As travelers trickled through Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, some of the airport’s newest upgrades made for an easier trip.
SDF officials said the airport’s goal was to have construction on many upgrades complete before Thanksgiving.
There is a brand new baggage claim area, one side completed with a new carousel for bags that is sleeker and closer to the back wall to allow for more room for passengers to maneuver the area. What was once five belts is now just four, and passengers will see their bag at all times now without it having to go back behind a wall before reappearing.
The second side of baggage claim is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.
And once the baggage claim is done, construction will head upstairs to the ticket counter and TSA. An estimated $40 million will be spent upgrading TSA to eight lanes to help reduce delays.
However, after complaints about long checkpoint lines in the mornings, SDF and TSA expanded the checkpoint area to help ease some of the waiting. They are hopeful it will cut down on lines for holiday travel.
Finally, an underground geothermal field is now live at the airport, the largest at any airport in the country. The system will help naturally heat and cool the terminal by circulating water through the geothermal wells underground. This allows the earth to help reduce the energy required to regulate temperatures above ground inside buildings.
Louisville Airport Authority Executive Director Dan Mann said the airport will upgrade sky lights and add new furniture and upgraded restrooms to the rest of the terminal. Airport officials are also discussing the addition of another parking garage. Mann said it is likely it would be built on the east side of the terminal and cost around $50 million to build.
Source: WDRB
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