Construction started this week on the long planned overhaul of Terminal 1 at the San Diego International Airport, a $3.4 billion project that will eventually deliver 11 additional gates and a new three-lane airport access road.
Although design and construction contracts were formally approved last month by airport leaders, shovels couldn't be turned until the Federal Aviation Administration signed off on a federal environmental impact analysis. The San Diego Regional Airport Authority was notified Oct. 22 that the FAA had determined that the project could move forward, concluding that it "would not cause any significant environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated, and is the most reasonable, feasible and prudent alternative."
That final hurdle cleared the way for construction on what is the single biggest undertaking in the airport's history. The redo of Terminal 1, along with planned airfield improvements, is triple the cost of the $1 billion redevelopment of Terminal 2 eight years earlier.
Initially, construction will be limited largely to demolition work, including the removal of old vacant cargo buildings and the facilities maintenance department complex. Other early stage work includes utility relocation, a significant undertaking, said airport spokeswoman Sabrina LoPiccolo.
Expected to start soon will be preliminary work on the new inbound roadway, which airport planners say will remove 45,000 vehicle trips per day from North Harbor Drive. And by next month, the contractor overseeing construction of a new taxiway and related airfield improvements will be getting started with pavement removals and utility work, LoPiccolo said.
Nearly a decade in the making, the project calls for replacing the 1960s-era Terminal 1 with a 30-gate state-of-the-art facility, much-improved food and retail concessions, and a baggage handling system that will be able to process up to 2,000 bags per hour during peak periods. An outdoor deck off the future food hall will offer panoramic views of the harbor and downtown skyline. A 5,200-parking garage also will be built, as well as an elevated departure roadway similar to the one serving Terminal 2.
The first 19 gates in the new terminal are expected to open in mid-2025, and demolition of the old terminal would follow. The additional 11 gates should be ready by late 2027.
The years-long construction project will at various times affect those going to the airport. In the near term, officials are advising people to be aware of the following:
Beginning Nov. 1
The parking lot in front of the Airport Authority Administration building closed. Employees and visitors to that building will now park at the former long-term lot, off of North Harbor Drive just to the east of the Administration Building.
Carbon Health, the Airport Authority's COVID-19 travel clearance testing provider, has relocated to an office located in Terminal 2 West adjacent to the United Airlines baggage service office near carousel 6. Customers should park in the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza and follow signs for the Carbon Health COVID Testing location. Appointments are needed, and the testing location is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Beginning mid-December:
The cellphone lot will be relocated, but there are no details at this time on where that will be.
Beginning in January:
About 500 parking spots in the Terminal 1 surface lot will be eliminated. Passengers flying from Terminal 1 should use the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
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