More Airport Roadway Changes
Coming to Mineta San José International
Interim Skyport Connector opens Friday, October 5

San José, CA – Traffic patterns for drivers at San José’s airport will change early this Friday morning, October 5, with the opening of the interim Skyport Connector that will link the terminal roadway to airport exits.

The temporary connector is needed to divert traffic away from construction at the airport and its roadways that is part of the $1.3 billion upgrade of the airport terminal areas over the next three years.

“We expect the Skyport Connector will actually make driving at the airport a little easier during construction by cutting out the extended southern loop on our roadway system,” said Steve Wilson, airport roadway project designer.

“It’s a significant change, however, so we want to alert drivers and customers now that we’re opening the new road so they can be ready for it this Friday.”

Drivers will use the connector to leave the airport via Skyport Drive to reach Highway 87 more conveniently. They also will be able to return to the terminals and parking areas by turning left to the north, and they can exit the airport to the south via Coleman Avenue and Interstate 880. (See map of the new alignment here.)

The airport also recently relocated its “cell phone waiting area” to the north and south sides of Airport Parkway between Technology Drive and Highway 87. The specially marked 30-minute curbside parking zones are closer to the terminals and provide drivers a free, safe and convenient place to wait for arriving flights as an alternative to circling the terminals or paying for parking.

The airport’s comprehensive terminal area improvement program is replacing and upgrading existing terminals and roadways over the next three years. When completed in mid-2010, the new airport will provide better service and greater convenience for the benefit of travelers and businesses in the South Bay.

The overall project includes the construction of a new Terminal B that will take the place of Terminal C, originally built in 1965; upgrades and expansion of Terminal A to provide more spacious waiting areas and faster security check-in systems; a new 3350-space rental car parking garage directly in front of the terminals; more options for food, beverage, and retail services; and improved roadways serving the airport.

Over the coming month, Terminal C is being modified to serve as an interim facility with relocation of airline ticket offices and reassignment of gates within the terminal. In early November a more efficient consolidated security checkpoint will open to provide better customer service and reduce delays for passengers. The checkpoint change also will greatly enhance post-security food and beverage services for passengers.

In addition this fall, the airport will make further changes to the surface short-term parking lot in front of Terminal C. Parking capacity in this lot is scheduled to be reduced by about half in October, and the lot is currently scheduled to be relocated after the Thanksgiving holiday to an area just south of the Terminal C baggage claim structure.

About Mineta San José International Airport
Mineta San José International Airport, a self-supporting enterprise, is owned and operated by the City of San José. SJC served 10.8 million passengers and handled approximately 209 million pounds of air cargo in 2006. SJC has 190 flights a day on 13 domestic and international carriers to 30 nonstop destinations.

For more Airport information, visit www.sjc.org, or call Airport Customer Service at (408) 501-0979. Motorists can also tune their radios to 530 AM within two miles of SJC for current information on airport traffic, parking and security.