For the past two years, passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) have had to put up with an obstacle course of ever-changing construction walls, detours and rerouting at the north end of the main terminal.

Most notably the hassles have been in the lobby area where Alaska Airlines has its counters for check in and bag drops.

But this week representives from the airport, Alaska Airlines and design/build team HOK/Hensel Phelps brought out the ceremonal big scissors for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of this $546 million ‘Gateway Project and all the benefits its brings to passengers.

On the ticketing level, the project delivers everything from new door portals and better signage to updated restrooms, new terrazzo flooring and a redesigned Checkpoint 6.

On the ‘bridge level,’ where skybridges from the parking garage enter the terminal, there are bevy of Alaska counters for check-in and automated bag drops.

And on the baggage claim level, carousel 15 and 16 have been upgraded and there’s a brand new 24-hour 7-11 quick shop with sandwiches, hot food, coffee and limited-edition flavors in the Slurpee machine.

And because the Port of Seattle sets aside 1% of all capital budgets for art, there is plenty of new public art.

Here’s a sample:

At the very north end of the terminal ticketing lobby, Jennifer Steinkamp’s ‘Cosmic’ is a 60-foot-long digital art work with moving apples, apple blossoms and flowers.

In the ticketing lobby you’ll also see Barry Johnson’s 3-panel cast metal wrap titled, “Horizon,” and Sarah Helen More’s mosaic tile wrap titled “On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever.”

Along the new check-in stations for Alaska Airlines on the bridge level, look for Morgan Madison’s 13 glass wall panels.

And on the bag claim level, it will be hard to miss Julie Alpert’s bright and cheery pop-up walls.

There’s a lot more temporary and permanent public art on the bag claim level too, including this salon style wall featuring more than 20 works of art.

Good work, SEA!

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