By the end of this week, the expansion at Charlotte Douglas Airport's terminal will be open to the public.

The $23 million expansion includes a fifth security checkpoint, offices for the TSA and a new and expanded recheck area for international travelers going through customs.

The 60,000-square-foot expansion is just one of several major projects the airport has planned for the coming years.

Outside the airport, another major construction project can make it tougher to park and get to the terminal at times, but a series of construction projects aim to change that.

The airport’s director said the airport will not look much different when delegates start arriving for the Democratic National Convention in September.

Jerry Orr said it’s not ideal to have a lot of construction in progress as people start arriving for the DNC, but he added the construction was planned well before the DNC selected Charlotte.

Orr added the airport had no plans to halt construction for the convention, either.

Because of the current construction work, there are about 500 fewer parking spaces, but Orr said he does not anticipate any problems. People who need to park will still have plenty of places to park in other lots, Orr said.

There are also plenty of volunteers to direct people around the construction.

Orr said the construction is a good sign because it means the airport is growing.

“I don’t think anybody looks at a crane and a new building going up and says, ‘What’s wrong with this place?’” he said.

An intermodal rail yard, which broke ground last month, will link up planes, trains, and trucks by late next year.

Construction on a new entrance road to the terminal will start by the end of this week.

More gates will eventually be added to Concourse E.

The west side of the terminal will expand, and there will be a new and more efficient baggage system.

"We would like for every passenger who passes through here to say, 'Boy, this is a really slick operation,'" Orr said.

He said Charlotte Douglas should also eventually get a new international terminal where the rental car facility is now. It would be a valuable thing to have, he said, especially if a merger between US Airways and American happens.

"With a merger with American, you just inherit all those routes up and running, ready to go." he said.

Construction on that international terminal could start in 2015.

Further into the future, Orr said people could see a fifth runway and a new control tower, although there are not as many specifics on those projects just yet.

Orr said several of these projects are paid for through airport revenue bonds, not taxpayer money.