"Missoula airport addition to open"

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Missoula airport addition to open
The Associated Press 


MISSOULA - Officials at Missoula International Airport say a $4.2 million
addition to the terminal will open next week as part of a five-year
improvement package.

Departing passengers will be routed through the addition on the terminal's
west end. Arriving passengers will continue to pass through a checkpoint
that opens into a recently expanded "meet-and-greet" area.
   
The addition adds 18,000 square feet to the original terminal's 102,000
square feet. 

The airport's director, Cris Jensen, said the new passenger-screening area
will help smooth the flow of foot traffic through the entire, six-gate
airport. 

The new area designed by Van Sant Group of Colorado features high ceilings
and skylights, with an architectural concept meant as a memorial to the
prehistoric Lake Missoula. It once covered 3,000 square miles, then
disappeared with the Ice Age. 

"Some people in geological circles feel that Glacial Lake Missoula was one
of the most significant events in history, and we wanted to elevate public
awareness in the airport terminal," architect Terry Van Sant said. 

Jensen said the terminal expansion is the first phase of what will
eventually be a new terminal. He envisions the addition one day serving as
the center of the airport, after another wing of gates is added. 

The airport improvements spanning five years cost about $38 million
altogether. 

Eight remodeling projects were completed during the past year. Plans for
2007 include construction of a $9 million control tower. A $5 million runway
repaving is scheduled for completion later this year. 

The projects are necessary to accommodate growing use of the airport, Jensen
said. More than half a million passengers used it last year, and the number
is projected to almost double by 2015. Passenger traffic increased about 3
percent in 2006.

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