JFK Airtrain Guideway

Overview

The second-busiest airport access link in the United States, Airtrain JFK connects JFK International Airport's six terminals with the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road. The driverless cars operate 24 hours a day and serve approximately 13 million passengers a year.

We performed a condition survey of the Howard Beach section of the AirTrain JFK guideway structure, which was completed in 2017.

Highlights

• This prestressed concrete segmental box structure connects the Howard Beach, Lefferts Boulevard and Federal Circle transit stations to the central terminal area.
• The survey included an inspection of 120 spans, retaining walls and two tunnel structures. Challenges included working in the confined space of the segmental box girder interior, which required special safety protocols such as continuous air monitoring and additional safety spotters at entryways and coordination with Bombardier Transportation.
• Bombardier granted entry during one of their scheduled track shutdowns to facilitate detailed inspection at the top of the structure and track level.
• The inspections and detailed condition survey report were performed in accordance with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey requirements.