One of four TSA security checkpoints at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is closing for two years or more to make room for a large construction project at the west end of the Barbara Jordan Terminal.
Checkpoint 3 had two TSA screening lanes until it closed Monday night. Each lane was equipped with a CT scanner, which creates a 3D image of luggage to speed up the processing of travelers.
The CT scanners have been moved to Checkpoint 2 West, one of two TSA checkpoints in the middle of the terminal. City officials said two new screening lanes opened at Checkpoint 2 West last week to offset the loss of Checkpoint 3.
People traveling with TSA Pre-Check will have to travel through Checkpoint 2 East or Checkpoint 1. Only Checkpoint 1 will have Clear, the biometric identity verification system that speeds up security processing.
The construction project at Checkpoint 3 will add about 75,000 square feet of space to the west end of the terminal. When the checkpoint reopens in 2026, it will have at least six lanes.
The construction project is also making space for ABIA's upgraded outbound baggage handling system. Airport officials say the new system will more than double how many pieces of luggage can be processed per hour from 1,600 to 4,000.
The baggage system improvements and infill project are a $238 million piece of the $4 billion airport expansion. Long-term elements of the expansion include new taxiways and a midfield concourse connected to the Barbara Jordan Terminal by an underground pedestrian tunnel.
