Travelers thought Utah’s Salt Lake City International Airport(SLC) can now enjoy the benefits of the third phase of the airport’s significant redevelopment project. The Salt Lake City Department of Airports today unveiled Phase 3 of The New SLC Redevelopment Program, which includes the eagerly-awaited Central Tunnel, Concourse B Plaza with new concessions, additional gates, and four new art installations that celebrate and recognize Utah’s beauty and natural history.
The redevelopment program broke ground in July 2014, with Phase 1 of The New SLC opening in fall 2020, followed by Phase 2 in fall 2023. Next fall, additional gates are expected to come online, with the entire project finished in 2026 with 94 aircraft gates. A crowning touch of this phase is the completion of a 1,000-foot-long central tunnel that significantly reduces the walk from the main terminal to the north concourse.
The latest phase follows news that the airport is receiving an American Express Centurion lounge, new flights with Avelo Airlines to Sonoma, and a United Airlines link to Washington, DC. Bill Wyatt, Executive Director of Salt Lake City Department of Airports, expressed his excitement for the progress made on the project:
“With today’s opening of Phase 3 we have reached an extraordinary milestone in The New SLC Redevelopment Program.
“We have built an airport that is convenient, inspiring, flexible, sustainable and provides our passengers with a first-class experience.”
Passengers and visitors can experience the new airport beginning with the Central Tunnel connecting A and B Concourses. The ceiling of the tunnel features a large-scale art installation by Gordon Huether titled “The River Tunnel.” The piece was designed to reflect the rivers that flow through the state’s mountains and canyons, creating a completely immersive experience for passengers.
Adding to the immersive ambiance of the River Tunnel art installation is a collection of more than 100 songs that have been curated for the airport by Huether, with pieces relating to travel and Utah. Confirmed songs for the initial setlist include local favorites such as “Salt Lake City” by the Beach Boys and music from local artists, including “Call of the Champions” by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and “In My Own Little Corner of the World,” by Marie Osmond.
Upon reaching the Concourse B Plaza at the end of The River Tunnel, passengers are greeted by an extension of The Canyon and the Northern Light oculus art installations by Huether located elsewhere in the airport to continue highlighting Utah’s natural beauty.
Northern Light is created from 500 glass rods, hand-drawn Sebastian Willeke, and 300 dichroic glass panels. The framework holding the half-sphere structure together is made of stainless steel, and the completed installation weighs over three tons, requiring special reinforcements to the wall in the North Concourse to support it.
New to the Concourse B Plaza, but not the airport, is The World Map that once graced the floor of the original airport’s Terminal 1. The World Map was created by Dallas stoneworker Julius Bartoli based on drawings by Ashton, Evans & Brazier and installed in Terminal 1 in 1960.
Although airport engineers were initially concerned that removing the World Map would damage the pieces, further examination proved them wrong. The World Map was safely dismantled and stored until it moved to its new home in Concourse B this summer.
In addition to the art, there will also be new amenities for passengers traveling through the airport. Travelers can now take advantage of a dozen new concessions spread across the 19,260 square-foot space. The concession operators selected as part of Phase 3 include the following brands and concepts, several of which (Cotopaxi, The Canyon, Sunday’s Best, Thirst, Weller Book Works) are all local to the area:
Food and Beverage:
- Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen
- Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers
- Maggiano’s Little Italy; Sunday’s Best
- The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
- Thirst
Retail, News, and Gifts:
- Cotopaxi
- iStore Express; Relay
- Travel Right
- The Canyon
- Weller Book Works
One secret art project is finally coming to life. The Natural History Museum of Utah has donated to the airport “Ally the dinosaur,” a replica fossil skeleton of Utah’s state fossil, the Allosaurus fragilis.The giant animal is the quintessential Late Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur that once roamed Utah’s landscapes and is now one of the most famous dinosaurs worldwide. The Utah museum is home to the most extensive Allosaurus collection in the world.
