Fitzgerald tours new terminal under construction at Pittsburgh International Airport
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Monday morning, three floors of 800 workers could be found piecing together what will soon be the newest addition to Pittsburgh International Airport: a $1.5 billion landside terminal.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald was the first person to drive on the road to the departure level curb, where there will be four lanes of traffic: two bypass lanes and two others for drop-offs.
“The whole passenger experience is going to be unbelievable,” Fitzgerald said. “You can already see the distance and how much closer you will be – the traveling public will be – when they get out of their vehicle.”
Channel 11 and other media toured part of the third level where TSA checkpoints will be located. Airport officials said there will be 10 lanes of security checkpoints, with a designated lane for families. Flyers will then walk across a bridge, ultimately leading them to their gates.
Fitzgerald said it’s an experience that will mimic the Fort Pitt tunnels, one of many Western Pennsylvania themes throughout the design.
“[The roof] replicates what Pittsburgh is: the rolling hills,” Fitzgerald said.
Chief development officer Paul Hoback said the LEED Gold-certified building will also feature four outdoor terraces, two of which are accessible after going through security. Nature, technology, and community were the three themes seen throughout.
“With the new and much more efficient baggage system, your bags will probably beat you to the actual baggage claims or be there right after you arrive,” Hoback said.
Airport officials said they received federal money for the project but the rising cost of materials resulted in a higher price tag but kept the project on time.
“We did have a 12% increase in our budget, which is far less than the 30 percent increase of construction costs we saw in Pittsburgh,” said Christina Cassotis, airport authority CEO.
“It’s being built without any local tax dollars – state or local tax dollars. It’s literally being built by the airlines, the gas revenues, and other things we’ve done over the years,” Fitzgerald said.
Airport officials said plans for the future of the current landside terminal have not been decided yet, but there is money in the construction budget for demolition.
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