Here Are The Newest Upgrades To This Busy Western Illinois Airport

Just in time for summer, MLI is getting fancy.

We've all been to at least one airport in this country where we've thought "well...those logistics were a choice". Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) is working on a campaign to upgrade it's space.

It's called Project Gateway and it began last year.

It's got a slew of projects on the docket, including modernizing the ticketing lobby, and upgrading the pre-security experience.

This week, MLI is showing off some improvements made to the baggage screening machines. You've seen those-they've been sitting out in the arrival area of the terminal, where you roll up your luggage to be screened by TSA.

This is an older pic, but it's those things in the back of this picture that they moved (they have been there since the TSA was formed after the September 11th attacks):

Now, after a reveal this week, the machines got their own new 14,600 facility behind the ticket counter, with a new conveyor belt system. The vision sketch from the airport looks like this for the arrival area:

This is Phase 1 of Project Gateway. Other phases include (as you can probably see) updating the ticketing area (which hadn't been updated since 1985, according to the airport) and the terminal arrival area.

The baggage screening machines are always the moment I feel a twinge of guilt about my suitcase being kinda heavy. The airport says that the phases of the project have been carefully planned out to "minimize disruptions to passengers".