In an unprecedented move, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has constructed four new prefabricated modular gates for its Terminal C.

The gates replace a 72,000-square-foot extension comprising five gates built in 1988. According to CNN, they were initially intended to be used for only 10 to 15 years at the most, however, due to their central location and constant use, DFW chose not to replace them until now. Their demolition began in February and was finished in March, which is when work on the foundation and underground utilities for the new gates began. This effort was completed in August. 

Check out the progress on the High C Gates at DFW!

The new, 5-gate concourse is being built in prefabricated modules, which will be transported to the terminal and put together later this summer. The construction method saves time and money, and is a first for a U.S. airport. pic.twitter.com/zd0P7Ra3AH
— DFW Airport (@DFWAirport) July 13, 2021

DFW worked with construction companies Archer Western, H.J. Russell and Phillips/May, design firm PGAL, and structural engineering firm Henderson Rogers on the project. Their plan entailed the construction of four new gates remotely and the renovation of the fifth old gate on-site. The four off-site gates were broken up into six prefabricated modules, built at a remote site next to an airfield on the east side of the airport. The 900,000-pound gates were built at this site from April to August.

Following their completion, the four gates were transported and welded to Terminal C over a two-week period from August 26 to September 10. They occupy an area of 80,000 square feet and are composed of prefabricated steel frames, glass walls, concrete floors and roofs, asphalt, and fiberglass. Now, their interiors will be finished, which will include installing restrooms and connecting underground and aboveground utilities. The new gates are scheduled for completion in June 2022. The fifth gate will be built from June through August of 2022.

Five months of photos, from bare ground to installation of our Terminal C high gate modules!

Here's a quick look at the work that went into the build and move of the modules across our airfield. pic.twitter.com/eQv0SzJ3Fl
— DFW Airport (@DFWAirport) September 23, 2021

As reported by CNN, each new gate will offer 30% more space than other DFW gates and feature new airport technologies. The gates’ walls are also made of “dynamic glass”, which would make temperatures in the gate areas 15 to 20 degrees cooler in the summer. DFW Chief Executive Sean Donohue said the construction and moving process of the new Terminal C gates enabled them to deliver the project 20% faster and 25% cheaper than if traditional construction methods were used. 

The cost of the undertaking is $215 million, with 62% of it covered by DFW and the rest by American Airlines, which occupies the terminal. DFW has said that it has been contacted by other airports requesting information on the project.