You Won’t Believe How the Near-Future New York Will Look

New York City is ever-changing and always evolving. Future New York projects are in place and will begin to make like a little bit easier.

1) BQX (Brooklyn to Queens Waterfront Streetcar)

Get ready for the BQX, or the Brooklyn To Queens Waterfront Streetcar, which Mayor De Blasio unveiled plans for earlier this year. If implemented, the BQX would ferry commuters through the 16 mile stretch from Sunset Park to Astoria, running along the Upper New York Bay and the East River. The proposed project would cost an estimated $2.5 billion and construction would begin in 2019. Expect the future New York BQX by 2024.

2) Empire State Station

Cuomo outlined yet another proposal this year: Combining Penn Station and The Farley Building (the monumental post office on 8th ave) to create an “interconnected complex.” He has proposed a reassessment of finances; joining together Amtrak, the LIRR, the MTA, and the Empire State Development to create the future New York “Empire State Station.” Cuomo’s plan for the complex calls for new underground and above ground entrances, wider concourses, glass dome ceilings, what is essentially a face-lift for the underground mall, and all-around easier navigation system. This is likely to happen once Madison Square Garden loses its lease and moves.

3) LaGuardia Airport

Plans for LaGuardia kicks off with the idea of a unified terminal. A, B, C, & D will be brought together into one larger structure with an “island-gate” system. Imagine a slick covered bridge that runs overground airplane traffic. You can imagine it or just click this. This system will clear the way for two miles of space for taxi-in and taxi-out (complex plane terms). Cuomo also wants an AirTrain that runs from LGA to the Mets-Willets Point Station, to link with the NYC subway and LIRR. Other perks include expanding TSA space to shorten wait times, clearer signage, and even more, glass so that you don’t get that sleazebag airport feeling. I mean, for a more open and natural-lit environment.

4) Subway

Starting this year the MTA will begin rolling out new features and upgrades. By the end of this year, all 277 underground subway stations will have free Wi-Fi service, and all 469 stations will have real-time arrival information. By 2018, the MTA promises to accept have contactless payment, this meaning a wave of a cell phone, or bank card, will pay your fare.

We’ll also start to see USB charging ports on subways this year; as well as on buses, many of which will be equipped with a Wi-Fi hotspot by 2018. Lastly, but certainly the most impressive, is that the MTA is planning to build and 10 prototype open gangway trains. This means the entire length of the train will be one long car, like those newer slinky crosstown busses. If you’re interested to know how much two of those will cost, it’s $52 million. Oh yeah, that’s nothing. Their annual budget is $142 billion. Anyway, we won’t see these gangway cars until around 2020, but still, pretty cool.

I don’t know, about you, but I fully expect the fare to be at least $5 when we see these changes. But at least your future New York -5mph bus ride will have free Wi-Fi and you can do your morning jog on the train.

Special mention: If you’re a concept enthusiast, or just want to see something really unbe-freaking-leivable, check out what won eVolo’s 2015 skyscraper design of the year.