Airport day. A viewer spotted a missing east-to-north highway connection, which was an easy fix. Then Springvalley gets Strawberry City Airport, my first passenger airport, with a terminal, runways, taxiways, budget hotels, fire and police. The vanilla diamond interchange gives way to the weirdest spaghetti interchange I've ever built, with four-lane sound-barrier roads in every direction. Arrivals outnumber departures, crime appears out of nowhere, and a bus line to the main station opens. Still, it reaches three stars.
What happens in this episode
As promised, it’s airport day. The big area next to the highways, the train line and the cargo airport should be a good spot. But first, a viewer spotted that an east-to-north highway connection was missing. I hadn’t noticed at all. It was an easier fix than I expected.
How it was built
Terminal first
Strawberry City Airport starts with the terminal. I’ve never built a city airport before, so I stop now and then to explain.
Goodbye diamond interchange
The vanilla diamond interchange looks like it was drawn on grid paper, and its 45-degree ramps aren’t even space-saving. I fear the airport could grow bigger than planned, perhaps with a second runway, so the interchange has to handle a lot. I demolish it and plan a new structure around a large roundabout.
Checking every movement
Then I check every lane: can each incoming direction reach every outgoing direction, including turning around? A few red flags turn up, so I add a second level. I have to laugh: it’s one of the weirdest spaghetti interchanges I’ve ever built, and it eats more space than the diamond. All incoming and outgoing roads become four-lane roads with sound barriers, and lanes step down from three to two to one.
Services and hotels
Service roads, a large fire station and police go around the airport. A couple of budget hotels draw tourists, and more taxiways and water pipes are added.
First flights
I let it run. Arrivals came in, but hardly any departures. Crime appeared, despite three big police stations and one small one nearby. A bus line to the main station and taxi stands go in, and the subway link waits. I add banks, post offices, disaster response and radio towers so citizens feel safer.
Three stars
The airport reaches three stars already. I’ve never seen a plane use some of the taxiways, so perhaps four is enough. The interchange is spaghetti, but everyone can reach and leave the airport in every direction. Weekly income is healthy again.
I’m getting less excited about Cities: Skylines II. Many features excite me, but I don’t want to follow the life of a single citizen. We’ll see.
Video chapters
- 00:00Airport day and a missing ramp
- 04:31The terminal first
- 09:35Replacing the diamond interchange
- 18:12Checking every movement
- 22:14A second level
- 29:19Four-lane sound-barrier roads
- 35:06Service roads, fire and hotels
- 41:11Letting the airport run
- 45:14Arrivals, buses and crime
- 50:47Taxis and rearranging
- 55:09Banks, post and radio towers
- 1:01:01Three stars and too many taxiways
- 1:05:19Cooling on Cities: Skylines II
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Where should a passenger airport go?
On a large flat area with highway, rail and bus access, close to existing transport hubs but away from dense housing.
How do you check a new interchange?
Go through every incoming direction and confirm vehicles can reach every outgoing direction, including U-turns. Missing movements show up quickly that way.
Does a city airport need public transport?
Yes. A bus line to the main station and taxi stands give passengers a way in and out without cars; a subway link can follow later.