PHOTO BY BETSY BENSON

A June 6 tour of the new $1.7 billion landside terminal at the Pittsburgh International Airport revealed a structure crawling with 800 workers and looking a lot more like an airport than previous visits. Shiny metal ticket counters are visible upon entering the terminal, alongside a pile of dusty, well-worn red and black suitcases that await ongoing security tests to ensure the system is able to identify contraband.

PHOTO BY BETSY BENSON

Security lines and scanners emblazoned with TSA insignia are in place and recently hung directional signs (“To All Gates”) indicate the entrance to the original airside terminal. A floor below, baggage claim turnstiles are framed out, as is a central, curved structure that will soon provide returning travelers a new option: “Meet me at the bar in baggage claim!”

Two walled outdoor areas, visible through plate glass windows, are designed to offer a park-like respite for anxious or waiting travelers before and after going through security lines.

PHOTO BY BETSY BENSON

Off in the distance, the parking garage is virtually complete. It will contain 5,000 spaces — 3,300 public spaces and rental cars make up the difference. When the new terminal opens this fall, the airport will offer 22,000 parking spaces — up from the 16,000 available now.

A specific completion date has not been announced but a spokesman said to expect one in July. Until then, “early fourth quarter” remains the rallying cry for the official opening of the terminal. On this date, travelers will stop entering the old terminal and stop using the tram system to get to their gates and runways. Instead, they will arrive at the new structure, which is tucked between the B and C arms of the original airside terminal, which forms an X.