Monday, Charlotte Douglas International airport dedicated a new rental car facility and the new hourly parking deck. It marks the end of an eight-year, $1.5 billion construction and expansion project.
How did they celebrate? By announcing a new 10-year, $2.5 billion dollar expansion.
The decade long project is dubbed 'Destination CLT.' It comes with the catch phrase - “We’re building an airport fit for the queen.” And an animated video with an interesting soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n31G1dNqddQ
No, they’re not preparing for a barbarian invasion. The $2.5 billion will be used to build a new, wider, two leveled roadway in front of the terminal. Expand and renovate the terminal itself, adding 29 new gates and build that fourth parallel runway airport officials have been talking about for some time.
Charlotte Douglas will pay for this new round of construction using a combination of state and federal grants as well as current airport revenue. That’s good news for local lawmakers ... unless they, too, thought construction at the airport was going to end anytime soon.