$28.7 Mil Approved for New Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport

Northwest, which currently occupies the Davey and Berry terminals, will move its operations into the new Midfield terminal in December. When that happens, more space in the existing facility will be available for many of Metro's other airlines to use. The Midfield terminal will feature 72 jet and 25 commuter gates, a silent automated transit system, over 80 shops and restaurants, 104 check-in positions and more than 11,000 structured parking spaces.

The existing terminal complex, which includes the Davey, Smith, and Berry terminals, was built between the 1950s and1970s. Since then, the number of passengers who travel through Metro has increased by more than 500%.The recent grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation will help fund the Midfield Terminal, and help build another new terminal to replace the current facilities.

State House Rep. Kwame Kilpatrick (D-Detroit) said the grant will build upon quality of life issues for the region. "The airport is a critical hub for our region. This funding will improve airport services for businesses and individuals, and help make communities around the airport more livable," he said.

The grant will go toward ongoing projects, including terminal construction and a new runway, and continue noise-mitagation problems, which will be used to help soundproof homes close to the airport and purchase properties that are so close that soundproofing is impossible.

The expansion projects were among eight airport improvement projects across the state approved by members of the Michigan Aeronautics Commission, jointly funding the MDOT grants, at its first meeting of 2001. Some of the approved projects have federal, state and local funding, while others are funded from state and local sources only.

Federal and state dollars for airport development come primarily from restricted, user-generated funds. The primary sources of revenue are aviation fuel, passenger taxes and aircraft registration fees.