When the COVID-19 pandemic brought air travel to a near stop in March, construction managers building the replacement terminal for Salt Lake City International Airport saw both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge was keeping the workforce of up to 1,800 people healthy and on the job in the face of a global pandemic, while the dramatic drop in airport traffic presented an opportunity to complete all phases of the $4.1-billion facility more than two years ahead of schedule.
The 3.2-million-sq-ft replacement facility, a new five-level parking structure and central utility plant have been rising on a 296.7-acre site directly southwest of the current airport.