Pittsburgh International Airport will likely look much different in four years' time.
The airport unveiled a conceptual design for a new $1.1 billion terminal this week that includes more natural light, concessions and an undulating roof to mimic the region's rolling hills, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Better news for travelers passing through the Steel City, the new design should cut the time they spend from car to plane by half.
Scheduled to open in 2023, the new terminal would be developed inside of the C and D arms of the airport's airside building and replace the existing landside building. It would allow for check-in, security and baggage claim as well as feature an expansive "meet-and-greet" area for visitors greeting arriving passengers.
The new terminal will include two levels. The top will be for departures and the bottom for arrivals with the ultimate goal being to "make the journey seamless," according to project designer Luis Vidal, who also designed T2 at London's Heathrow Airport.
"We want to build Pittsburgh's airport. We've seen what a U.S. Airways' airport looks like," Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis told the Post-Gazette, referring to the airport's development in the early 1990s as a major hub for U.S. Airways, which dropped Pittsburgh as a hub in 2004 and ceased operations in 2015 after merging with American Airlines.
"This is not just a project. This really is the last piece of the puzzle for Pittsburgh's renaissance," she added. In recent years, the airport has dramatically increased its number of destinations served from 37 to 67.
Airport Authority board members approved the new terminal's conceptual design this week but officials believe the final cost of the new facility will likely increase "slightly."
"We expect, as do the airlines, that there will be an increase in [cost]," added Cassotis." But it will be what the airlines can bear." The new terminal is expected to reduce annual operating and maintenance costs by $20 million.
According to the Post-Gazette, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald confirmed that no local taxpayer funds will be used to fund the new terminal. However, he did not rule out the possibility of state or federal support.
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