Airports are rarely anyone’s favorite places. They’re often crowded, confusing, and let’s not even discuss the food. But even the most jaded traveler has to admit there’s a certain fascination with the sheer logistical feat that is a modern airport. PBS’s NOVA understands this, and their new episode, “Extreme Airport Engineering,” dives headfirst into the chaos and complexity of one of America’s most notorious travel hubs: LaGuardia.
Forget delays and cramped terminals. This episode focuses on LaGuardia’s ambitious $8 billion reconstruction, a project so massive it’s the first new airport built in the U.S. in over 25 years. Think about that for a second. A quarter of a century of airport stagnation, and now, finally, something new.
Over eight years, 7,000 workers toiled away, wrestling with 72,000 tons of steel and a mountain of concrete—almost 600,000 tons to be exact—to completely rebuild this vital travel artery while it remained operational. That’s like performing open-heart surgery on a marathon runner mid-race.
The episode tracks the project’s progress, highlighting the engineering hurdles, weather-related setbacks, and the mind-boggling machinery required for such an undertaking. The challenges are immense: constructing a world-class facility on the footprint of an existing one, managing the flow of millions of passengers while simultaneously demolishing and rebuilding, and keeping the whole thing on schedule (or as close to schedule as humanly possible in a project of this scale).
Ultimately, “Extreme Airport Engineering” offers a compelling glimpse into the intricate ballet of construction, logistics, and sheer human will required to transform LaGuardia from a punchline into (hopefully) a functional and even pleasant travel experience. The new LaGuardia aims to accommodate over 34 million passengers annually. Will it succeed? Tune in to find out.
“Extreme Airport Engineering” airs Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 8:00 PM on PBS.
