All of the work seems to be going well and I think they are making good progress.
Yes good progress is being made but major problems are going to occur soon regarding traffic flows into the CTA unless more of it isn't completed in the coming weeks.
The number one issue is the existing drop off zone, which is only half the size of this time last year. It was reduced in size late last summer so the taxi rank could be temporarily moved. Even before it was reduced cars would queue to beyond the Ibis and since it was reduced traffic can back up well past the railway bridge and Parkway. With maybe another 15% to 20% of traffic expected this summer and with all the extra lorries associated with the redevelopment the airport is heading for a critical situation.
The new drop off area which will incorporate two of the four existing lanes still seems a long way off as work continues on just drainage. Once built it will probably need to be temporarily tied into the existing road network which is far from ideal.
The exit route and pay barriers seems a bit more straight forward but again it will probably have to tie in temporarily to the existing road network. No doubt the work will have to finished at the same time as the drop off area to maintain income from the drop off zone.
The other major issue is the size of the short term car park. Last summer cars were stopped from entering it as it was often full, which added to the traffic jams, as each driver had to be spoken to regarding alternate car parks. At the moment the car park has lost close to 50% of its capacity even including the opened up former staff car park and that won't be fixed for this summer. Despite cones, cars are already parking at the ends of lanes and on either side of the entrance making turning around impossible.
It is all very well introducing new routes and airlines but there will be a high price to pay if the airport grinds to a halt. I have no doubt that the airport will be attracting some new passengers for the first and last time, which is a shame, as a better experience will start to come to the airport from next winter.