Taking off: Massive expansion proposed for Las Vegas airport

Airport officials are considering a large expansion at Harry Reid International Airport that would add more than two dozen gates to create more flight capacity.

Under plans to be reviewed Tuesday by the Clark County Commission, the number of gates at Terminal 1 would expand from 39 to 65. Workers would redesign the A and B gates in Terminal 1 and build the new wing of gates near where Terminal 2 once stood.

The modifications at Reid will include a revised ground transportation plan that will better link the two terminals and provide new access for ride-hailing companies which currently stage on one of the floors of an airport parking garage. The airport’s roadway circulation plan also would be modified to improve connectivity between the two terminals.

Two near-term and one long-term roadway improvement plans are under study that would preserve the one-way circular motion of airport circulation while preserving airport bypass options. A flyover bridge moving traffic from Paradise Road to the new Terminal 2 is under consideration.

Two multimodal centers would provide access to ride-hailing companies, public transportation options and airport crew members and employee parking. The north multimodal center would be considered off Paradise Road south of Tropicana Avenue and a south center is being eyed somewhere between Interstate 215 and Sunset Road and between Las Vegas Boulevard and Gillespie Road.

Officials also hope to redesign pedestrian flow at Terminal 3 to more efficiently move passengers to their flights. Once completed, Terminal 3 would be renamed Terminal 2.

“Maximizing Harry Reid International Airport will require the full capability of both terminals,” a Clark County Department of Aviation report says. “Balancing carriers to consolidate operations at the ‘new’ designated Terminal 2 (aka, Terminal 3) will reduce congestion at Terminal 1, simplify wayfinding, and improve guest experience.”

Airport officials didn’t return messages seeking comment on the proposed plans.

No cost estimate

Documents posted on Clark County’s website don’t have a cost estimate for the project. Details of the massive project are expected to be discussed by commissioners Tuesday.

The land formerly housing Terminal 2 — used between 1963 and 2012 for international and charter flights — is now vacant after the outdated building was demolished.

When the $2.4 billion Terminal 3 opened in 2012, it was considered the largest public works project in the state. The terminal number was never changed.

But since Terminal 3’s opening, volume has steadily grown, hitting a record 57.6 million passengers in 2023 with even higher numbers anticipated in 2024. The rapid growth and an ever-growing number of airlines adding flight capacity has resulted in the need to expedite plans for a supplemental airport to Reid in the Ivanpah Valley. But that new airport isn’t expected to be completed until 2037.

The supplemental airport with two runways would be between Las Vegas and Primm, just east of Interstate 15. Airport planning is in the midst of environmental impact studies.

Two decades of discussion

Plans for an Ivanpah Valley airport have been discussed for more than two decades.

Several government entities are working on the supplemental airport project. The Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management contracted with Cincinnati, Ohio-based aviation consultant Landrum & Brown to conduct the environmental impact study. Once the environmental report is approved, the county’s Department of Aviation can proceed with the design and construction phase of the new commercial airport.

This article originally appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.