CDA: TSA screening lanes to permanently relocate to the new north bridge at Midway International Airport
CHICAGO, IL, 2019-Oct-30 — /Travel PR News/ — The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) announces that beginning today (10/29/2019), several TSA screening lanes will be permanently relocated to the new north bridge of the security checkpoint at Midway International Airport, The lanes are located approximately 100 feet from their current positions. The new checkpoint opens Friday morning, November 1, marking a key milestone for the Midway Modernization Program. (MMP).
During the move, additional TSA officers will be onsite to help minimize any impacts to checkpoint operations. The CDA will also have extra staff on hand, in addition to directional signage to guide travelers to the new location. More than a dozen screening lanes will be available, and this configuration will be in place at least through the first half of 2020.
Once the move is complete, major construction activities will be relocated entirely to the south side of the terminal as building continues on the full expanse of the checkpoint and new security pavilion.
In early November, crews will also begin demolishing the existing security bridge over Cicero Avenue, starting from the inside. Work will then move to the outside, leading to overnight lane closures on Cicero Avenue and in the arrivals and ground transportation areas after Thanksgiving. Any closures or shifts in traffic flow will be similar to other changes on airport roadways that have been in place since MMP construction began in 2018.
About the Midway Bridge/Security Checkpoint Expansion Project
A new 80,000-square-foot security pavilion will be created to allow for additional security lanes, enhanced technology and a single checkpoint system that will double Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening capacity and increase efficiency for passengers. The new security structure and expansion of the pedestrian bridge will provide for a streamlined, single-checkpoint area that will be seven times wider than the current security hall and feature new technology. This development, combined with new TSA automated lanes, is expected to increase the hourly throughput from 2,500 to 5,000 passengers per hour—double the existing capacity. Beyond the expanded capacity for TSA screening functions, the project will contribute to other aspects of the MMP by adding 18,000-square-feet for new concession opportunities. Over the next two years, the $104 million security checkpoint project will create 470 new construction jobs.
Source: Chicago Department of Aviation
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