Portland International Airport (PDX) is due to open its revamped main terminal to travelers on August 14, 2024. The US$2bn project includes a new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint. The airport says the new checkpoint will speed up the security process. Three travelers at the same time will be able to remove their shoes and empty their pockets, and bins will be ferried back automatically after use. Shortly after opening, a screen will also show estimated wait times.
The Port of Portland along with PDX leadership anticipated an increase in passenger traffic, which necessitated the upgrade and expansion of the security checkpoint. K2 Security Screening Group is Hoffman Skanska’s subcontractor for the new security area. When the new checkpoint goes live next week, K2 will continue into another phase, decommissioning, packaging and shipping the used equipment to the TSA Logistics Center, where it may be updated, reconditioned and redeployed for use elsewhere. This phase will be completed in mid-September.
“As we do with all our projects, we coordinated with the TSA headquarters staff that oversee the deployment of security equipment,” said Gerry Phelan, senior director of capability delivery at K2 and former TSA federal security director at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. “We also depended on our relationship with local TSA because they are the end user of all the equipment. It is critically important to understand the wants and needs of our TSA officers, providing them with the latest technology and ensuring they are trained and operationally ready.”
K2 has installed Checkpoint Property Screening Systems (CPSS) from Scarabee for carry-on baggage, and advanced imaging technology (AIT) passenger screening systems from Rohde & Schwarz.
For travelers in need of distraction, video walls above the security lanes will display digital recreations of iconic Oregon landscapes, intermixed with work from Portlander Ivan McClellan, who is well known for his photography of Black cowboys and rodeo riders. PDX says travelers can expect video work from more Oregon artists in the future.
Phelan said the Hoffman Skanska team was “phenomenal to work with” and “fully engaged throughout the project and was in sync with the Port of Portland and PDX”, making it a challenge-free project. He added that lessons learned from the PDX project were specific to newer technologies and the integration of them into the security checkpoint.
“I believe PDX has set the bar,” Phelan said of the checkpoint upgrade. “It’s going to be tough to replicate what they’ve accomplished. That said, I do believe the continued investment from private enterprises, and their partnering with like-minded airport authorities, will result in an increase in upgrades to our nation’s security screening checkpoints.”
In addition to the security checkpoint, PDX’s main terminal project includes a new ticket lobby and pre-security public area, 13 more restaurants and stores, and gender-neutral restrooms. The full upgrade is scheduled to complete in winter 2025/2026 and will include renovation of the terminal’s north and south ends. These areas will remain behind temporary construction walls until at least the end of 2025.
Read more about the main terminal upgrade at Portland International Airport, here.