The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced a groundbreaking $45 billion 10-year Capital Plan for 2026-2035, which provides funding for continued and enhanced expansion of airport, rail, and tunnel/bridge facilities. 

The plan is an extension of the 2017-2025 restructuring program, with has focused on improving infrastructure to maintain safe operations and develop terminal facilities at airports, as well as address the need for major regional megaprojects.

The majority of the allocated funds will be used for the aviation industry ($20 billion), which includes new and improved terminal facilities at Newark Liberty Airport and Kennedy Airport (JFK), a new Newark AirTrain, renovated terminals, and additional modernization of LaGuardia Airport. 

The remaining $15.4 billion will be spent on tunnels and bridges and on bus terminals. This funding includes approximately $11 billion for building a new Midtown Manhattan Bus Terminal and significant rehabilitation projects for the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel Helix, and Outerbridge Crossing.

As part of the Capital Plan, there will be $2.7 billion in contributions from the Port Authority for the Gateway Program, which includes expanding Hudson River Rail Tunnel capacity and rehabilitating existing Triple-Cross Tube facilities (now 100 years old) along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) of the Northeast Regional Rail Network. PATH service levels and capacity will increase as a result of a separate multi-billion-dollar initiative included in this plan.

The Agency plans on using the $10.1 billion that is included in their 2026 proposed budget to support the investment, with an estimated $4.1 billion allocated for capital projects, and anticipates a larger increase in bridge and tunnel toll rates in 2026, as well as potential fare increases on certain types of transit, over the next ten years. The Port Authority has scheduled a number of in-person and virtual public hearings beginning early December to allow the public to comment before a meeting of the Board of Commissioners on December 18, 2025, at which time they will hold a vote on the subject matter.

Through the longstanding diversity framework of the Port Authority, which has established a 20% MBE, 10% WBE, and 3% SDVOB subcontracting goal for eligible contracts, the current plan builds on the success of the recent redevelopments at New York area airports, which have resulted in record levels of M/WBE awards. With this commitment to grow M/WBE participation, there will be significant opportunities throughout this capital cycle for certified firms in all parts of the New York City area.

Contractors can expect a long-term pipeline of heavy civil work similar to the recent bridge and rail projects, such as the Portal North Bridge in New Jersey, where numerous large companies are already working on corridor improvements costing billions of dollars. Previous coverage has mentioned how the agency’s strategic plan supports the continuation of opening doors for new and diverse contractors in all regions as the program continues to roll out.