Well unless they build a temporary alternative I assume it's more ideal they complete EGW before working on Avatar, so that the entire land is cleared for construction.
Again if it was to go into Simba they would still have to build a bridge from DCA to Simba, likely larger similar to the DTD bridge to handle the crowd. So putting Avatar into Simba isn't going to make it built any faster.
Also they can close down the Backlot and build both Avatar and the EGW at the same time if they want to speed things up. Just like they can do with Simba as well, build both the bridge and the land at the same time.
So there is no timeline difference from what I can see no matter what slot they chose, ie it would be the same amount of time.
You're right, what I meant was pedestrians would have to go through the walkway and security by the EGW area, so it won't be as convenient as just crossing Harbor.
Security checkpoint will now be after the bridge still in the Esplanade, not before it as was originally planned. Also public access is now part of the bridge directly accessible from Harbor. So all pedestrian traffic is still the same, just now on the bridge instead of at the Harbor crosswalk.
Both changes were part of the revamping to get buy-in from the Harbor businesses.
The Transportation Hub would still be moved over to Manchester to get the traffic off of Harbor, something Anaheim desperately wants. So that part of the project doesn't change, and is what allows for DCA expansion for Avatar into the Backlot.
To spread the crowds or increase park capacity? I also think selling hotel rooms overlooking Pandora or other lands might be worth it. But I can also see them waiting to see how DCA 3.0 goes first.
Capacity would be increased either way, so I don't see any real benefit for it to go into Simba other than if the Backlot was to be used for something else.
Long story short, no matter what the Backlot if gone from DCA no matter if its Avatar or another land.
