Bradley International Airport continues to grow its operations and some noticeable changes are on the horizon.
Two major projects are about half complete and are slated to create a more efficient airport experience when they are done, according to the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA).
“It's money well spent to enhance the overall capacity and to enhance the passenger experience,” CAA executive director Kevin Dillon said.
The CAA offered a peek at construction Wednesday that will change the overall flow for travelers at the airport, and enhance security.
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“You can see the amount of space we are going to get for queuing,” the airport's engineer, Bob Bruno, pointed out around the main TSA checkpoint.
The first project will create a change in the main entrance for travelers, though the construction is happening on each end of the main terminal building.
Two roughly 11,000-square-foot ends are being added for travelers coming off planes to use to exit the airport. Currently, travelers exiting planes walk toward the middle of the airport and leave in a similar area where departing passengers go through TSA.
"Sometimes during peak travel times, you get a little bit of congestion," Bruno said.
With the change to the airport exit, it also adds an additional 3,000 square feet of space for security.
“Our facilities will for sure be state-of-the-art as it relates to security processing,” said Dillon.
The second project also involves security changes. Currently being masked by a temporary wall, construction crews are hard at work on a new 80,000-square-foot addition that will house a new checked bag screening facility.
Currently, travelers drop off their own bags at a screening machine. Those machines are housed in the same area fliers can check in with their airlines and check the bag itself. The new facility will allow for the bag to be whisked away from the check-in area and screened before finding its way to the flight.
“We need that space for queuing, we need that space to open up additional ticket counters so we can continue to grow here at Bradley,” said Dillon.
Above the screening facility, the space will become home to two additional airline gates and a relocated gate.
All of the work is flying Bradley into the future -- a future that airport officials said has more flights and a better airport experience.
“We are still chasing a number of airlines that we believe will ultimately operate here at the airport,” said Dillon.
He added there is room to grow with flights to London or more access to the West Coast and Caribbean. Officials note the goal isn’t to have the same volume as some of the major travel hubs our neighbors in Boston or New York City have. They believe the traveler experience will keep people flying Bradley.
“We are never going to have the route structure of a NYC airport or a Boston, but what those airports will never have is the convenience of a Bradley,” said Dillon.
The project involving the changes to the entrance and exit for fliers, known as the Vertical Circulation Project, is expected to be completed near the end of 2025.
The project, known as the Inline Baggage Screening Facility and Terminal Expansion, is also expected to be completed near the end of 2025 or early 2026.
