Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $9.6 billion all-new Terminal 1 to be built on the footprint of the old Terminal 1, 2 and 3 at the John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The 2.4 million square foot terminal will have 23 new international gates, which will be able to handle more than 20 million travelers a year. Construction is set to begin in 2022 with the first gates opening in 2026.

The announcement comes after new efforts were placed to stop the spread of COVID-19 at JFK by opening the nation's first travel COVID-19 monitoring program. The goal is to alert local health officials to the potential spread of the omicron variant.

As of now, all foreign travelers arriving in the U.S. must be fully vaccinated and show proof.