CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If you’ve flown out of Charlotte Douglas recently, you’ve probably noticed the construction.
That construction is a multi-billion dollar expansion project known as Destination CLT, which is hoping to build an airport "fit for a queen."
Right now, the airport is in Phase One of the project, which includes expanding Concourse A. Once it’s finished in Summer 2018, it’ll add nine new gates to Concourse A.
“We anticipate that we’ll continue to grow, which means we’ll continue to break our records,” says Jack Christine, the Chief Operating Officer of Charlotte Douglas.
This is the Concourse A expansion. It will add 9 gates by Summer 2018. @wcnc @CLTAirport pic.twitter.com/xDruU8Gz8A
— Hannah Welker (@hannahwelker) May 22, 2017
Charlotte Douglas has been breaking records for the past decade. Back in 2005, the airport saw 28 million local passengers. Fast forward to 2015, and that number jumped to 44.9 million. This construction project will make room for the growing number of travelers.
Adding gates and renovating old ones in Concourse A will give local airlines, such as Frontier and Jet Blue, more space.
Also under construction is the passenger pickup and drop off lanes.
“Right now on the upper level, we have three lanes of traffic,” Christine says. “That is the same lanes of traffic that were there in 1982 when we opened up the terminal building.”
Those three lanes are a traffic jam. A new elevated roadway and terminal curb-front expansion will add 16 new lanes. eight up and eight below for passengers. This will clear a path for both commercial and private vehicles. It’s set to open to the public in August 2018.
So if you’re traveling this summer, pack your patience for both crowds and construction. It’ll be worth it in the end.