Airport Breaks Ground On $3 Billion Replacement For ‘Mosh Pit' Terminal 1

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego

December 13, 2021

The San Diego Regional Airport Authority officially broke ground Monday on a $3 billion project to replace Terminal 1 and end the crowded “mosh pit” experience in the aging facility.

“We have certainly gotten taxpayers’ money out of this,” said Mayor Todd Gloria, referring to the terminal built in 1967 that is far too small for today’s airline traffic.

Gloria said the new terminal will give visitors to San Diego a much improved first impression of the city. It’s the latest in a string of major local investments, he added, citing the Rady Shell on the waterfront, the Blue Line trolley extension and the new stadium in Mission Valley.

“This is a region that is moving forward. We are making massive investments in infrastructure,” he said prior to the ceremonial groundbreaking.

The new terminal will expand the number of gates from the current 19 to 30, add more food and beverage locations, as well additional news, gift and retail concessions, and increase the number of security checkpoint lanes. Outside the terminal will be a new five-level parking deck and extensive improvements to access roads.

The first 19 gates are scheduled to be operational in July 2025, at which time the old terminal will be demolished and construction of 11 more gates begins with final completion three years later.

The project will create an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 high-paying construction jobs during the eight years of work.

“Our goal has always been to ensure that San Diego International Airport provides a first-class experience for our customers, and the new T1 will ensure we continue to do that for decades to come,” said Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of the Airport Authority.

State Senate President Toni Atkins said the new terminal will serve as an inspiration for other projects, with Scripps Institution of Oceanography providing advice to achieve maximum sustainability.

“It is a future-forward transportation resource for our region,” she said.

Several officials said they expected the new terminal to be the first of many significant new projects thanks to President Biden’s recently passed $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

Rep. Scott Peters described the old terminal as “the definition of aging infrastructure” that the bill is designed to address, and Supervisor Nathan Fletcher predicted “a run of many years in San Diego breaking ground and cutting ribbons.”

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