Travelers waiting to board flights from Denver International Airport will likely be doing so in temporary facilities for years longer than originally promised. The Denver City Council has approved a massive $900 million contract extension with Hensel Phelps Construction Co., pushing the completion of the long-stalled Great Hall project to December 31, 2028.
This amendment brings the total cost of the iconic terminal project to $1.265 billion and extends the construction timeline by 1,721 calendar days. The decision, adopted on December 6, 2021, fundamentally alters the airport's expansion roadmap, ensuring that the new central terminal will not open to passengers until the end of the decade.
The Great Hall was designed to replace the aging, decentralized terminal gates with a single, unified hub. The revised contract modifies the original agreements tied to permit numbers 202161481 and 202053359-02. While the specific reasons for the delay are not detailed in the resolution, the extended timeline suggests significant logistical or funding hurdles that have prevented Hensel Phelps from meeting previous milestones. The project, located at the airport site in ZIP code 80262, represents one of the largest infrastructure investments in the city's history.
This filing caps a series of contentious meetings regarding the airport's future. The $900 million increase adds to the already steep price tag of the project, drawing scrutiny from taxpayers who have watched the timeline slip repeatedly. The extension locks in the current contractor but delays the anticipated economic and operational benefits of the new facility for nearly a decade.
Residents and commuters can review the full resolution and track future amendments through the Denver city portal. Visit the Denver city portal for more details on this record.