HOUSTON — Earlier this week, airports across the country and here in Houston experienced the busiest travel day of the year so far. But now, Houston airports are working on multiple projects to be able to handle more travelers easier.
There are both short-term and long-term projects and there are some things you’ll need to know.
There will be overnight closures for parts of North Terminal Road at Bush Airport next week impacting traffic in that area. The reason for the closures -- a baggage handling system bridge. The completed system will be one and a half miles long and will be able to process 2,400 bags an hour and include a 157-foot-long bridge.
Because of this, the airport is issuing a traffic alert. It will impact Monday through Friday of next week between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. It will impact terminals C, D and E. Officials say you should expect delays and arrive early.
That’s the short term.
In the long term, we learned this week of United Airline’s plan to spend $2.6 billion for renovation and expansion at Terminal B. That will feature 1,500 new jobs for United in Houston and 4,000 construction jobs. The announcement was applauded by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
"This continued partnership between United and the City of Houston only furthers our reach across the globe and underscores our commitment to growing Houston’s economy,” the mayor said.
The United project includes a new baggage system, a new United Club and an expansion to 40 gates at Bush Airport, all in an effort to increase the number of people who can fly on peak travel dates by 40%.
The United project is expected to be completed by 2026 in time for the FIFA World Cup that summer.
Here are some renderings of what the renovations could look like, provided by United:
Renderings of United Airlines' Bush Airport Terminal B expansion project
