The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a $4.5 billion infrastructure improvement plan, including the construction of a new rail line linking LaGuardia International Airport with Manhattan, though indirectly.

The plan will overhaul the Air Train currently serving Newark International Airport (EWR). It will also launch a $13 billion rebuilding project at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Officials said the plan is needed to accommodate record growth at New York-area airports, up 1.9 percent in 2019 so far.

The initiative will spend $2 billion on developing Air Train LGA, which would connect LaGuardia to a new Willets Point station on the Long Island Railroad and the New York subway system. The connection would mean a 30-minute, one-way trip from the airport to midtown Manhattan.

The plan will also put another $2 million into a new Air Train system at Newark International Airport, replacing the current three-mile-long Air Train route officials said “outlived its useful life.” Construction is expected to begin in 2021.

The final budget allotment will plan a new Terminal 2 at Newark and work on the JFK Redevelopment Program.

“Today’s actions reflect our commitment to rebuild our legacy airports and invest in new infrastructure to accommodate the unprecedented levels of air passenger growth,” said Kevin O’Toole, chairman, Port Authority. “Ensuring continued progress on these projects will enable us to provide 21st century facilities that offer the world-class customer experience our passengers expect.”