Relief Is Coming: Cleveland Hopkins Airport Bathrooms Slated for $2 Million in Improvements
CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s among the top complaints among travelers at Cleveland Hopkins – not delayed flights or lost baggage, but cramped and dirty restrooms.
And a solution – at least a partial one — is coming.
The city this week was awarded $1.6 million to renovate 13 airport bathrooms, courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021. The city also received another $1.6 million to fix leaks in the tunnel that connects the RTA Red Line to the airport.
The bathroom renovations, however, are likely to be more noticeable to travelers, who consistently rank restroom concerns among their top complaints.
But don’t expect a complete transformation.
Robert Hartigan, assistant commissioner for airport development, described the upcoming work as more of a refresh than a remodel.
“We’re going to take the opportunity to address some of the concerns that the traveling public has had,” he said. “I don’t think it’s an end-all, be-all bathroom solution.”
The bathroom footprints will remain the same – so travelers trying to maneuver in and out of tight stalls with oversized suitcases may remain unsatisfied with the improvements.
The restrooms, however, should be easier and quicker to clean, featuring new fixtures and uniform surfaces.
Airport bathrooms are currently cleaned at least once an hour, said Hartigan, but the different surfaces add time to the cleaning process. “The idea is to eliminate as many different surfaces as possible so we can clean them quicker and not have to change cleaners,” he said. “We’re hoping with this, we’ll get more people through the restrooms.”
The improvements will also add adult changing areas to the airport’s family restrooms (also known as companion restrooms), making the areas easier to use for travelers with certain disabilities.
The airport’s 13 busiest bathrooms are slated for the improvements, about one third of the total public restrooms at Hopkins.
The federal grant will cover 80% of the $2 million project; airport funds will cover the rest.
Work will likely start this spring and hopefully wrap up before the busy holiday travel period, Hartigan said.
He noted that one of the biggest bathroom requests – a need for more space – will have to wait.
“I think everybody wishes they had bigger bathrooms in their house,” said Hartigan. “We won’t be able to do that until we have a new terminal.”
A new terminal is at least several years away. Airport officials are currently negotiating with the airlines that do business in Cleveland to finance construction of a new $2 billion terminal. Construction isn’t expected to begin until 2025 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, work on the 2,100-foot-long tunnel that connects the Red Line to the airport is also expected to begin this year. The airport is covering 20% of the cost of that $2 million project, as well.
The FAA announced the funding earlier this week, part of nearly $1 billion in grants awarded for capital projects at 99 airports in 47 states.
Read more:
Cleveland Hopkins officials begin talks with airlines to finance new $2 billion airport rebuild
Frontier Airlines adding nonstop flights between Cleveland Hopkins and San Juan, Puerto Rico
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