On Friday, August 1, 2025, the San Diego International Airport (SAN) will proudly open a new on-airport roadway which will offer drivers faster, direct access to SAN. Designed with no intersections or traffic lights, the new three-lane roadway will provide an uninterrupted, high-capacity route directly to the airport’s Terminals 1 and 2.
“We are thrilled to open this new entrance roadway to the airport,” said Kimberly Becker, CEO and President of San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “The on-airport roadway is a component of our new Terminal 1 redevelopment project, with the first phase opening this September. This is a significant milestone in our commitment to enhancing the passenger experience and making travel to SAN more efficient.”
The entrance to the new on-airport roadway is located on North Harbor Drive just west of the intersection with West Laurel Street. Vehicles on West Laurel Street headed toward the airport should bear to the right and will merge directly with the on-airport roadway. Vehicles bearing right to access the on-airport roadway will no longer have the option to merge onto North Harbor Drive. To access westbound North Harbor Drive, stay to the left on West Laurel Street and then turn right at the intersection with North Harbor Drive.
Westbound drivers on North Harbor Drive (coming from downtown) should be aware that the entrance comes up significantly earlier than the current airport entrance.
Directional signs are strategically placed along both North Harbor Drive and West Laurel Street to help drivers navigate to the new entrance:
- From North Harbor Drive (westbound): A large overhead sign will direct drivers to bear right to enter the new airport entrance, just west of Laurel Street, with an additional small sign placed before the merge to direct drivers into the right lane.
- From West Laurel Street: An overhead sign will guide drivers to continue straight to access the airport via the new roadway, or to bear left heading to North Harbor Drive.
From the entrance, the roadway stretches approximately one mile to Terminal 1 departure and arrival drop-off points and parking facilities. Directional signs are prominently placed along the on-airport roadway to help guide drivers.
The new roadway is expected to divert 45,000 vehicles per day from North Harbor Drive, improving traffic flow for both airport and local commuters.
For drivers on westbound North Harbor Drive who miss the entrance to the new on-airport roadway, they will still be able to access Terminal 1 via Harbor Island Drive; and Terminal 2 via Spanish Landing.
The entrances for drivers on eastbound North Harbor Drive (coming from Pt. Loma) will not change: Spanish Landing for Terminal 2 and Harbor Island Drive for Terminal 1.
For an aerial map showing the airport campus and full length and layout of the new on-airport roadway and access routes, click here. For a close up view of the on-airport roadway entrance from West Laurel Street and North Harbor Drive, click here. An animation illustrating the new route can be found here.
For more information on the New Terminal 1 project and San Diego International Airport, please click here.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SAN)
Owned and operated by San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority), San Diego International Airport (SAN) is one of the busiest single-runway commercial service airports in the world and the third-busiest airport in California. SAN contributes nearly $12 billion in economic activity for the region by connecting the world to San Diego and San Diego to the world. In November 2021, the Airport Authority began construction on the New T1 which includes the replacement of the current Terminal 1, improvements to the airfield, improved transportation connectivity to the airport, and a new administration building. The New T1’s project budget is $3.8 billion and is estimated to create between 15,000 to 20,000 construction-related jobs. For more information about the New T1 please visit newt1.com. For more information about SAN please visit san.org.
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