Flush with cash? Denver airport eyes $84M restroom renovation

Denver International Airport is preparing for an $83.8 million makeover of its restrooms.

“They’re over 30 years old and they’re aging. It’s not a good experience for our passengers,” said Brandon Gainey, senior vice president of the airport’s design, engineering and construction division.

The proposed project would renovate 28 restrooms totalling 45,000 square feet across all three of the airport’s concourses. The refresh would bring the bathrooms of the ’90s into the present, adding brighter materials, new lighting, roomier stalls and improved facilities for people traveling with pets, nursing mothers and adults with disabilities.

Among the additions are companion-care restrooms equipped with height-adjustable changing tables large enough to accommodate adults. The facilities aim to give caregivers a more accessible and private place for loved ones who need additional help in the restroom.

“We’ll also be upgrading our mechanical and electrical plumbing systems within the restrooms so they perform better. They actually will smell better,” Gainey said.

But behind the promise of a more attractive and less stinky trip to the toilet lies a decidedly unglamorous problem and a major factor behind the project’s staggering price tag: Aging pipes that have been leaking into the airport’s basement.

“We just want to make sure that those are captured as part of this project,” said Ro-Tien Liang, the airport’s facility projects supervisor. “So (it’s) a lot of things that passengers and people see on the concourse level, but also a lot of hidden infrastructure work that’s underneath and behind the scenes.”

Gainey described the current restroom situation at the airport as a “tale of two cities.” Some have already been updated through the airport’s concourse expansion and Great Hall renovation projects. Others, particularly those in the original concourse spaces, are in need of an upgrade.

Passenger surveys, feedback from janitorial staff and reviews from specialists helped inform the project.

“We took that feedback and … realized that was a great opportunity to improve our passenger experience,” Gainey said. Even details like how easy the soap dispensers are to refill were considered in the planning.

Airport officials also looked to other airports for inspiration, including Orlando and Nashville.

“We benchmarked a few, and some of it was just as we travel, we would bring back what we’ve seen,” Gainey said.

Orlando International Airport, for example, has undertaken a roughly $72 million restroom improvement project involving renovations to 61 existing bathrooms and the construction of 12 new ones.

While the price tags are comparable, the scopes are different. DEN’s project total includes 12 larger restrooms in the central areas of the concourses and 16 smaller restrooms spread throughout the airport plus the costly infrastructure work.

Denver’s airport pays for its own expenses with the revenues it collects from its operations.

A familiar contractor

If it’s approved by the Denver City Council, the proposed contract would go to Milender White Construction Company, an Arvada-based contractor that’s been involved in airport construction projects since 2010. It also has worked on concourse expansions, jetway replacements and previous restroom improvements.

Milender White was selected for the restroom project through a competitive process involving four companies and a selection panel. The proposed contract cleared Denver City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday without discussion.

It still requires approval from the full council before the airport can finalize the agreement and authorize construction, but Gainey expects that to happen by the year’s end. Construction could follow in the spring.

Construction should take around 400 days, though the contract covers up to 650 days. Renovating bathrooms at one of the world’s busiest airports comes with logistical challenges, and officials say minimizing disruptions to travelers is a major consideration.

“We will be simultaneously starting on (concourses) A, B, and C, but only on one set or two sets of restrooms, keeping the others open,” said Liang.

The airport also plans to coordinate with airlines, concessionaires and janitorial crews to manage passenger traffic and increased demand at restrooms that remain open. Liang compared the approach to warning drivers about the last gas station before a long stretch of highway.

An unexpected destination?

For travelers, the payoff will be bathrooms that are easier to find, more accessible and more comfortable to use by the end of 2028, officials said. But they may also bring an unintended benefit.

Christine Pomorski, a spokesperson for the airport, said recently renovated restrooms have developed an unexpected following on social media , thanks to their brighter lighting and views of planes on the tarmac .

“All the improvements … have led to an increase of passenger selfies and posts on social media,” she said. “For the (aviation geek) population, the bathrooms have actually been an unexpected destination.”

So while most travelers are just looking for a quick pit stop, some may find themselves in the bathrooms for a selfie instead .