LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — March, May, June and July were the busiest months ever at Harry Reid International Airport—with more than five million passengers each month, according to the Clark County Department of Aviation (CCDOA).
Newly announced expansion and renovation plans hope to make it easier for people coming and going from Las Vegas, but it means getting creative with the limited space they have available.
Las Vegas residents, Cadden O'Brien and Vincent Bellon, said they know firsthand how jammed the airport can be— with both people and vehicle traffic.
"I think anything they can do to expand that will always be good for the city," O'Brien said.
I think if they expanded anything it should probably be the lanes driving in, sometimes it can chaotic with the traffic.
“Getting there itself sometimes is a little bit difficult, where you've gotta wait in line picking somebody up or something like that," Bellon said. "So, if they can expand the lanes, that's the only recommendation I have."
CCDOA Director Rosemary Vassiliadis said improving traffic flow is a big part of the Harry Reid International Airport maximization plan— modernizing the already existing facilities to meet increasing demand, without expanding past its already landlocked 28 acres southeast of the Las Vegas Strip.
Early planning is underway for a second airport in Ivanpah Valley about 20 miles south of Las Vegas near Jean— currently called the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport project—but the CCDOA estimates that it won't be operational until at least 2037, which necessitates the new plan to update Harry Reid International Airport.
“We have to have enough gates, enough roadway, enough curbs, enough ticket counters to process everyone, so that part of the trip is a good experience and that our visitors keep coming back," Vassiliadis said.
The maximization plan includes constructing a new terminal with a maximum of 26 new gates where the now-demolished Terminal 2 once stood. CCDOA said the new terminal will use a pier-style concourse like the C Gates, rather than the "cluster buildings" currently housing the A and B Gates.
“That [building style] is much more efficient, fits more gates and is flexible for different type of aircraft, because they constantly change on us," Vassiliadis said.
Vassiliadis explained they're planning the construction in phases so impacts to travelers are as limited as possible, with sections of the currently standing Terminal 1 only being demolished once the new terminal and its gates are fully operational.
After that, what is now Terminal 3 will be renamed Terminal 2 in hopes of reducing confusion and work will begin on constructing two multi-modal transportation stations on the north and south end of the airport property, housing employee parking, rideshare pickup and drop-off, buses and other travel options.
CCDOA officials said they're also planning on improving vehicle access and road congestion by creating a simplified route between the terminals, the construction of which will likely have the greatest impact to travelers throughout the whole maximization project.
“You'll see a flyover bridge, you’ll see a 'high T' intersection," Vassiliadis said. "Little things like that should help the flow tremendously."
The plan was presented by CCDOA staff to the Clark County Commission Tuesday, and Commission Chair Tick Segerblom stressed the importance of improving Harry Reid Airport in the short term while the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport project in Ivanpah is still in its infancy.
“We need to help people coming to Las Vegas right now–the first thing they see is the airport and the last thing they see is the airport," Segerblom said. "We want to have the airport just like everything you see on the Strip: lights, cameras, over the top.”
Vassiliadis said the design portion of the Reid Airport maximization project is set to kick off next January, which she estimates to take about a year. She hopes to see shovels in the ground a short time after that.
 CCDOA |  CCDOA |
"We can envision the Terminal 1 piece of this project done in about four years, operational in four years," Vassiliadis said.
In the meantime, travelers won't see much of a difference, save for some improvements to Terminal 1's baggage claim and some minor ongoing work at the C and D gates.
For more information about Harry Reid International Airport, visit their website by clicking here.
For more information on the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport project, click here.
