LaGuardia Construction Causing Major Parking Headaches For Travelers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- LaGuardia Airport will get a badly needed makeover, but travelers can expect a lot of headaches during the construction period.
In fact, passengers are advised to not even try to get into parking lots, CBS2's Christine Sloan reported.
A backhoe could be seeing crossing the road with construction trucks everywhere, mounds of dirt, and long cab lines. Chances are getting to LaGuardia will be more stressful than going through security.
"You have to drive around and around. Even the shuttle, you have to wait forever... it's not easy to go around the airport now," Queens resident James Main said.
It's so hectic that the Port Authority is warning anyone flying out of the airport that parking lots are at full capacity and that you may not find a space once you arrive.
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Long Island resident Ed Hanssen said open lots are hard to find.
"This one was closed so I went around," he said.
The Port Authority said the worst days to try and find parking are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Your best bet is to leave the car at home or have someone drop you off.
Parking is not the only issue causing travel headaches with some passengers saying it's causing them to end up at the wrong terminal.
"I checked in here and now I understand I have to take a shuttle to the other terminal," one passenger said.
Some in the area say they are just fine with the construction, as its building toward a better airport.
"You've got to have construction if you're going to renovate," Bronx resident Mark Goldberg said.
The project is going to take at least 6 more years before LaGuardia looks like a real airport. The project cost an estimated $4 billion with two-thirds of it funded by private financing and passenger fees.
The Port Authority is encouraging people to use a special MTA Bus, the M70, or a cab to get to the airport.