Two major projects at Bradley International Airport, estimated to cost $243 million, are expected to improve the flow of passengers through the main terminal and set the stage for future growth.
Both projects are more than 50% complete, the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) announced Wednesday.
“Once complete, these projects will really optimize the way arriving and departing passengers move through Bradley International Airport,” said Kevin A. Dillon, executive director of the CAA. “The ongoing construction is also key to the CAA’s long-term strategy to ensure that our terminal meets the demand of our current passenger levels and also positions us for future growth in passenger traffic and nonstop destinations.”
The first project involves constructing two new corridors on both sides of the main terminal, which will give passengers faster access to the baggage claim area after they deplane. Currently, passengers access the baggage claim, located on the lower level, through a single exit in the main terminal.
Eventually, the current entryway to the baggage claim will be closed to create more space for the main TSA security checkpoint.
The changes will also give customers a more direct walk to the parking lot shuttles, ground transportation and new meet-and-greet areas.
The second project involves building a new baggage screening area and terminal expansion.
A new, 80,000-square-foot inline baggage screening facility is being built behind the Sheraton Hotel for the airport’s explosion-detection machines.
A mile-long conveyor belt will carry checked bags from airline ticket counters directly to the new screening facility.
Currently, passengers have to carry their luggage to explosive detection machines after checking in with their airline.
The new facility will create new gate space for flights and extra counter space for new and existing airlines when the screening machines are removed, the CAA said.
Construction began in February 2023 and is expected to be completed in late 2025.
The roughly $243 million cost is being offset with federal funding, including $99 million from the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program, the Transportation Security Administration and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The remaining $144 million comes from passenger facility charges and the CAA’s airport revenue.
