Outside, the drive in front of the terminal will have 10 lanes — up from six — for different kinds of drivers to maneuver through the property.

In April, the Airport Authority put an initial shape to the project. Since then, Dallas architectural firm Corgan and airport planner Ricondo & Associates of Chicago have added a few concepts and switched a few ideas as the design work proceeds.

“You get once every 35 or 40 years to be able to build something for a community that’s like this,” said Dave Roth, executive director of the Omaha Airport Authority. “I think Omaha’s ready for it.”

Traffic at Eppley has grown every year since 2013, when the number of passengers was just over 4 million for the year. Last year, the number of Eppley passengers passed 5 million for the first time.

The Airport Authority and its consultants still have work ahead before starting construction. Until now, they’ve been updating the assumptions in the airport’s 2014 master plan — which outlines capital upgrades for the airport as passenger numbers grow — and setting the scope of the upcoming project.

Now, the effort will turn toward designing the project in full detail.