Opinions are divided about the potential $1.2 billion price for replacing the current three-terminal configuration at Kansas City International Airport with a single terminal.
The Kansas City Star reports that critics say the price is too high and that many people like the current setup.
But Aviation director Mark VanLoh says that if the airport doesn't rebuild, it still needs an estimated $600 million in upgrades and renovations in the next few years. That includes $160 million in airfield and de-icer improvements.
And then once that money is spent, he says, there will be a call for a new terminal in another 10 years. The last renovation was completed in 2004 and cost $258 million.
VanLoh also says the public shouldn't overreact to a planning consultant's preliminary cost estimate.
