Paul Szydelko
With southern Nevada already going ahead with plans for a supplemental airport about half an hour outside Las Vegas, plans for an expansion and renovation of the city's Harry Reid Airport were presented to the Clark County Commission on Oct. 1.
Twenty-six gates will be added to Terminal 1 at Reid Airport, according to a conceptual plan presented to the commission by the county's Department of Aviation. It would bring the total number of gates in that terminal to 65. Also, a more efficient pier design will replace the antiquated satellite gate layout.
No timeline was provided for the improvements. Airport officials will meet with airline company executives in December to discuss the concept, Department of Aviation director Rosemary Vassiliadis told the Nevada Independent after the presentation. The report noted that the $2.4 billion Terminal 3, which opened in 2012, took about four years to complete.
In 2023, the airport set a new high for passenger traffic -- 57.6 million passengers -- a 9.4% increase over 2022. This year's numbers so far indicate another record will be set.
The current configuration of Terminal 1 at Harry Reid Airport. Photo Credit: Clark County Department of Aviation
The expanded Terminal 1 at Harry Reid Airport, as proposed by the Clark County Department of Aviation. Photo Credit: Clark County Department of Aviation
"Despite all of our best efforts to improve Terminal 1, it's just not moving the needle," said Bryant Holt, managing director of planning for the Clark County Department of Aviation. "It's not because of anything other than the fact that the buildings are old. It's the age, and it's the design of the facility. They're simply not sustainable for current and future development, future growth."
Adding about 46,000 square feet, the modernization plan calls for building on land that was once home to the old Terminal 2, which was demolished in 2016.
"What we're getting, really, is more operational functionality," Holt told the commission. "There are going to be larger hold rooms with high ceilings. Our guests would be able to access all the concourses, each outfitted with the latest in wayfinding and technology and other essential amenities that come with that."
Balancing the use of Terminal 1 (which currently handles about 75% of passengers) and Terminal 3 (25% of passengers) was another priority. So was improving efficiency and eliminating the confusion resulting from not having a Terminal 2.
Improvements beyond Terminal 1
Terminal 3 will in fact become the new Terminal 2, with reimagined curbside, ticketing, baggage handling and passenger circulation. The redesign will balance the guest-ticketing process, increase the security-checkpoint rate and reduce curbside congestion, Holt said. New express elevators will take guests from level 2 ticketing to the level 0 security checkpoint and the D gates.
A terminal-to-terminal flyover roadway will be built to separate airport traffic from commuter traffic and augment the one-way, circular motion of airport traffic. Peak commuter traffic or an accident on the thoroughfare running through the airport sometimes affects airport operations, Holt said.
"So the new roadway configuration as well as the [Reid Airport Connector] tunnel rehab, which would be nicely paved and well lit, will really serve as an icon when new people come here and see the advanced engineering of Las Vegas. So we're going to really make that a showpiece," Holt said.
Two multimodal centers will be constructed to provide better access to ride share, public transportation options, rental cars and parking for airport crew members and employees.
The presentation did not include a cost estimate for the improvements. Bonds supported by fees such as those for landing, concessions and parking as well as gaming revenue generated at the airport would pay for the expansion's design and construction.
"Having the conceptual detail helps us understand what we're able to do with the existing facilities," county commissioner Jim Gibson said. "It can't just be, and people keep asking us, 'Well, you're just going to leave that the way it is, and then hope you make it to a time when you have a reliever airport?' No. The answer is there's a lot that needs to be done at Harry Reid right now, and it's relieving to me that we're on a pathway now to accomplish that."
Supplemental airport plans
Reid Airport will remain the system's flagship, but the long-discussed Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport about 30 minutes to the west is on track to open in 2037.
"Our [current] airport system is still not enough," Holt said. "[The supplemental airport] is going to open up new airspace, new runways that we don't have today. It's going to allow us to develop new roads and terminal buildings that are being pushed to the limit today, being able to accommodate the general aviation that'' emerging that we're turning away during mega-events today."
The FAA has concurred on the need for a new airport in a feasibility study, and airport officials are working closely with federal, state and local agencies to protect the airspace, land use and zoning at the proposed site. The next steps are to issue a notice of intent and to complete an environmental impact statement.