Disney Dining reported that construction on a major new security screening checkpoint along the eastern side of the Esplanade at the Disneyland Resort is taking shape quickly, with recent visual updates from the construction site suggesting that the entry facility may open sooner than many Southern California theme park visitors initially expected.
The new security screening plaza is situated on the eastern side of the pedestrian Esplanade, which serves as the central walkway connecting the main entrances of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Earlier this year, Disneyland Resort initiated the construction process by demolishing several traditional ticket booths located on that eastern edge of the Esplanade plaza. Clearing those existing ticket structures created the necessary physical footprint for a new pedestrian bridge and a modernized security gateway plaza. Both of these entry structures are tied directly to a massive new parking garage project that officially broke ground earlier this summer.
When completed and fully operational, the multi-level parking garage structure will supply roughly 6,000 parking spaces to accommodate incoming visitor vehicle traffic. In addition to expanded vehicle parking, the garage facility is designed to feature more than 300 electric-vehicle charging stations, an onsite security office, and a dedicated transit hub designed specifically to handle rideshare vehicles and shuttle bus services servicing the resort area.
The new pedestrian bridge, security checkpoint, and parking garage are all foundational infrastructure elements of DisneylandForward. This comprehensive resort expansion program is designed to prepare the resort property to handle significantly larger crowds as major new attractions and guest lands open in the coming years. Under the expansion framework, Disney California Adventure Park is set to receive major new projects inspired by the films Avatar (2009) and Coco (2017), alongside new project additions planned for Avengers Campus.
Simultaneously, Tomorrowland inside Disneyland Park is slated to be reimagined as part of the overarching resort expansion goals. While many of these upcoming entertainment projects remain a few years away from completion, the supporting transportation, parking, and security infrastructure is advancing at a much more rapid pace across the Anaheim property.
On October 26, user @laughingplace on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, shared photos showing a bright blue roof canopy taking shape above the temporary construction walls at the gateway site. The appearance of the blue canopy structure has provided a clear visual indication of how far the eastern gateway screening plaza construction has progressed in recent weeks.
Based on the current construction pace observed at the Esplanade site, fan websites such as Pirates and Princesses have published speculation that the new security screening checkpoint could potentially open to resort guests within the next month. To date, Disneyland Resort has not announced an exact calendar date for the operational launch of the screening gateway, maintaining its previously stated project target of "fall 2026" for the completion of the new screening facility.
Until the new checkpoint officially opens for daily park operations, visitors traveling to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park should plan to allow extra travel time to navigate local pedestrian reroutes and process through alternate security screening areas. Construction activity around the Esplanade site has already prompted operational adjustments for guest arrivals on the eastern perimeter of the property. To clear room for the ongoing construction work, the primary drop-off location for third-party shuttles and Good Neighbor hotel shuttles was recently relocated. Shuttle passengers now utilize a new drop-off point located near the Lululemon store within the Downtown Disney District.
