New Salt Lake City International Airport Unveiled

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A who’s who of Utah politicians and other leaders unveiled the first phase of the new Salt Lake City International airport Thursday morning.

The airport opens to passengers next month after six years of construction, and a price tag of $4.1 billion.

The new facility features a linear design that includes one central terminal and two parallel concourses. They are connected by an underground tunnel.

The central terminal and west end of concourse A opens Sept. 15. About six weeks later, the west end of concourse B will open.

Don’t expect cranes and other construction machinery to leave just yet, because phase two of construction then begins as crews build out the east end of concourse A and demolition starts on the old airport.

Seven miles of conveyor belts are in place for the new baggage system which is designed to handle oversized bags like skis.

The scale is massive. It covers nearly 300 acres with 7,000 columns to keep it stabilized during earthquakes.

The original Salt Lake International operated for more than 50 years. It was built to handle 11 million passengers a year, but last year more than 26 million passed through the gates. The new airport is ready to handle more than 34 million passengers a year.

There are 32 moving walkways, 78 gates and six dual-use international gates.

The new parking garage is five stories tall with 3,600 spaces, twice the number of the old airport.

One of the most stunning features is the Utah-themed artwork.