October 25, 2024

New terminal, 19 gates eyed for Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Photo courtesy of Port of Seattle [enlarge]

The Port of Seattle wants to build a new terminal at Seattle Tacoma International Airport to keep pace with projected growth in the region.

Come 2032, Seattle Tacoma International Airport could have a new terminal served by new parking infrastructure.

Those projects are two of 31 identified in the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which serves as a strategic blueprint for future development at the airport.

The SAMP was completed in 2018 and identified a roster of projects deemed necessary to accommodate for future growth in the region and align with the port's sustainability goals. The port estimates that another one million people will call the Puget Sound area home by 2035.

The SAMP projects are moving closer to breaking ground, following the release last week of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the plan. The EA assesses the potential environmental impacts of the proposed projects.

The public is invited to read and comment on the document. The public comment period will end on Dec. 5. More information about that process and a link to the draft EA are at http://www.airportprojects.net/sampntpenvironmentalreview

The port is also hosting a series of public meetings on the draft EA. The first will be on Nov. 12. The final meeting will be on Nov. 16. Meeting information is at http://www.airportprojects.net/sampntpenvironmentalreview/contact

The port says the 31 near-term projects outlined in the SAMP would accommodate 56 million passengers and meet forecasted airport demand to 2032. All the projects are expected to either be completed, or under construction, by 2032.

A NEPA environmental review for the SAMP is also underway.

Photo from Doug Fox Parking [enlarge]

The new terminal is proposed for the current site of the Doug Fox parking lot.

The proposed projects would improve operational efficiency, accommodate future growth, and provide more capacity for fuel, including sustainable aviation fuel.

They include:

• A second terminal with 19 additional gates

• An elevated busway with stations linking the rental car facility, new terminal, and main terminal

• Cargo facilities to accommodate the growth of air freight

• Realigning airport roadways

• Airfield updates to improve safety and efficiency

• New parking infrastructure to serve the second terminal

• Additional facilities for sustainable aviation fuel

The port is proposing to build the new terminal, and associated new parking infrastructure, at the site of the current Doug Fox parking lot. The parking lot is at 626 S. 170th St. and is located to the east of the existing main terminal.

The new terminal would be approximately 575,000 square feet in size, with a footprint of approximately 166,000 square feet. It would include a basement level for baggage handling and screening, a baggage claim level for arriving passengers, an interstitial (or open) level connected to a new garage that provides commercial curbside space, and a departures level with passenger check-in and security screening facilities. A new multi-level parking garage would serve the terminal and provide approximately 1,350 parking spaces.

The port also wants to build a new multi-level terminal concourse and aircraft apron that would be connected to the new terminal and could accommodate up to 19 gates. The new terminal concourse would have a footprint of approximately 203,000 square feet and contain three levels. The new facility would be located north of the North Satellite Concourse and would displace the current Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting station, a warehouse, de-icing tanks, NAE and a fuel rack.