KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We are officially one year out from the completion of the new single terminal at the Kansas City International Airport.
KSHB 41 News was granted exclusive access to capture photos and video while on tour of the progress made on the largest infrastructure project in Kansas City history.
The first question KSHB 41 Anchor Dia Wall asked, was if the project is on time and on budget?
Dan Moylan, development director for Edgemoor, weighed in.
"The answer to that question is yes," Moylan said. "We are on time and on budget and we're very proud to say that at this stage of the game."
Equipment and finishes are being installed in phases from south to north.
In fact, Concourse B is nearly complete with carpet, terrazzo flooring and bathrooms only missing a few fixtures.
However, Concourse A needs a lot more work.
"This space, you can see, has got a lot of the framing up," Moylan said. "They need to put up the drywall. They've got to finish the painting. The terazzo flooring in this space still needs to be done. This is one of the main retail and food and beverage nodes, so it's an intersection point of the connector where people are coming from security to get to their aircraft."
Edgemoor is most excited about the progress on the brand new baggage handling system on the lower level.
"An airport terminal is a baggage handling system with a building around it," Moyland said. "The baggage handling system is coming along very well. There's over two-and-a-half miles of conveyor belt throughout this building and they're about 70% complete with mechanical installation, electrical is just behind that at 50%. That's just a big component that we want to make sure is operational on day one."
For the Kansas Citians who were concerned about convenience, we have news for you.
From the curb to the farthest gate inside the new terminal, it's just 850 steps.
The new parking garage has ample space, which aviation staff believes will make it less likely to fill up.
"The carpet's down under that paper," Justin Meyer, Deputy Director of Aviation said. "This formica that we're walking on is protecting the terazzo floor that's already been done and ground with one polish."
Meyer said he's excited to see the vision come to life.
"I've seen this on a computer screen, the color of the ceiling and what the floor will look like and what the space will feel like," Meyer said. "But being able to actually touch it? It's incredible. It's really incredible."
There's no shortage of cutting-edge technology and innovation inside.
When the new terminal at KCI opens, it will make history with glass boarding bridges.
"You'll be able to see everything that's happening around you as you board," Meyer said. "You'll be able to look in the cockpit and wave to the pilot. I think that will be really, really, special."
The new terminal is set to be the largest all-glass boarding bridge operator in the United States once it opens.
Meyer can't wait for travelers to experience every amenity inside.
"We'll have those kinds of things for the passengers that we've never been able to deliver on before, and are really taking the accessibility and inclusiveness of the travelers in mind in everything that we're doing," he said.
If you're wondering what happens when it's time to open the new terminal, a team will essentially switch everything overnight.
Some passengers will fly out of the old terminal and into the new one.
Although the terminal is scheduled to be complete by March 3, 2023 an opening date has not been set.
There will be several celebrations planned at that time, some open to the public.
KSHB 41 will bring you any details on that as soon as they are released.
Moylan described how the Edgemoor and Build KCI team feels at this point in the construction.
"While it's a phenomenal thing to see this project come to fruition, it's really more gratifying to see the impact that it's going to have on Kansas City," Moylan said.
