RDU Plans to Spread Its Wings

"It's definitely an exciting time here at RDU," says RDU spokesperson Mike Blanton. "We can't sit still for minute with all the growth in the area."

Growth is the reason airport officials are moving full speed ahead to double the size of Terminal A. The new wings will more than double the number of gates, from 17 to 35.

"One of the big benefits that is coming as a result of this is an upper and lower level," Blanton said. "The upper level will be for ticketing and arriving passengers, and the lower level will be for baggage claims and people looking for ground transportation, just the way it is at Terminal C now."

A lot more parking is on the way as well. A 2,700 space garage - currently under construction - is five months behind schedule, but before it's finished, crews will begin work on another 4,200 space garage connected to it.

The airport is also in the midst of adding two more lanes of traffic in front of Terminal A; that project should be completed by the end of May. Construction on the new wings at Terminal A is expected to start within two years.

In the next 10 to 15 years, plans call for another parking garage complex to bloom, filling the space between Terminals A and C with 17,000 additional parking spaces.