The contract, with URS Corp. of Dallas, is for work that will help airport staff decide how the terminals should be renovated. The airport estimates that the renovations of Terminals A, B, C and E, which opened in 1974, could cost $1.5 billion to $2 billion.
Construction is expected to begin the weekend after North Texas hosts the 2011 Super Bowl, with Terminal A set for completion first, in 2014. One-third of each terminal will be closed at a time as work progresses.
The entire project, which the airport expects to fund from bond sales and other financing options, is expected to be finished by 2017.
"A great deal has changed since these terminals were designed in the 1960s, including vastly different modern requirements for security and customer services," said Jim Crites, executive vice president of operations. "The renovated terminals will be very customer-focused, so we should see big gains in customer satisfaction as well as operational efficiency and revenues."
Part of the project will involve grouping shops and restaurants into "villages" -- as was done in Terminal D, which opened in 2005 -- and adding skylights to the departure and gate areas. Also planned is the replacement of electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, security and telecommunications systems, the airport said.
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