Additions at SLC to be Completed by 2024
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Mike Williams pointed toward a set of windows where about a dozen construction workers were busy Tuesday morning fitting pipes just below the roof of what will soon be an extended concourse at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
This space, he said, will be the next four gates of the airport when they are opened in May 2023, ahead of the rest of the 22-gate Concourse A-East project.
“That’s because we need gates. The passenger traffic continues to increase,” said Williams, the program director for the Salt Lake Airport Redevelopment Program, trying to speak over the sound of a welder working behind him.
Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions that began in March 2020, airport executive director Bill Wyatt said passenger volumes have been on a “steady, high-paced climb” ever since the construction of the new airport began in 2014.
The growth of the airport is faster than originally anticipated.
About 22.4 million passengers came through the airport in 2021, making it the 21st busiest North American airport and the world’s 70th busiest airport. Those numbers are still about 17% below its 2019 figures; almost 27 million passengers came through at the airport before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel.
The concourse extension will add 22 vital gates by the end of 2023, to help meet the new demand. Airport officials on Tuesday unveiled new details about the next phase of construction, including the names of the 19 concession vendors that will set up shop once the extension is completely open.
The 19 restaurant and retail spaces, totaling nearly 24,000 square feet of space, are expected to open with the rest of the terminal in November 2023.
Food and beverage:
- Auntie Anne’s.
- Blue Iguana (Local).
- Burger King.
- Hugo Coffee (Local).
- Jimmy John’s.
- Millcreek Coffee Roasters (Local, 2 locations).
- P.F. Chang’s.
- Protein Bar and Kitchen.
- Red Rock Brewery (Local).
- Rockwell’s Ice Cream (Local).
- Vessel Kitchen (Local).
- Wow Bao.
Specialty retail, news/gift and service:
- Atrium.
- Hudson Nonstop (2 locations).
- Minute Suites.
- SLC Public Market (Local, 2 locations).
- Utah Jazz Pro Shop (Local).
The new concessions will add to the 58 vendors currently operating at the airport.
*******Not that it's much of a surprise, but Utah continues to hold its title as the nation's youngest state even as the U.S. population continues to age, according to a new report released by the U.S. Census Bureau.**********
