Travelers flying to and from the Garden Isle take note: temporary changes to passenger pickup locations at Līhu‘e Airport have been implemented while construction is ongoing.
According to the state Department of Transportation in an announcement Monday, the passenger pickup area fronting Baggage Claim A — closed since mid-February to replace asphalt pavement, curbing, lane markings, signage and for Americans with Disabilities Act enhancements — reopened Oct. 19 to ground transportation shuttles, taxis and rideshares.
However, construction will now move to the area fronting Baggage Claim B, which closed on Oct. 19, the DOT says, noting that the same improvements made to the area in front of Baggage Claim A will be done to the area fronting Baggage Claim B.
Construction is expected to last until April 2027, the department says; during this time, passenger pickups will be moved to the Baggage Claim A pickup area.
“The improvements fronting the baggage claim areas will enhance the overall safety for pedestrians and motorists at Līhu‘e Airport,” DOT spokesperson Russell Pang told Aloha State Daily in an email. "They include new asphalt paving, curbing, lane markings, signage, lighting, benches and ADA-compliance improvements."
DOT says this work is part of the airport’s ongoing employee parking lot improvements project.
That $10.2 million project, announced earlier this year, aims to upgrade an existing employee overflow gravel lot northeast of the main terminal building with asphalt concrete paving, marked parking stalls, lighting, access control, security cameras, drainage and other improvements.
When the work is finished, the 2.3-acre paved lot will accommodate up to 347 employee vehicles — an increase of about 117 stalls, the DOT notes.
“The increased capacity will provide parking officials with more flexibility to use some of the stalls in the main employee lot (333 stalls) for public parking during peak travel periods,” the announcement notes.
Pang says the project was originally expected to finish in fall 2026, but due to severe weather, including Hurricane Lowell, which passed close to Kaua‘i in September, the anticipated completion is now April 2027.
Līhu‘e Airport sits on 962 acres about 1.5 miles east of Līhu‘e.
According to the DOT's statistics dashboard, so far in 2026, the passenger daily average for Līhu‘e Airport is 10,561, including both enplaned and deplaned passengers, and 5,246 deplaned passengers.
Year-to-date, the airport has seen nearly 2.57 million passengers, including 1,274,855 deplaned passengers.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
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