Denver International Airport to start on $1.5 billion expansion project

The Denver International Airport will be breaking ground on a $1.5 billion expansion Tuesday.

According to KDVR, the new expansion is the result of wanting to ease congestion at the airport.

The biggest change will be the addition of 39 gates spread out over all concourses, bringing the total number of gates to 150.

The airport is also making significant changes to the ticket counters, drop-off curbs and security system.

The Denver City Council approved the most recent changes in November, citing a need to relieve some of the congestion.

When DIA was built in the 1990s, it was designed to handle up to 50 million passengers a year. The airport last year serviced about 58 million passengers.

“We’re seeing that trend line simply go up, and so we have to match that by making physical investments in the structure on the ground, not only in the gates, but also in the terminal, on the roads and bridges we’re responsible for maintaining,” an airport spokesman said.

The biggest concern from critics is that more gates mean more flights that translate into more people and longer security lines.

Airport officials are working on plans to address that, specifically by upgrading the train system that runs between concourses.

The $160 million plan would allow officials to replace 16 train cars and add 10 new ones.

The new gates and other changes are expected to be completed by the end of 2021.