The Louisville Regional Airport Authority kicked off Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)’s new security checkpoint expansion project with a formal groundbreaking on Thursday, November 7. Airport executives and local legislators gathered to celebrate the commencement of the $45 million project, which will add 30,000 square feet and 10 new TSA screening lanes to SDF’s security checkpoint. The project, part of the $500-million SDF Next renovation program, is funded by the Kentucky General Assembly, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airport Terminal Program from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the FAA’s Airport Infrastructure Grant fund from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The new security checkpoint, designed and built by Minneapolis-based design firm Alliiance and Louisville-based construction companies CMTA and Abel Construction, will feature several sustainable elements, including temperature-regulating smart glass, solar panels and a new air filtration system. The new security checkpoint is scheduled to open by 2026.
“Today’s celebration is an exciting milestone in SDF’s history as we’re enhancing our facilities for the future,” said Dan Mann, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “The new security checkpoint will be a significant improvement for travelers that follows multiple record-setting years for passenger traffic. Thanks to increased air service and community support, we have outgrown our current security checkpoint. I am confident we’re addressing this need today by making crucial improvements aimed at continuing to provide a best-in-class experience at SDF.”