Mar. 9—The automated tram that has taken air travelers between Pittsburgh International Airport's two terminals since they opened in 1992 will stop running when a new, $1.4 billion terminal opens in 2025.
Allegheny County Airport Authority officials on Thursday unveiled plans for a connector bridge that will the connect the new terminal with the existing airside terminal.
The officials say the bridge was inspired by the Fort Pitt Tunnel, an iconic entry point into the city that greets inbound motorists emerging from the tunnel with a panoramic view of the Downtown skyline and the North Shore.
"The connector bridge is supposed to emulate the idea of compression and then expansion," said Paul Hoback, the authority's chief development officer.
The bridge will start after passengers go through security and then continue at a slight downhill angle through a corridor with fabric walkways. It's meant to resemble flowers and colored lights that will change shades depending on the time of day, Hoback said.
From there, departing passengers will exit the bridge onto the mezzanine level of the airside terminal, providing a view down onto the great hall.
When complete, the top level will have two sets of escalators and staircases on each side of the hall that lead down to the great hall and the gates.
The escalators will take the place of former retail locations in the great hall that have become vacant. Bathrooms and grab-and-go retail locations will greet passengers as they exit the bridge, and Hoback said there will be room for other retail and restaurant spaces on the mezzanine level.
Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis said constructing the bridge instead of placing the new terminal directly up against the gates will mean that tram service can be maintained during construction.
"We were not going to shut down the tram for three years and bus people between the gates and terminal," Cassotis said.
She said the bridge will be much cheaper to maintain that operating the tram, which she said costs $4 million annually to run, and $30 million if a tram car needs to be replaced.
Cassotis said construction work on the bridge will bring scaffolding to parts of the airside terminal, which could make navigating the airport during construction confusing at times. She asked that passengers arrive a bit earlier than usual during the project.
The bridge also will bring changes for arriving passengers. Arriving passengers will walk on the bottom level of the bridge and into the arriving level to be picked up.
The bones of the new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport have taken shape — passengers at certain gates of the airport can see the Ambridge-manufactured steel from the windows.
Cassotis said the bridge and the rest of the new terminal are part of the authority's mission of "building the right airport" for the Pittsburgh region. She said 85% of the work is being completed by local contractors, and the design of the new roof symbolizes the region's rolling hills.
"We wanted to make sure this was built for Pittsburgh by Pittsburghers," she said.
The three-level bridge for motorists leading to the new terminal building is also underway. Its concrete base can also be seen from some of the gates. Hoback said when that bridge is done, it will be larger than the Fort Pitt Bridge.
Beyond that bridge, a massive parking garage with 3,300 public spaces and more for rental car companies is taking shape. Hoback said it will be the largest parking garage in Pennsylvania.
Cassotis said the new terminal is on schedule to be finished by 2025. Hoback said the project remains on budget.
It's being financed through airport authority revenue and fees from airlines, and no local tax money is being used. Last year, the airport was awarded $20 million from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure law.
Hoback said the authority is hoping the existing landside terminal will be redeveloped by private enterprise, but the authority has money budgeted to demolish it if needed. Any decision on the future of the existing landside terminal building won't be made for at least another year, Hoback said.
Ryan Deto is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Ryan by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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