APA Utah News & Events

Long-awaited ‘River Tunnel’ at SLC Airport gets sneak peek

April 5, 2024 by Evan Curtis
Planning News

*All articles are shared for educational purposes and do not necessarily reflect the views of APA UT.

Link to article, By Shanti Lerner, Fox13

SALT LAKE CITY — The new tunnel that weary passengers at Salt Lake City International Airport have been clamoring for since it opened in 2020 has finally seen the light of day with a special sneak peek view Wednesday.

Designed by California-based artist Gordon Huether, the River Tunnel will considerably cut down the walking time for passengers needing to connect from Concourse A to B when it opens on Oct. 22. Those looking to catch a flight can now walk through the front of the airport and directly into the new tunnel, bypassing the quarter-mile walk down Concourse A.

“This is going to make a huge difference,” said Bill Wyatt, executive director of Salt Lake City International Airport. “It’ll be state of the art, intended for a 21st Century airline industry; and I think the people of Salt Lake, the people of Utah, will be really proud.

“I think already are, frankly, of this airport.”

LESS WALKING FOR TIRED PASSENGERS

While the journey will be shorter, the River Tunnel is the same length as its brother further down the concourse.

“So what we’re trying to do, and I think we’re doing it, is rather than waking up in the morning and looking not forward to a stressful day, you’re looking forward to going in and out of this airport,” Heuther added. “Like no other airport. There’s a meditative quality to it, there’s an inspirational quality to it.”

Along with the new tunnel’s beauty came an engineering feet nearly 10 years in the making, with engineers and other professionals brought in from all over the state and nationally to complete the project.

“We are under trained about 26-feet below the ground,” said airport area manager Julito Ganchero. “And we may have about 12-feet of water above, or something that’s groundwater. And that elevation fluctuates a little bit. But no worries, we got you covered. Literally.”