San Antonio International Airport curbside and roadway construction is expected to add traffic through 2028
What travelers should expect as SAT’s expansion moves from terminal work to curbside changes
Drivers approaching San Antonio International Airport should plan for heavier curbside congestion and shifting traffic patterns as a multi-year construction program remakes the terminal area, roadways and ground-transportation facilities. Airport planning documents describe existing curbside constraints—limited decision time for drivers due to converging access roads and weaving maneuvers—as a core operational challenge the expansion is intended to address.
The construction is tied to the airport’s broader Terminal Development Program, anchored by a new terminal scheduled for completion in 2028. City materials describing the program outline a new terminal with up to 17 gates and more than 800,000 square feet of new terminal space, as well as related ground-access projects designed to handle rising passenger volumes and reduce chokepoints at the front doors of the terminals.
Why curbside work can slow traffic even when it is meant to improve it
Curbside projects often require temporary lane reductions, narrowed travel ways, rerouted drop-offs and more complex merging in constrained spaces. SAT’s planning documents identify the current departures curbside as an elevated roadway with a continuous curb frontage serving a mix of private vehicles, taxis and ride-hail drop-offs, supported by two through lanes and two curbing lanes. When that kind of shared space is reconfigured, short-term backups can occur even if the finished design increases capacity.
Project materials for SAT’s terminal-area circulation include concepts to expand the elevated roadway by two lanes and add weave lanes intended to make curbside ingress and egress easier. Such changes typically involve phased construction, intermittent closures and shifting striping that can alter driver behavior and reduce throughput during peak periods.
Related projects that could reshape how pickups, drop-offs and parking function
In addition to curbside roadway changes, the airport has advanced plans for a new parking structure and a Ground Transportation Center designed to centralize taxis, ride-hail, shuttles and public transportation. City procurement documents describe the facility as a strategy to redirect some traffic away from the terminal loop roadway—an approach aimed at reducing curbside crowding once the system is fully built out.
New terminal construction is scheduled to continue through 2028, with construction activity expected across terminals and roadways during that period.
Concept plans call for expanded roadway capacity and additional weave lanes to reduce conflict points at the curbs.
A planned Ground Transportation Center is intended to shift portions of ride-hail and shuttle activity away from the curb.
Construction in front-door airport spaces tends to create delays because the roadway must keep operating while capacity is temporarily reduced and traffic patterns change.
Planning ahead
For the duration of the buildout, travelers should budget extra drive time for terminal approaches, especially during morning departures and evening arrivals. More staging, signage changes and lane shifts are likely as the airport transitions from vertical construction on the terminal program to the ground-level circulation and curbside components that directly affect drivers.