Terminal A Roadway Traffic to Shift Again on Thursday, August 14.
The summer road project at Terminal A currently is ahead of schedule, and we expect to wrap it up by early September instead of early October. So far the impact on passengers and airlines at Terminal A has been minimal as a result of good coordination among the airport, our airlines, and construction partners. Construction crews continue to work 24 hours a day, six days a week, to help speed the completion of the work.

Thanks for your patience during one the most difficult periods of construction for our customers!

Beginning Wednesday evening this week, August 13, we enter the third and final stage of our major summer road construction at Terminal A. The project now moves to the north and south ends of the Arrivals side next to the garage at Terminal A, and crews will again shift lanes and curbside drop-off locations to be ready early Thursday morning.

The Departures curb for passenger drop-offs moves back to the front of the terminal again. Both lanes on the Departures side of Terminal A will be back in service.
The lanes approaching the garage and Arrivals curb will be reduced to one lane for the next couple of weeks as you come around the curve by the garage into the terminal area. The Arrivals curb itself will be temporarily shortened at its southern end. We’re aiming to reopen these lanes before the Labor Day holiday.
The shuttle bus stop returns to north end of Departures curb, just before you reach the terminal.

For illustrations and maps showing the road construction plan and timetable, go to SJC.org Construction Updates.

20-Minute Grace Period in Garage Extended a Few More Weeks.
You can continue to pick up or drop off passengers inside the Terminal A Garage at no charge, which helps reduce congestion on the curb during this stage of roadwork. You may enter the garage to drop off your travelers, but don’t linger. You must exit before your 20 minutes is up, or you’ll be charged for your entire time in the garage (at least $2 for the first 20 minutes and part of the next 20 minutes).

Good Advice -- Get to the Airport Early This Summer.
Summer is our busiest travel season. Please be alert to changing road conditions at the airport, and allow yourself extra time to deal with unexpected traffic and changes in parking so you can get to the terminals at least 90 minutes before your flight.

And for early morning peak times at Terminal C, give yourself even more time. The busiest time at Terminal C is between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. when the first wave of flights of the morning gets ready to push out. Follow the signs and parking and traffic officers' instructions. Don’t make any sudden moves – and please watch out for other drivers, pedestrians, and construction workers.

New Terminal A "Express Checkpoint Now Open at International Arrivals Building.
We’ve worked with TSA to open a new express security checkpoint inside the International Arrivals Building, just after you pass by Terminal A. The Express Checkpoint will be open from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. If you’ve already printed your boarding pass and don’t have any bags to check, you can quickly enter the terminal right there for Southwest, American, Hawaiian, and Mexicana Airlines.

Use the Cell Phone Waiting Area to Save Time and Save Gas.
Don’t circle the airport while waiting for your passengers to arrive or get out of baggage claim. Instead, park at the SJC Cell Phone Waiting Area on Airport Parkway, between Highway 87 and Technology Drive, and have your travelers call you when they arrive so you can meet them at the curb. You’re just a minute or so away from Terminal A or Terminal C, and you can avoid traffic on the Airport’s roads and use less gas, too. Also, if your passengers don’t have bags to claim, you can have them meet you on the Departures side during non-peak hours. For a map of the Cell Phone Waiting Area, go to: SJC Cell Phone Waiting Area.

Terminal A Improvements Progressing Well.
Steel erection is now complete for the new North Ticket Lobby at Terminal A (just north of the pedestrian bridge), which gives you an idea of how large the new ticketing area will be. This is just the first half of what we’re building for the new street-level ticketing lobbies, and the steel framework for the South Ticket Lobby structure is scheduled to be erected next month. After we move ticketing operations to their new location next year, we can then begin expanding the space on the second level of Terminal A for more security checkpoint lanes, which will mean shorter and faster security lines when we’re done.

The expansion of the Terminal A concourse and waiting lounge area (which we refer to as the “airside bump-out”) is scheduled for steel erection starting August 25. We expect this should take two weeks to complete. The North Escalator lobby is scheduled to reopen in early October with two new wider escalators. Once this is back in operation, then we will start the replacement of the southern escalator.

Temporary Bypass Detour Makes it Easier to Get to Terminal C.
To help relieve traffic at Terminal A during the summer, we’ve opened a temporary detour that will let drivers heading to Terminal C to bypass Terminal A and shorten the loop. Although the detour bypass is popular with drivers, right now our construction schedule calls for closing it this fall to allow the rest of our work on the roads and the garage to continue. The good news is that when the Airport roadwork is completed in late 2010, we’ll have a new, permanent bypass road that will let you go directly to the new Terminal B.

Pedestrian Access to the Airport Closed at Skyport Blvd. and Airport Parkway.
Because of construction work and concern about protecting public safety, we’ve closed pedestrian access to the Airport at both Skyport Blvd. and Airport Parkway. The amount of heavy construction equipment, airport traffic, and the major work on the roads themselves doesn’t leave any practical way for pedestrians to walk to and from the terminals right now. When construction is done and the new roadway is completed in late 2010, however, there will be crosswalks that will offer better pedestrian access.

Passengers and employees on foot still have the option of using the free VTA Line 10 bus, the “Airport Flyer,” that stops at locations near the Metro light rail station on North First Street, Technology Drive, and Airport Parkway just prior to entry to the Airport, as well as from the Santa Clara Caltrain station. The Airport Flyer route and information can be found at VTA Airport Flyer Line 10.

New Photos of Construction at North Concourse, New Garage, and Terminal A.
Construction photos of the work at the New Airport can be found Construction Update section at SJC Construction Photos. We’re making good progress on the major elements of the Terminal Area Improvement Program, and we continue to stay on track to finish on schedule and on budget in 2010.

Airport Construction "Hot Line" at (408) 501-0630.
For current information about construction impacts to the airport, call (408) 501-0630. We’ll update the recorded message to help our passengers as we make changes affecting roads, terminals, and parking at SJC over the next couple of years.

Construction Schedules are Subject to Change.
Because the $1.3 billion project to modernize the SJC terminal area is complex and moving very fast, our construction schedules are subject to continuing revision. We will keep updating the public and our customers about the project details as they occur, but please bear with us as we adjust schedules for the project. We appreciate your patience, and thank you for flying San José while we build The New Airport for you.