ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) — Three months after the Good Friday tornado busted hundreds of windows at Lambert Airport, the main terminal remains a plywood palace, evoking what-happened-here-looks from travelers.

Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge says after filling out insurance paperwork and putting the job out to bid, she expects to name the company that will do the window replacement by week’s end. 

“It’s probably 30 days before we see a new window up,” Niebruegge said, “It’s going to take about three to four months for the total window replacement of the front main terminal.”

Explaining the process, Niebruegge says the new windows have to be retrofitted to the old curtain wall and custom-made to meet post-911 guidelines to withstand possible bomb blasts. 

“It is an older historic building,” she said, “They’re not windows that you can go and buy at Home Depot.

In other news, Lambert is also planning to add a second cell phone lot, where people coming to the airport to pick up someone can wait for a call then drive to the curb and get them.  

“You know, the garage is full, so we’re trying to encourage people that don’t need to park in the garage not to park there.   There’s no reason to pay and park for an hour and then leave,”  Niebruegge said.

Copyright KMOX Radio