At a press conference this morning in the under-construction space, Governor Cuomo announced that major work has begun on transforming the James A. Farley Building into the state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot Moynihan Train Hall. Along with the news that the $1.6 billion project will create 12,000+ construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs, come new renderings of the station, showing more exterior views and looks at the 700,000-square-foot shopping and dining concourse. — 6sqft

Since Governor Cuomo unveiled his plans for a revamped LaGuardia Airport two years ago, the cost has ballooned from $4 to $8 billion, with $4 billion alone going towards Delta’s rebuilt facilities. Construction has finally begun on this part of the project, with the Port Authority signing a long-term lease with Delta Air Lines, which “marks the beginning of construction on the final component of the entirely new, unified airport at LaGuardia," according to a press release from the Governor. — 6sqft

The project, part of a broader plan called “New York Crossings,” would outfit the MTA’s seven bridges and two tunnels — and the Port Authority’s George Washington Bridge — with pulsating, multicolored LED lights that can be choreographed with each other, with the Empire State Building and with One World Trade. — Politico

The urgency to fix the station has reached a peak. But this also creates a great occasion to get something done — something grander than Mr. Cuomo's current plan, a project born of political expediency. — The New York Times

This morning Governor Cuomo announced that the state would invest in building a $200 million Empire State Trail that would span 750 miles connecting the bottom of Manhattan all the way to the border of Canada. The project would build upon two existing but incomplete trailways—the Hudson River Valley Greenway and the Erie Canalway—and become the largest, state multi-use trail in the nation. — 6sqft

The published renderings that accompanied the announcement were not terribly reassuring, as they depicted a very long curved terminal with gangly tentacles raised over plane taxiways that hinted at torsos of praying mantises: an awkward rather than a graceful vault. — 6sqft.com

'We are transforming LaGuardia into a globally-renowned, 21st century airport that is worthy of the city and state of New York. It’s the perfect metaphor for what we can achieve with the ambition and optimism and energy that made this the Empire State in the first place, and I want to thank our many partners for joining us to build the airport that New York deserves.' — Gov. Cuomo — governor.ny.gov