Sacramento International Airport’s operator announced a $1.3 billion plan on Wednesday to expand the airport with a new pedestrian walkway, more parking, and a new rental car facility. The SM Forward plan is aimed at expected growth over the next seven years. A press release cited six projects to launch in 2024 as part of what will be the largest construction program in the airport’s history. These are the projects: $140 million pedestrian walkway to connect Terminal B to Concourse B. Expansion of Terminal A and Concourse B to add new gates, additional ticket counters, baggage claim carousel and office space. A new Terminal B parking garage with an additional 3,400 to 5,500 parking spaces. Consolidated ground transportation center to centralize taxi, ride-share and off-site shuttle providers. A new $400 million consolidated rental car facility so passengers don’t need to ride a shuttle bus to get to the rental cars. Sacramento County Department of Airports, which operates SMF, said the expansion project will be financed with federal and state grants, municipal bonds and user fees. “Over the next five years, this transformation will create world-class facilities that will enhance our customer’s travel experience while improving crucial infrastructure to meet our growth,” Cindy Nichol, director of the Sacramento County Department of Airports, said in a release. “Our airfield has plenty of capacity, but our parking, concourses, and roadways have several choke points. SMForward will address these issues and create an airport ready to serve the modern passenger.” Officials cited the need to expand by saying that forecasts show passenger growth of 4.3% annually through 2041. Until the pandemic in 2019, there were six straight years of “ record-breaking passenger growth.” Travel nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The part of the project many airport travelers seemed most excited about was parking improvements. “We use the economy parking, and it’s a zoo,” said Kathy Cotton of Manteca. Horst Lehmann of Granite Bay agreed that right now parking can be a bit of a hassle.”It’s a problem in the parking garage to find a parking space,” he said. Lehmann said he usually has to circle around for about 10 minutes before he can find a place to park. Construction for the massive project could start as early as 2024 and be completed by 2027, according to Sacramento County. VIDEO BELOW | Sacramento International Airport is named the best midsized airport in US Sacramento International Airport’s operator announced a $1.3 billion plan on Wednesday to expand the airport with a new pedestrian walkway, more parking, and a new rental car facility. The SM Forward plan is aimed at expected growth over the next seven years. A press release cited six projects to launch in 2024 as part of what will be the largest construction program in the airport’s history. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. These are the projects: $140 million pedestrian walkway to connect Terminal B to Concourse B. Expansion of Terminal A and Concourse B to add new gates, additional ticket counters, baggage claim carousel and office space. A new Terminal B parking garage with an additional 3,400 to 5,500 parking spaces. Consolidated ground transportation center to centralize taxi, ride-share and off-site shuttle providers. A new $400 million consolidated rental car facility so passengers don’t need to ride a shuttle bus to get to the rental cars. Sacramento County Department of Airports, which operates SMF, said the expansion project will be financed with federal and state grants, municipal bonds and user fees. “Over the next five years, this transformation will create world-class facilities that will enhance our customer’s travel experience while improving crucial infrastructure to meet our growth,” Cindy Nichol, director of the Sacramento County Department of Airports, said in a release. “Our airfield has plenty of capacity, but our parking, concourses, and roadways have several choke points. SMForward will address these issues and create an airport ready to serve the modern passenger.” Officials cited the need to expand by saying that forecasts show passenger growth of 4.3% annually through 2041. Until the pandemic in 2019, there were six straight years of “record-breaking passenger growth.” Travel nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The part of the project many airport travelers seemed most excited about was parking improvements. “We use the economy parking, and it’s a zoo,” said Kathy Cotton of Manteca. Horst Lehmann of Granite Bay agreed that right now parking can be a bit of a hassle.”It’s a problem in the parking garage to find a parking space,” he said. Lehmann said he usually has to circle around for about 10 minutes before he can find a place to park. Construction for the massive project could start as early as 2024 and be completed by 2027, according to Sacramento County. VIDEO BELOW | Sacramento International Airport is named the best midsized airport in US