HOUSTON — Houston airports are working on multiple projects to handle more travelers easier.
There are 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 this week impacting traffic in that area. The reason for the closures is a baggage handling system bridge. The completed system will be one and a half miles long and can process 2,400 bags an hour and include a 157-foot-long bridge.
There will be nightly detours from. 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Monday night until Dec. 8. Travelers are encouraged to get there early if they have a late night or early morning flight.
Those heading to Terminals C, D or E this week should build in extra time to get around construction. Cars approaching Bush Airport from Will Clayton Parkway will be detoured to enter Bush Airport via JFK Boulevard. Passengers departing from Terminal D after 9 p.m. might experience delays. 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 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 provided by United of what the renovations could look like:
Renderings of United Airlines' Bush Airport Terminal B expansion project
