He says the construction team is looking now at how to comply with new regulations, and it's too early to tell what changes will be made.

Lassaline says passenger safety will be the primary concern of the county and Northwest, with conveniences a close second. He says any decision will be made after government rules are created.

Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta announced Sunday the creation of two separate task forces to deliver specific recommendations for improving security within the national aviation system. One task force will focus on increasing security at the nation's airports. The other will look at aircraft security, focusing specifically on cockpit access.

Six national leaders in aviation and security were named to the task forces, each of which will deliver its recommendations to the Secretary by Oct. 1.

Currently, the new terminal has top-of-the-line security measures, Lassaline says. There will be six security entrance checkpoints on the ticketing level, with the capacity to expand to 10 in the future. There will be three checkpoints located on the gate level, four on the international level and one positioned between the hotel and the A Concourse.

After the new rules are made public, Lassaline says some tweaking will be made to the new terminal. Until then, he cannot speculate on additional cost estimates, and says the terminal should still open by Jan. 20.

"We have a little bit of time left," he adds.

The project is funded by federal and state grants, passenger facility charges and airline fees. Wayne County is the owner of the terminal and Northwest Airlines is both the developer and primary tenant.