Big Changes on Horizon for Bradley Airport

Big changes are on the horizon at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks that will affect how travelers drive to the airport and where they pick up rental cars.

A $225 million transportation center that will rise from current surface parking lots northwest of the terminal, adding parking garages for about 800 cars.

"Building the transportation center is a major customer service improvement for us," said Kevin Dillon, the CEO of the Connecticut Airport Authority.

There is also enough room for the car rental companies to be based in the development and not scattered around the airport like they are currently.

That could mean the end of jumping on and off shuttles.

"If the car rentals were here, closer for people to use, I think that would be a lot better," said Rudy Liporada of Agawam, Massachusetts who was waiting for his flight at Bradley.

Before work on the garages even starts, Bradley is eyeing the connector highway from Interstate 91.

The end segment will be reconfigured in a roughly $10 million project.

After the road and garages are done, there are exciting plans for the future: a new bus link to the nearby passenger rail line and even a new terminal as the airport looks to expand.

"We have a lot of potential here. It’s really a matter of convincing the airline to continue to put assets into Bradley,” said Dillon.

Bids are out this fall for the road project.

Work could start on that in the spring and wrap up in about two years from now.

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