Due in 2025, a new concourse at Key West International Airport will add convenience and extra facilities to the southernmost airport.
Construction of the new Concourse A at Key West International Airport reached a turning point earlier this fall, when the first of eight passenger boarding bridges was unveiled.
The fully enclosed, high-performance glass boarding bridges, manufactured by ThyssenKrupp, cost roughly $1 million each and provide for an air-conditioned boarding process while also being built to hurricane impact standards.
“This is another major milestone within the Concourse A project and I have to thank our design teams, construction team and my staff who continue working so hard to bring it to fruition,” said Richard Strickland, Executive Director of Airports, during a press event.
“I’m enjoying watching this project continue to develop under the guidance of our committed airport team,” said Holly Raschein, Monroe County Mayor. “Concourse A will be a masterpiece.”
Environmental Concerns
The new Concourse A “curtain wall” will feature electrochromic glass, a type of smart glass technology that can switch between transparent and opaque in response to an applied voltage. When an electric current is applied to the coating, the glass darkens and when removed, the glass returns to its transparent state.
The tinting is on a daylight sensor which allows for the electric charge to be applied only when in direct sunlight. In addition to hurricane-force winds, the curtain wall assemblies are designed to withstand a 200-mph large missile impact.
Meanwhile, bird impact has been minimized by the use of bird-safe glazing, a pattern fused to the glass that prevents bird groups from seeing their reflections. Airport officials and the design team met with local wildlife preservation groups to review and gain approval for the pattern.
Concourse Highlights
Installation of the boarding bridges is continuing, to be followed by interior buildout.
The new 48,000-sf concourse will include several elements to improve passenger experience, including new concessions: a Chili’s restaurant; Southern Point Bar; Farm 2 Air Market; and a new First Call Beach Bar.
Concourse A is on track to be complete by 2025, with overall project completion—including additional baggage areas and devices, new airline ramp/office spaces, and an expanded security checkpoint with four lanes—set for spring 2026.
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