Denver International Airport officials on Tuesday announced they will complete the final $1.3 billion phase of their Great Hall reconstruction no later than December 2027.
DIA chief executive Phil Washington committed to that date—“we think we can accelerate it more,” he said – during an unveiling of features that include a quiet room suitable for meditation and a “living room” area with couches and pads for children to play on.
All will be located on the 5th level around a massive sculptural “cottonwood tree” lit with reflective crystals, 60 feet tall and 70 feet wide. “This will be the place where people will say: ‘Meet me at the tree,’ “ Washington said.
The Great Hall under DIA’s signature white-tented roof will include a new East Security Station on level 6 that will open this August and bring the number of security screening lanes from 34 to 46. Each will have the technology that allows Transportation Security Administration crews to process 240 travelers per hour, up from the old rate of 140 an hour.
The Great Hall is the centerpiece for a broader $2.1 billion overhaul of DIA, which opened in 1995 with the capacity of handling 50 million passengers a year. Last year, the airport hit a record 82.3 million travelers and airport officials on Tuesday projected DIA will reach 100 million by 2028 and 120 million by 2045.
Funds for the overhaul come from aeronautical revenues — such as landing gate fees airlines pay — and revenues from concessions and parking.
For more than three years, travelers at DIA have endured constant disruptions that have complicated their trips.
“We’re getting toward the end of it,” Washington said, acknowledging widespread “construction fatigue” and confusion.
After December 2027, travelers “will be saying what a fantastic airport this is. They’ll be saying the cottonwood tree is the best meeting place in the entire country. They’ll be saying what a great job we did making this Colorado-centric,” he said.
The work won’t end after the December 2027 completion date.
DIA officials plan to continue their overhaul by improving the arrival areas for international travelers and adding 11 gates on C Concourse. Beyond that, an extension of the Great Hall main terminal to the north will provide space for up to 50 more airline gates.
A similar concourse expansion at the south end of the terminal will allow for even more gates.
DIA planners also are designing a new, consolidated rental car facility.
“We’re building an airport that is going to last for the next 100 years,” Washington said. “It is arduous work. We’re being very, very diligent in knowing that this is a long game and that we have to do it right.”