After six years of construction, a Holder-Edison Foard-Leeper joint venture completed a revamp of the terminal lobby at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to a Sept. 17 news release.
The $608 million Terminal Lobby expansion adds about 175,000 square feet of new space and renovates another 191,000 square feet of the original facility, first constructed in 1982. The project, which started in December 2019, brings expanded checkpoints and overall modernization to North Carolina’s largest airport.
At the center of the renovation is the new Queens Court, a light-filled space that now houses the statue of Queen Charlotte, for whom the city was named in 1768. The addition also features a 63-truss canopy with more than 2,400 glass panes, two overhead pedestrian walkways, underground connections to parking and 11 public art installations, according to the completion fact sheet.
The work engaged more than 200 companies and 5,000 construction workers, totaling over 5 million man-hours, according to the fact sheet. Airport officials funded the expansion through a mix of passenger and customer facility charges and general airport revenue bonds, along with airport cash.
Phased openings began in 2022 with the west side of the lobby, followed by the east side in 2023, before the full completion in September.
