What to expect from $45M security checkpoint project at Louisville airport

This story has been updated with new information and quotes.

The biggest change in more than 35 years to the terminal at Louisville’s main airport kicked off this week, set to increase security screening capacity by over 60%.

A $45 million overhaul to the security checkpoint at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport marked its groundbreaking Thursday, an effort expected to be completed by late 2026.

The expanded security checkpoint is one aspect of the multi-year, approximately $500-million SDF Next Program, which includes renovations to many parts of the airport.

The existing security area will be expanded with a 30,000-square-foot addition on the west side of the terminal. It will have space for up to 10 screening lanes with state-of-the-art equipment, up from the current six.

“The new security checkpoint will be a significant improvement for travelers that follows multiple record-setting years for passenger traffic,” Dan Mann, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, said in a statement. “Thanks to increased air service and community support, we have outgrown our current security checkpoint.”

More security lanes should mean passengers face shorter lines and spend less time going through security, said airport spokeswoman Natalie Chaudoin, adding that not all 10 lanes will necessarily be open at all times.

Facing increasing passenger traffic in recent years (since 2018, the airport has recorded four of its five busiest years), the airport added a sixth security lane and a temporary “pop-up” seventh lane last year.

As for the construction process, because most of the work will be done next to the existing security checkpoint space, minimal disruptions to the security process are expected, Chaudoin said.

Last year, the airport marked its busiest year on record, with 4.6 million people flying in and out of the airport at 600 Terminal Drive. Mann said this year's passenger traffic is up 5%, year to date, over last year.

Project funding includes more than $31 million in federal dollars via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and $5 million in state funding.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell touted the federal support of the project, citing the bipartisan nature of the infrastructure law.

"It shows what can be done when we work together," he said. "We had an election this week, and even though my side did very well, that doesn't mean we're not going to work together."

Funding from passenger facility charges, an additional fee tacked onto every plane ticket to support improvement projects, is paying for the remainder of the project.

Through a bidding process, the airport authority selected the sole bidder, Louisville-based Abel Construction, to complete the project.

The expansion is designed to reduce energy use and increase passenger and Transportation Security Administration staff comfort, airport officials said Thursday. The addition will include solar panels, “smart glass” to reduce glare and venting to allow for fresh air circulation in crowded security spaces.

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Following the ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday, construction in earnest will begin “in the coming weeks,” according to airport officials. The expansion project is set to wrap and be fully ready for use by late 2026.

Announced in December 2019, the multi-year SDF Next capital improvement project was slowed by the pandemic, though the effort has already seen nearly $130 million in completed projects.

Some of those projects included a color-coded light system in parking garages to alert customers to open spaces, refreshed interior and exterior signage, replacement of aging jet bridges, addition of covered walkways, and baggage claim remodeling.

Reach growth and development reporter Matthew Glowicki at [email protected] or 502-582-4000.