howard Kroplick were in attendance
for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Th e Vanderbilt Long Island Motor
Parkway had not been repaved in decades
and was in desperate need of an upgrade,
Grodenchik said.
“My advocacy for this project was driven
by the frequent requests I received
from local residents for whom the path
provides a clean, safe, quiet place for exercise
and recreation; the ongoing pandemic
only reinforces the importance of access
to outdoor public space,” Grodenchik
said. “I thank the mayor for providing the
funding that will allow the remainder of
the path to be resurfaced and the Parks
Department for doing a magnifi cent job
on the fi rst stretch.”
A second phase of renovations, which
Mayor de Blasio funded with $3.685 million,
will address the additional two miles
of parkway, from Springfi eld Boulevard to
199th Street. It is expected to begin construction
next year.
LaGuardia Airport’s new $4 billon Terminal B wins prestigious UNESCO award
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal
B has won the prestigious 2021 Prix
Versaille, the global architecture and
design award, for best new airport in the
world by a panel of judges assembled by
the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Last year, the Prix Versailles was
awarded to Beijing Daxing International
Airport. Th is year, LaGuardia beat out
six other nominees including Berlin’s new
airport.
“Almost everyone thought this was
impossible,” Port Authority Executive
Director Rick Cotton said. “Since beginning
construction of a whole new
LaGuardia fi ve years ago, we promised an
airport that would go from worst to best,
taking its place among the world’s fi nest
airports. Th at’s no longer a promise; it’s
an achievement confi rmed by a panel of
international judges. From cutting-edge
architectural design to world-class amenities
to inspirational public art alongside
state-of-the-art technology, LaGuardia’s
Terminal B is leading the transformation
of our airports to best-in-class.”
In announcing this year’s award,
UNESCO cited the “qualities of innovation,
creativity, a refl ection of local, natural
and cultural heritage, and ecological
effi ciency, as well as the values of social
interaction and participation which the
United Nations holds in high regard.”
Situated on the western side of the airport,
the new Terminal B opened its
four-story, natural light-fi lled arrivals and
departures hall in 2020. Th e latest section
of new gates opened earlier this month,
bringing the total number of new gates
open so far to 30, spread across two concourses
connected to the arrivals and
departures halls by the world’s fi rst dualpedestrian
skybridges.
“We’re honored to receive the UNESCO
Prix VersaillesWorld Architecture and
Design Award,” LaGuardia Gateway
Partners CEO Frank Scremin said. “Our
vision was to completely elevate and transform
the Terminal B experience, incorporating
world-class public art, soughtaft
er amenities, iconic architecture and
state-of-the-art technology. We’re proud
to be recognized as the best airport by the
UNESCO panel of judges.”
Th e annual Prix Versailles awards, created
in 2015 to promote the relationship
between culture and commerce, recognizes
the most remarkable structures,
in terms of both interior and exterior
architecture.
Because the award is associated with
the Palace of Versailles, it aspires for this
world-renowned symbol of beauty and
elegance to serve not as a model but as a
beacon and impetus for quality commercial
architecture, according to UNESCO.
“Th e Prix Versailles is a testament to
the vision and hard work of the Port
Authority and our private partners at
LaGuardia Gateway Partners,” Port
Photo courtesy of Port Authority
Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said.
“And we’re not done yet. With Delta’s
Terminal C at LaGuardia set to open next
year, a 21st-century, world-class Terminal
A set to open at Newark also set to open
next year, and a nearly $15 billion transformation
underway at JFK, we are transforming
our airports from back-of-thepack
to world-class.”
LaGuardia Airport’s new $4 billion Terminal B.
Photo by Daniel Avila/NYC Parks
NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff speaks about the fi rst phase of Vanderbilt Motor Parkway at a press conference held on Friday, Dec. 17.
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
