Five minutes of delays will be trimmed from the most tardy flights at Kennedy Airport when a multimillion-dollar project to widen a major runway and expand taxiways is complete in 2011, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s top aviation official said Thursday.

Overhauling and increasing the width of Kennedy’s longest and busiest runway from 150 to 200 feet, along with upgrades of taxiway routes for aircraft, will reduce the flight delays, Bill DeCota, the Port Authority’s aviation director, said at an agency meeting in Manhattan. “I can’t underestimate the significant delay reduction that comes out of this program,” he said.

Kennedy handles about 400,000 flights a year. On average, about 20 percent of those are delayed by 15 minutes or more, according to DeCota.

The California-based Perini Corp., as the low bidder, Thursday won a $204-million contract after the Port Authority’s Contract Committee reviewed the proposed work. Construction is slated to begin in July.

The total contract amount is higher than early estimates of $177 million that the Federal Aviation Administration used when calculating its contribution in federal funding, DeCota said.

Overall, the upgrades will allow aircraft to continue to taxi even though planes in front of them are delayed, and allow for planes to clear runways more quickly so that other aircraft can take off and land, officials said.

The overhaul of Runway 31L-13R – which at 2 miles is Kennedy’s longest – is a key piece of the effort.The Port Authority’s board of commissioners signed off on the eight-year project in February.

Upgrades to runway lighting, drainage and electrical systems are included in the contract. The FAA has signed a letter of intent to fund $89 million of the work.

(Source: Newsday)