The State Bond Commission has kicked off the start of funding a new airport terminal in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Advocate reports it approved $650 million in borrowing to pay for a 650,000-square-foot, three-story terminal. It will be built on property now used by Louis Armstrong International Airport — but closer to Interstate 10.
Airport Aviation Director Iftikhar Ahmad says plans to revamp the facility have been discussed since 1974.
It opened in 1946, but the way it evolved has proven troublesome.
There’s a lot of wasted space. The hangar-like terminal that was the airport’s architectural signature opened in 1959. But additional concourses were tacked on. Much of that will be torn down.
The new north terminal will be about half the size of the existing facility.
The new design is expected to be cheaper to maintain and the layout will be more efficient.
