The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced the start of operations at a new construction support facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport that will eliminate more than 300,000 truck trips across local streets by shifting to the use of barges to move material to and from the historic US$19 billion airport redevelopment.

In the announcement, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the first barge to deliver material to the airport's construction support facility was unloaded at a dock along Bergen Basin, on the western edge of the airport, across from the Hamilton Beach neighbourhood in Queens on September 27.

That single barge eliminated the need for nearly 200 trucks to carry the equivalent load.

Altogether, over the life of the redevelopment project, surrounding communities will be spared an estimated 1.5 million miles of truck travel – enough to circumnavigate the Earth 60 times.

The announcement said the construction support facility would perform multiple functions throughout the redevelopment of JFK International Airport, including concrete production at an on-site batch plant, operation of a concrete crushing facility to recycle construction debris that will be repurposed for new construction, and a marine transport facility to move construction material to and from the airport via local waterways.

"The transformation of JFK International Airport into what will soon be a world-class, global gateway is another example of how the Port Authority is using innovative strategies to move major redevelopment projects forward sustainably while minimizing the impacts of construction on our neighbours," said Kevin O'Toole, chairman of the Port Authority of NY and NJ.

Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority said creating a construction support facility that enables the port to eliminate hundreds of thousands of diesel-powered trucks from travelling across local streets is proof of the Port Authority's commitment to our goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions agency-wide by 2050.

"It also reflects our commitment to the community to reduce the impact of this historic construction project on their neighbourhoods," he added.

Earlier this year, the Port Authority awarded a contract to Melville, N.Y.-based Modern Efficient Transport and Supply LLC (METS), an affiliate of Grace Industries LLC, and a division under the Haugland Group LLC, to build and operate the on-airport construction support facility.

Under the contract, METS has built a marine transport facility that uses water access to JFK at Bergen Basin at the western end of the airport property.

The Port Authority anticipates that barges will carry bulk materials such as sand, aggregate, steel and other building materials to the airport and remove non-hazardous debris and soil from the construction sites on the airport, with the capacity to responsibly recycle up to 75% of certain categories of construction debris.

The use of alternative fuels for marine equipment, if available, is also encouraged.