It's crunch time at the Bismarck airport as crews scramble to put the finishing touches on the new $15 million terminal that is expected to go into operation the first week of May.

There is little activity outside the building, which nearly hides the terminal that has served the community for 40 years. But the interior is buzzing with activity as workers paint, tile, run wire, install pipes, build walls and generally turn the wide-open spaces into a more orderly, passenger-friendly operation.

Airport Manager Greg Haug is on the run most days, handling the airport's daily operations along with coordinating the new terminal's completion. He revels in the activity, saying it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play a part in a facility that will serve the area for decades to come. Up to now, Haug said, the work has been straightforward as contractors had little leeway in how to put up the building.

"But now we're making decisions on the things which the public will probably notice the most, colors, tiles and arrangements," Haug said. "It'll have all the amenities travelers have become accustomed to at the large airports."

One of the most significant interior projects is one visitors are unlikely to notice - the baggage system. It's a complex system of conveyor belts that will take checked baggage from the airline agents' area to the plane through a maze of tight security.

"The inline baggage system is incredible," Haug said. "This is the direction aviation is heading as far as checking of baggage. We're very fortunate to receive the CTX 5500, which is an automated scanning machine through which all the baggage will pass. It's provided through the federal government's TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and is worth about a million dollars. It will be like the old days when passengers just dropped off their luggage and headed for the plane. There won't be all this time spent waiting as TSA agents go through and inspect bags by hand."

Travelers leaving Bismarck will enter on the terminal's south end where they will find the ticket agents. From there, they will ascend to the second floor via the stairs or escalator. They will immediately notice the brilliant blue ceiling covered with clouds, just now being painted by an area artist. They will have to pass through TSA screening before reaching the spacious passenger waiting area. There will be a lounge with food service and gift shop for their convenience.

"There's a lot of steel and glass, giving it a very modern feel, but we also mix in some stone and colors of the prairie," Haug said.

There is a view of Fort Lincoln and the bluffs of the Missouri from the terminal's entrance through a massive wall of windows. The terminal also has views from its runway side, looking east. The runway sides of terminals are often overlooked by designers, according to Haug, but that's not the case in Bismarck.

Passengers arriving in Bismarck will go through the same central thoroughfare on the second floor, which will keep TSA from having to have separate screening areas. Those leaving planes will exit on the terminal's northwest side, where baggage pickup is located in a large area with plenty of elbowroom. Car rental agents will be adjacent to the luggage turntables.

Rental agencies' vehicles will be parked in the building's north parking lot and renters can exit on the north side in close proximity to the vehicles, a great improvement over current practices, Haug said.

Although dates have not been set, the public will get to look over the terminal during an open house just a few days before the grand opening and start of operations. Not long after that, the old terminal will come down.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)