Passengers flying through Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport will find new and improved facilities on their next trip, following Thursday’s opening of renovated restrooms near Gate C1.

The opening marked the first completed phase of a nearly $5 million project to make the airport’s concourse restrooms more convenient and accessible for travelers, according to the Birmingham Airport Authority.

Along with the men’s and women’s restrooms, the Gate C1 facilities include a nursing room, a service animal relief area and a family restroom equipped with an adult changing table, the airport said in its announcement ahead of the opening.

Contractor Construction Works Inc. stripped the restrooms to the studs and rebuilt them with a layout designed to help travelers move through more easily.

Work will now move to the restrooms near Gate B1, which will close for renovation. The project covers four sets of concourse restrooms, with construction phased to keep other locations available.

“We have phased the project in such a way that only one set of restrooms will be closed at any given time,” said Marcelo Lima, BHM’s vice president of planning and development.

The Federal Aviation Administration is covering 95% of the project through Airport Terminal Project funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Work on all four sets of restrooms is expected to be completed in October 2027.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].