San Diego airport closes road to prepare for old Terminal 1 demolition

A road between San Diego International Airport’s two terminals is set to be closed for the foreseeable future.

The airport is closing the road Monday to make space for work crews to get to the old Terminal 1 for demolition. The new Terminal 1 opens Sept. 23 and the old terminal’s demolition is set to begin, piece by piece, about a week later. Demolition work will go until December.

It should be noted this is not the new big three-lane road that just opened. It is a small road, roughly 300 feet, that is most typically used by drivers needing to go to Terminal 2 but who accidentally got in the lane for Terminal 1 (or vice versa).

Instead, drivers who make a wrong turn will be directed with signs back onto North Harbor Drive or the new three-lane road that will get them to the correct terminal.

For travelers who have enjoyed the 300-foot connector road, there are no plans at the moment to reopen it when the final phase of the new Terminal 1 is completed in 2028.

Rough plans for the space might include a transit hub, although there is no plan in the works. It’s been a citywide dream for decades for the San Diego Trolley to connect to the airport, and airport planners are at least leaving space in case it happens in the future. They also have left open a 1.61-acre space next to the new T1 Parking Plaza, about 200 feet away from the closed road, for a trolley stop or some other transit option, such as a people mover.

The road closure only impacts motor vehicles because there is still an outdoor pedestrian road between the terminals. So, if a passenger is accidentally dropped off at the wrong terminal, they can walk about 15 minutes, roughly 1,700 feet, over to the opposite terminal. If a passenger has a lot of luggage or mobility challenges, the airport recommends using the free Terminal Loop Shuttle, which operates every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.