Construction Projects Now Set for Minnesota’s Biggest Airport

If you're flying out of Minnesota's biggest airport this year, there are several construction projects you'll want to watch out for.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is the largest airport in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, so when it announces it's undergoing more construction projects, it's worth noting so that your possible plans aren't interrupted.

MSP announced last November that it was embarking on its 'single largest interior renovation of concourses and passenger gate areas at Terminal 1' since the airport opened in 1962, a release said. Those projects, costing 242 million dollars, are being funded by both the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) which owns MSP, as well as Delta Air Lines, the largest carrier at MSP.

According to the release, work on MSP Concourses D and F began in late October. The renovation of Concourse C started in February, and improvements on Concourses A, B, G, and the skyway bridge connecting Concourses C and G are scheduled for 2025.

And, now, MSP has announced that changes in its flight patterns are set to happen this summer as construction work begins on two of its runways. Overall, MSP has over 32 miles of runways and taxiways, and this project will close two of them for reconstruction, starting in June.

READ MORE: These Are the 5 Busiest Airlines in Minnesota

MSP noted that this construction work is similar to the type of work you might see on other Minnesota roads or highways (like on I-494 near MSP or U.S. Highway 52 between Rochester and the Twin Cities.) Specifically, MSP said it includes:

• Pavement excavation and removal
• Laying new granular material and crushed aggregate base
  Laying new concrete pavement and bituminous shoulders
• Leveling off and grading around runways to ensure safety areas are clear of debris, drained, and able to support aircraft and maintenance and emergency vehicles
• Painting new pavement markings
• Installing airport lights and signage

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So if you're flying out of MSP this summer, will you notice these runway changes? Unless you're a pilot yourself, probably not, MSP says. But if you live near MSP, you will likely notice some changes:

Areas around MSP may notice unusual flight patterns as well as unusual sounds, lights or aircraft activity while construction and maintenance activities are occurring.

You can read more about those runway changes HERE and look at MSP's real-time flight tracker HERE. MSP is Delta's second-busiest airport, so it stands to reason that a lot of out-of-towners land there every day. Keep scrolling to check out a few things they're no doubt confused about!

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