Austin Mayor Kirk Watson brought along a four-legged companion this week to check out the newest amenities at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's West Gate Expansion, including the terminal's largest restrooms, a new nursing room, and a pet relief area. The visit, shared in a post from the airport's X account on Tuesday, highlighted several features now open to the public as the roughly $165 million project nears the finish line.
According to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
, posting under the handle austinairport, Watson stopped by to see the newly opened amenities, including what the airport describes as the largest restrooms in the terminal. Those restrooms feature modern technology and new indicator lights designed to help travelers quickly find an available stall, the airport said. The West Gate Expansion is adding new gates and amenities to the Barbara Jordan Terminal as part of a $165 million project,
KVUE
reports.
The West Gate Expansion creates three new gates and replaces 12 existing gate boarding bridges. The same report details other additions beyond the restrooms and nursing room, including a new pet relief area, the airport's first-ever playscape, and a quiet room where travelers can meditate or relax before a flight.
Outdoor Patio and Gate Overhaul
Per the station's reporting, the expansion also includes an outdoor public patio where travelers can watch planes taking off and landing while taking in views of the Austin skyline. The project's scope is substantial: according to flyaustin.com, the expansion is adding 84,500 gross square feet across three levels and will replace 12 current gate boarding bridges while creating three new gates.
Mayor Watson framed the project as part of a larger push to modernize the airport experience. “This is just the start of a series of transformative airport projects that will modernize and improve the AUS experience for everyone,” Watson said, according to CBS Austin. The airport has said no local Austin taxpayer dollars will fund the Journey With AUS program.
Part Of A Much Bigger Buildout
The West Gate project is just one piece of a sprawling construction effort at AUS. The airport's report notes that it currently has 15 active projects in various stages, representing a combined investment of about $5 billion, as Central Texas continues to grow. That broader effort, known as Journey With AUS, is intended to nearly double the airport's gate capacity from 33 gates to more than 60, according to WSP, which also notes that Austin's metro area is projected to more than double in size by 2060, reaching 5.2 million people.
Yahoo Travel describes Journey With AUS as a multiyear, multibillion-dollar program with construction anticipated to continue into the early 2030s. Among the other projects in the pipeline is Concourse M, a separate temporary facility expected to open in 2028 with six gates and more than 37,000 square feet, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
When Will It Actually Be Done?
Exactly when the West Gate Expansion will wrap up remains unsettled across different accounts. The Statesman reported in late March that the project was expected to be complete that spring, while KVUE has reported the expansion is expected to wrap up by fall. The airport's own project page, meanwhile, describes the work as currently in the build phase with an estimated completion sometime in 2026.
For now, travelers passing through the Barbara Jordan Terminal can already use several of the finished amenities, from the quiet room to the pet relief area that reportedly got a mayoral dog's seal of approval during this week's visit. More gates and features are expected to open as the broader Journey With AUS program continues to reshape the airport in the years ahead.
