Denver International Airport’s (DEN) Great Hall in the Jeppesen Terminal is set to get an update more than two decades after its opening.
Denver City Council has given final approval to the Great Hall project, which will leverage a public-private partnership to make improvements to levels 5 and 6 of the terminal. The project will enhance security by moving the exposed TSA screening checkpoints from level 5 to level 6, and create a new prototype for TSA that will increase passenger throughput by up to 70%.
DEN currently has 30 standard checkpoint lanes that accommodate about 4,500 passengers per hour. The Great Hall project will include 34 state-of-the-art automated screening lanes, which can each serve an estimated total 8,500 passengers per hour. The new checkpoints, which will be consolidated from three areas of the terminal into two, will feature increased queuing space and new technology for more effective and efficient security and an improved experience.
DEN CEO Kim Day said, “The Great Hall project is critically important to ensuring the safety and success of Denver International Airport for decades to come. Although DEN remains the country’s youngest commercial airport, no one could have predicted how security and technology would fundamentally change the aviation industry and passenger processing over the last two decades. By investing in this project, we will prepare DEN for the future: enhancing security, increasing capacity, updating aging systems, and elevating the overall passenger experience.”
This project also will increase the capacity for the future, allowing the airport to grow its operations in the terminal and concourses to match increasing passenger demand. These changes will include new shops and restaurants, enhanced flight information displays, children’s play areas, relaxing seating and more. New escalators, elevators and restrooms will also be installed.
The project’s anticipated design and build costs range from US$650m to US$770m, which includes an airport-added contingency of US$120m to accommodate unexpected issues or changes in TSA or airline processing in the next few years.
Great Hall partners will make a total investment of US$378m and be paid back through a combination of payments from the airport and a 20% share of the concession revenues from new shops and restaurants. DEN will also reimburse them for operating and maintenance costs over the 30 years.