SEATAC, Wash. — Long lines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are getting a multimillion-dollar makeover with the help of the federal government.
The airport is getting $16 million in federal grants to speed up security checkpoint lines.
The solution is relocating security checkpoint 1 from the departures area upstairs to the downstairs arrivals area. Currently, the checkpoint isn’t always open and sometimes it is only used for passengers who have TSA precheck.
At its current location, there isn’t enough space for modern screening machines that automatically move bins through the X-ray machine and back to the front of the line.
The automation saves passengers a lot of time in security lines.
The project also includes upgrades to elevators to make the checkpoint more accessible.
According to the Seattle Times, the airport officials estimate the relocation would allow two more lanes to be added to the checkpoint, increasing capacity at checkpoint 1 from 540 passengers an hour 940 passengers an hour.
Over the course of 20 hours, the airport would be able to screen 8,000 more passengers.
The project will cost $24 million. Of that, $16 million is coming from the Biden administration’s infrastructure law. The remaining $8 million is coming from the airport’s general fund.
Construction is set to begin later this year, with the project slated to be complete by the end of next year.
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