A new option is now available for picking up and dropping off passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s Terminal 2.
MSP airport’s Terminal 2 adds new express lane for passenger pickup and drop-off
Area inside parking ramp aims to ease traffic backups in front of the smaller terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 3, 2024 at 5:29PM
Thursday’s announcement from the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) comes just in time for Minnesota’s annual teachers union conference, known as MEA weekend, which this year begins Oct. 17 — typically a busy travel time at MSP for families when students have a break from classes.
The new Terminal 2 Express Lane is located on the second level of the Purple Ramp, a parking garage with skyway access to the terminal. The pickup and drop-off lane is free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the MAC said in a news release.
MAC says traffic in front of Terminal 2 can reach up to 800 vehicles an hour during peak times, causing backups. Motorists may use the new express lane to connect with passengers at the loading and unloading zone inside the Purple Ramp, which can handle about 200 vehicles an hour, MAC said.
“We recognize that vehicle congestion at peak travel times can be a challenge for those picking up or dropping off passengers, especially at Terminal 2 where there’s limited curb space,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of MAC, which owns and operates MSP.
“We’ve reconfigured the parking facility to offer an additional loading zone with free, easy in-easy out access that should minimize overall congestion and ultimately reduce travel times,” he said in a statement.
The news comes as MSP is seeing a surge in travel demand, including a record of 711,612 passengers in March. Terminal 2 serves Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines and six additional international and domestic airlines.
The skyway connected to the Purple Ramp’s Terminal 2 Express Lane is closest to security checkpoint 2, a level above the ticketing lobby. MAC said new wayfinding signs mark the entrance to the new express lane and the route to exit the Purple Ramp.
More signs will be added later this year on the main inbound road to alert motorists when there are high levels of vehicle congestion and to encourage use of the new express lane option, MAC said.
Elected to the council in 2017, the progressive was one of the architects of a 2020 pledge by nine council members to “begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department.”
