About $70 million of the money is earmarked to begin construction on the North Terminal, which will replace the Smith and Davey terminals at the airport. The Davey Terminal has been empty since Northwest Airlines vacated it in 2002 to move to the then-new MidfieldTerminal. The Smith Terminal, which is about 50 years old, handles about 6 million passengers a year on such carriers as American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, United and US Airways.

The new North Terminal will feature 35 gates and will be built with future expansion in mind. The other $60 million from the bond sale will go toward adding 25 gates to the 97 gates now at the Midfield Terminal.

The North Terminal project was to have begun in late 2001, but the slowdown in air travel after the September 11 terrorist attacks put that project on hold. The various construction projects at the airport, including the eventual demolish of the Smith and Davey terminals, is expected to cost upwards of $400 million. An exact completion date for the project has not yet been set. Metro Airport handles about 33 million passengers ayear.