Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport has set forth designs for an impressive new addition to its terminal that will improve the passenger experience and allow expansion at the airport for the foreseeable future.

The most significant part of the plans will see a new concourse added to the terminal with four new gates (and capacity for an additional two). In addition, the security screening areas will be improved and larger, open spaces added.

At present, the airport only has one remaining gate available for rent from the 20 in the existing terminal. This comes at a time when Will Rogers has been experiencing passenger growth, with 2014 its busiest ever at 3.8 million.

The Oklahoma City Airport Trust has approved the plans, which will also see a public observation area and more space for shopping and dining. It hopes to allow the airport to get ahead of the curve before dissatisfaction sets in with the lack of space, and to take advantage of the positive direction of growth over much of the past decade.

High-tech improvements will further enable passengers to receive real-time flight information, keeping travelers up-to-date and informed down to the minute. A wider concourse will provide a variety of seating options and integrated amenities to better meet the needs of today's traveler.

The cost of the expansion comes in at an estimated $86 million, funded by a combination of grants, federal loans and passenger revenue, which will take around 30 years to pay back.

"We need to move now," said Mark Kranenburg, the city's airports director, adding that he hoped the first three new gates could be opened by 2017.

Working toward the new TSA models for security operations, Oklahoma City-based Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates (FSB) and partners HOK will be designing the new spaces to allow more room both pre- and post-security for passengers.

"This project is a symbol of the continued growth of our city and will be a welcoming beacon for Oklahoma City travelers," said Rick Johnson, principal and COO of FSB. "We look forward to making Will Rogers World Airport a destination for travelers around the globe."

Unusual for many U.S. airports, the addition of a public viewing area is something the airport has considered possible in the present age as something well-wishers can use to wave off relatives and watch aircraft using the airport.

"After 9/11, we couldn't do that anymore, but airports around the country are starting to bring back observation galleries," Kranenburg said.

In order to accommodate the terminal expansion, part of the cargo area to the east will be demolished as a priority, allowing work to commence in 2016. It is imperative that the expansion be used to attract new airlines and services, which will see the improvements to the terminal and good will surrounding the works as a draw to the new, vacant gates.

The most recent addition to the list of operators at Will Rogers is Alaska Airlines, which introduced a daily link to Seattle in December 2014. Primary carriers at the airport are Southwest, United and American.