Miami‑Dade County’s airport director told the Airport Committee on Thursday that the county is seeing measurable progress in modernization projects at Miami International Airport.

The director reported that operational conveyances (elevators, escalators and moving walkways) improved from about 85% last year to roughly 95% currently, after targeted repairs and modernization work. He said the airport operates far more conveyances than other county facilities — 616 units at MIA versus about 1,200 countywide — and that heavy passenger traffic increases wear and tear.

Staff described a four‑part modernization effort: replacing or modernizing conveyances (30 units modernized per year under the current cadence), renovating restrooms, replacing loading bridges and a large roof replacement. The director said 48 restrooms have been fully renovated, 10 are under construction, eight are in permitting and 141 are in design. On loading bridges, staff reported 32 of 128 have been replaced; two completed bridges used glass as a pilot and the county will use glass bridges going forward to lower maintenance costs and improve the customer experience.

The director also said the terminal‑wide roof replacement project is about 90% through design and should go to bid later this year to address roughly 430,000 square feet of roof. He noted the south terminal expansion (Concourse K) is finishing solicitation, with ground‑breaking expected later this year, and said a new airport hotel is scheduled to break ground in the coming months.

Committee members asked staff to provide regular public updates on repair and modernization status. One commissioner suggested a standing report every other meeting; the director said staff are willing to provide updates whether on the committee agenda or not.

The director credited a $681,000,000 board‑approved investment for establishing the modernization cadence and noted that the airport recorded a third straight record year of passenger traffic — nearly 56,000,000 passengers — which increases equipment wear. The committee did not take formal action on the modernization update; members thanked staff for the briefing and requested continued reporting.