Dive Brief:

• The $2.4 billion, eight-year San Francisco Airport Terminal 1 replacement-renovation project started this week, with local dignitaries taking the first shot at the aging structure with sledgehammers during a Wednesday ceremony, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
• The only portion of the terminal not to be demolished is an area from which Southwest Airlines will operate during construction, but even that is getting a facelift with new carpet and seating.
• By the time the project is complete, the new terminal will have 24 gates, two new boarding areas, a central check-in area with security, a new baggage claim area and a new mezzanine.

Dive Insight

Another airport terminal project that recently began construction is the $4 billion New York City LaGuardia Terminal B project. The new 1.3 million-square foot, 35-gate facility is being designed and built by the Skanska-led LaGuardia Gateway Partners and will be complete in 2021, but opening in phases beginning in 2018. In addition to ferry and rail connections to the Long Island Railroad, the new terminal will feature a new bus service called "LaGuardia link" that connects passengers with the New York City subway.

Salt Lake City also has a $2.6 billion airport expansion underway. The project will include a $740 million concourse in addition to a $1.86 billion terminal. Revenue bonds, airline passenger taxes and rental car taxes are paying for the entire project.

The biggest airport renovation currently underway, however, is at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a massive $6 billion, 20-year construction and renovation initiative. The project includes a $393 million terminal, scheduled for completion in 2018, and a $943 million runway with an estimated completion date of 2034.