State and local officials broke ground Thursday on the new $1.39 billion terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The 700,000-square-foot terminal will include ticketing, security checkpoints and baggage claim with a focus on sustainability and public health. It will incorporate clean air technology and outdoor spaces before and after security.
Airport CEO Christina Cassotis addressed a crowd of over 300 people ahead of the ceremonial groundbreaking.
"We're breaking ground on so much more than a building or a complex," she said. "We're really breaking ground on the region's future. This is meant to be a physical representation of everything that makes this community great."
Officials estimate the new terminal will generate $2.5 billion for the local economy, add 14,000 jobs and generate $27 million in local tax revenue.
The project will require 12,000 tons of steel, 94,000 tons of concrete and more than 354,000 square feet of wood materials, much of which the airport hopes to source locally.
Construction is starting a year later than originally planned because of the pandemic.
The terminal is expected to open in 2025.
