First Coast News got a behind-the-scenes tour of construction on Concourse B, set to open in December.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A plan decades in the making is starting to take off.

A First Coast News crew got a behind the scenes look Friday at the Concourse B construction at Jacksonville International Airport.

Back in October, crews put the final beam in for the frame of Concourse B, which will add six new gates at JAX.

Four months later, the project is flying along as that shell has been filled in and is starting to take shape.

“You can see we have walls up,” said Nick Marollo with Jacobs Engineering. “We have fireproofing. We have HVAC, electrical being brought in. We have windows being installed.”

Marollo says the next milestone will be when they “dry in” – once all the glass is in and they can get the drywall finished.

He says they’re on target for that to happen in May and electrical installed by June.

Marollo added the glass panels have sensors to tint according to the conditions outside.

“Last year, we set a record for passenger travel,” said Jacksonville Aviation Authority Mark VanLoh. “We’re going to keep building on that. Six more gates, new flights by all airlines. We’ll just keep this thing going.”

VanLoh says he can really start to visualize where all the new gates and restaurants, like Chick-Fil-A and Panda Express will fit in, along with two recent additions – Pura Bean Coffee and a seafood restaurant headlining the end of the Concourse.

“Those were the last two pieces of the puzzle to fall,” said VanLoh. “We wanted something local. We wanted something people knew they were at the beach when they landed here.”

VanLoh is particularly relieved they haven’t hit any turbulence – the project is on schedule and on budget for $340 million between the new concourse and parking garage to go with it.

“It’s quite fulfilling and satisfying,” said VanLoh. “It’s been a long period for this project.”

The goal is to have this concourse ready to open by December of this year.