The construction never really ends at SFO, it just moves over to another terminal.

Fast on the heels of the completion of the last major terminal reconstruction project, the final phase of Harvey Milk Terminal 1 which opened to the public in June, San Francisco International Airport announced the beginning of a project to expand and renovate part of Terminal 3, known as the T3 West project.

The project involves a seismic retrofit and overall, $2.6 billion reconstruction of the 650,000-square-foot western half of Terminal 3, as the SF Business Times reports. Construction activity is getting underway, and the project is scheduled for completion by fall 2027.

This is not the main section of Terminal 3, where the majority of United Airlines flights arrive and take off. As you can see in the illustration below, the terminal section is at the western edge of Terminal 3 where it connects to the International Terminal — soon to be the Dianne Feinstein International Terminal.

To that end, the new T3 West will include three new gates that accommodate wide-body planes, which fly long-haul international routes, and those gates will be used by United and other airlines. The new section will also include a direct walkway for travelers arriving from international locales to get to the Customs Hall in the International Terminal.

Image via City of San Francisco
Image via City of San Francisco
Exterior rendering. Image via City of San Francisco

The new terminal section will also add 200,000 new square feet for retail and restaurant concessions in the gate area, which will be to the left of the F-gate concession area when you get through security.

And T3 West will include a new mezzanine-level check-in area for travelers arriving on AirTrain.

As the Business Times notes, the plan also includes a seven-story structure that attaches to the International Terminal with space for a new airport lounge — which would very likely be a new United Club or Polaris lounge, though United would not confirm this. That building is set to open in 2028.

Eventually, United has plans to consolidate its two current check-in areas in the Terminal into one.

As you travel through SFO this coming fall and winter, you can expect to see some construction barriers up around this part of the terminal, with walkways guiding you around the construction.

Previously: SFO Runway to Reopen Ahead of Schedule This Month, Ending Months of Flight Delays