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North Side Improvements

For more than 80 years, San Diego International Airport (SAN) has served the air transportation needs of the San Diego County region. To maximize the airport’s efficiency and make the most of the airport’s 661-acre footprint, SAN completed a series of improvements on the north side of the airport.

Planned projects include:

  • Receiving and Distribution Center – a 21,000 square-foot central delivery location for food, beverage, retail and other goods. The center reduces traffic on surrounding roadways by centralizing all truck deliveries. Airport vehicles deliver materials via on-airport roadways. This has reduced truck trips on Harbor Drive by 50–75 per day.
  • Rental Car Center – a facility to house many of the rental car companies in a single building, dramatically reducing the number of shuttle buses circulating around the airport. The new Rental Car Center opened in January 2016.
  • Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) Building – features a 19,000-square-foot terminal, a 250,000-square-foot ramp and five hangars on 12.4 acres. Its amenities include office space, a snooze room, VIP lounge, fitness center, viewing deck, gourmet café, and an executive conference room. Landmark began operating out of the new facility in August 2014.
  • Roadway Improvements – expansion of the Washington Street entrance roadway at Pacific Highway; widening of Sassafras Street north of Pacific Highway; and a new terminal link roadway for rental car and parking shuttle buses, which removes traffic from Laurel Street and North Harbor Drive.
  • Palm Street Park  as part of the airport's north side construction program, an observation park is being planned at the corner of Palm Street and Admiral Boland Way. For a detailed description and information about an upcoming Public Art Visioning Workshop, click here.

To learn more about north side development, view the project fact sheet and FAQ, as well as the Receiving and Distribution Center fact sheet and Rental Car Center fact sheet and fun facts.

Small Business Profiles

SAN places a great emphasis on its commitment to providing business opportunities to local and small businesses, including women- and minority-owned and disabled veteran businesses. To date, $155 million has been awarded to local businesses and $60 million to small businesses for work on the Rental Car Center. Check out the inspiring stories some local and small businesses have shared of their experience working with the airport.

Stay Informed

If you would like to sign up for email alerts about ongoing construction activity on the north side of San Diego International Airport, email us at northside@san.org or call our construction hotline at (619) 400-2288. You can also become a fan of SAN on Facebook and stay connected viaTwitterFlickr and YouTube.