Salt Lake City International (SLC) will build a $740 million North Concourse, to be located north of the new terminal and South Concourse currently under construction.
The additional project brings the total budget for the Terminal Development Program to $2.6 billion, from $1.8 billion.
The new North Concourse project will add 30 gates in two phases, replacing existing gates now on Concourses B, C and D. SLC says those gates have significant facility deficiencies that would require costly renovations if retained. Noting the cost and disruption to airlines that would be caused by renovations, the airport decided to move forward with the new concourse instead.
“We’ve studied the alternatives to accommodate passenger growth at Salt Lake City International Airport,” says Maureen Riley, executive director of SLCDA. “Building the North Concourse sooner, rather than later, is the best solution for the future.”
SLC says airlines serving the market are unanimous in support of the project, which will be paid for by General Airport Revenue Bonds.
The first phase of the North Concourse construction will start on the west portion of the building and is scheduled to be completed in 2020, in conjunction with the opening of the South Concourse-West and the new terminal. A flexible gate layout is planned to serve a mix of aircraft sizes, though the concourse will primarily be used for narrow-body and small, wide-body aircraft. A passenger tunnel will be constructed to connect the North Concourse to the South Concourse and the new terminal.
In the future, the North Concourse layout allows for an additional 15 gates to be added to the east for a total of 45 gates.
The current airport facility serves more than 22 million passengers annually, which is more than double its design capacity. Passenger traffic at SLC is forecast to continue increasing in the coming years, the airport said.
