SFO’s Terminal 3 West Modernization is a multiyear renovation and expansion focused on the terminal’s western half. The airport described the project as a $2.6 billion undertaking when it launched in August 2024; a September 2025 city budget analysis later listed a detailed total budget of $2,812,217,000. That analysis gave December 12, 2030 as the planned closeout date, but the airport’s capital planning documents caution that scope, timing and phasing can change.
What is SFO changing in Terminal 3?
The project renovates the existing 650,000-square-foot western half of Terminal 3 and adds 200,000 square feet, according to SFO’s August 20, 2024 announcement. The airport lists seismic retrofit work, an expanded security checkpoint, passenger amenities and more room for food, beverage and retail concessions among the project features.
The city’s capital plan describes broader intended operational benefits: more flexibility in gate use, improved passenger flow, upgrades to baggage-handling and building systems, improved seismic stability, and a sterile connector to the International Terminal. These are project goals, not a guarantee that every benefit will be delivered on a particular date.
Why are two different project cost figures being reported?
| Figure | Source and date | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| $2.6 billion | SFO, August 20, 2024 | Rounded cost description in the project launch announcement. |
| $2,812,217,000 | San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Legislative Analyst, September 17, 2025 | Detailed total project budget in the city’s analysis. |
The amounts come from different publications at different points in the project; the later city analysis provides a more detailed budget figure. It is more accurate to date and attribute each amount than to treat them as competing statements of one unchanged estimate. Neither figure establishes a final outturn cost.
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What the city analysis said had expanded
The city’s September 2025 analysis compared an original total budget of $627 million with the then-analyzed budget of $2,812,217,000. It attributed growth to additions including:
- $58 million for the pre-security terminal façade.
- $494 million for renovation of the western pre-security check-in lobby and related baggage, circulation, operational-space, building-system and finish work.
- $346 million for a seven-story Courtyard 4 building for airline lounges and operational functions.
- $506 million for an addition on the eastern side of the F Connector.
- $377 million for additional infrastructure and building-system upgrades.
These are named figures from the city report, not a newly verified or exhaustive current cost breakdown. They explain why the project described in the 2024 launch announcement is substantially larger in the later budget analysis.
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When is the work expected to finish?
The September 2025 city budget analysis listed December 12, 2030 as the planned project closeout date. This is a planning date, not a guarantee. San Francisco airport financing materials dated May 4, 2026 say actual project costs and schedules may differ from assumptions, and that scope, phasing and timing may be modified.
The same 2025 city analysis reported that SFO said construction was 16 percent complete in its report snapshot. It also recorded $665,170,575 spent or encumbered as of July 31, 2025, approximately 24 percent of the total budget in that analysis. Those figures describe the 2025 reporting period; they are not current October 2026 progress measures.
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How could construction affect drop-off and check-in?
SFO’s October 30, 2025 advisory described a construction phase in which the Terminal 3 departure-level curb from Doors 6 through 13 would close until 2027. The advisory directed passengers departing from D and E gates to use the new Terminal 2 counters, while F-gate passengers were to use Terminal 3 counters. It also said United counters at Terminal 3’s west end would close and west-side Terminal 2 counters would open.
Those directions are specific to the advisory’s date and construction phase, not a reliable statement of current routing. Before traveling, check SFO’s drop-off and pick-up guidance and airline terminal information, and follow airport signage. Construction access and counter assignments can change.
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