The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is charting a future course with its ambitious Concourse B and Connector Project, detailed in a recent presentation to the Airport Advisory Commission. Lyn Estabrook, the airport's deputy chief development officer, provided an update on the sprawling $164 million expansion initiative designed to revamp the Barbara Jordan Terminal.
Unveiling a conceptual layout at the Jan. 10 meeting, Estabrook depicted the phased construction plan for what will eventually be a 40-gate concourse envisioned beyond 2030. The initial phase features the Connector and 20 gates, followed by two subsequent phases adding six and 14 gates, respectively. "This is potential construction phasing, and we’re still working with that," Estabrook said. "This is what the 40-gate concourse would look like with the sort of central area where everybody connects to and from. And then the wings off to the side. It’s a linear configuration that is an optimal level of design," according to Austin Monitor.
Estabrook also shed light on a variety of passenger-friendly features throughout the proposed multi-level structure. "There's that central node that will come up from the connector... and then there's nodes for hold groups", she explained. The airport development officer detailed plans for the circulation of patrons and baggage, as well as accommodating mobility issues with moving walkways, comparing the length favorably to Austin’s downtown hike and bike trails, as reported by Austin Monitor.
With the airport traditionally taking nine months in the procurement process, Estabrook communicated an intent to expedite it. Should efforts to reduce the timeline be unsuccessful, design work on the project is expected to commence in the fall, with the goal of concluding construction around 2030.
