Charlotte Douglas International Airport completes skybridges

Charlotte Douglas International Airport will open two new skybridges on Wednesday, July 31.

Why it matters: Passengers will no longer have to cross eight lanes of traffic when traveling from the hourly deck and car rental area to the terminal entrance.

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What to expect: If you're coming from the hourly deck, you'll head to level five to access the skybridge, which will lead you to level three of the terminal.

• You must use either the skybridge or the underground walkways to access the terminal and hourly deck starting Wednesday.
• This requirement doesn't apply to passengers using airport or hotel shuttles, rideshares or curbside dropoffs and pickups.

The skybridges are beneath a 146,000-square-foot glass canopy that provides weather protection. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios

Zoom in: This is the latest addition to the $608 million terminal lobby expansion .

• The project also includes two pieces of public art: " Catawba Ways ," by Janelle Lane Stanley on the eastern side, highlights the area's connection to the Catawba nation. " Garden Carpet ," by Susan Brenner on the western side, features dogwood blossoms, azaleas and camellias.

Context: The six-phase terminal lobby expansion project began in November 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in fall 2025. They're currently in phase five of six, CLT chief infrastructure officer Jack Christine told reporters Monday.

The bottom line: Traffic won't go away, but the walkways will help, Christine says.

The western skybridge entrance at CLT. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios

What's next: American Airlines' new ticket counters are expected to open this fall.

• Checkpoint 2 renovations , which will encompass Checkpoint C and part of the old American Airlines ticket counter area, will begin this fall. The goal is to have it open by spring, Christine says.
• They're also working on baggage claim renovations, which will take roughly 14 months to complete.

Go deeper: 5 Charlotte airport projects to watch

Take a look around.

"Garden Carpet" by Susan Brenner. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios Access to the western skybridge is in front of Checkpoint 1. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios CLT's underground walkway. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios

Go deeper: Definitive guide to CLT Airport — Where to eat, how to kill time and skip lines