Reno-Tahoe International Airport to undergo $40 million in renovations

Beginning today the Reno-Tahoe International Airport will be undergoing $40 million in renovations, including a Lake Tahoe-themed ticket lobby. The Gateway Project, which will bring about 275 jobs now through April 2013, features an upgrade to the baggage claim area, creating a first floor single security checkpoint, plus new retail and places to eat.

Phase 1 begins with the baggage claim area with construction to last through April 2012. Construction walls will alter the path customers will need to take to bag claim. Extensive signage will help guide customers to the bag belts, rental car areas, ground transportation, and baggage service offices. During the first three months of the Gateway project, passengers will be asked to pack a little patience when gathering their bags from baggage claim.

The baggage claim improvements will take place in four phases. As construction walls go up near bag belts and rental counters, passengers will sometimes be directed outside the terminal and through the front curb baggage claim doors to retrieve bags. A comprehensive signage plan will help guide people through the process. As aircraft pull up to airport gates, airline staff will make announcements to alert passengers of the construction project and to encourage them to follow the signage. The Gateway project will welcome visitors to an airport lobby and bag claim area that represents the best of our region.

The Lake Tahoe theme of the ticketing lobby will be extended throughout the first floor of the terminal to make the all important first and last impression on travelers. New features in baggage claim include the removal of the carpet and the installation of tile that will evoke images of the Truckee River. Rock features will be installed on the columns and the shiny chrome ceiling will be muted to blend with the Lake Tahoe theme.

Celebrating the natural beauty of the region provides a sense of place for travelers in an airport terminal that was originally built for the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.

The second phase of the Gateway Project will begin in Spring 2012, when a new restaurant opens adjacent to the Giant Slalom Ski Sculpture (Peet's Coffee & Tea will remain open). The new restaurant will allow the current food court to close for construction of the new "Checkpoint of the Future" on the first floor. At the same time, a new dining and shopping area will be built on the second floor. Signage will help guide passengers through the construction process.

The new Food Court will be built in a new airport venue on the second floor, just past the escalators. The post-security, 18,000 square foot addition will feature 18-foot ceilings and windows looking out over the tarmac. Passengers will dine with a panoramic view of arriving and departing aircraft against a desert mountain backdrop.

"The new Food Court will be a centerpiece of the Gateway to the Reno-Sparks-Lake Tahoe region," Krys Bart, President/CEO of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority said. "From the menu, to the view, to the shopping, it will provide a memorable beginning and end to any trip."

Both phases should be completed sometime in spring 2013. The $40 million project is funded both privately and with federal money and will bring with it about 275 jobs.