Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport now the airport's second largest carrier. In May 2001 construction of an over fifth runway (10–28) began. It was completed at a cost of $1.28 billion and opened on May 27, 2006. It bridges Interstate 285 (the Perimeter) on the airport's south side, making Hartsfield–Jackson the nation's only civil airport to have a runway above an interstate (although Runway 17R/35L at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado crossed Interstate 70 until that airport closed in 1995). The massive project, which involved putting fill dirt eleven stories high in some places, destroyed some surrounding neighborhoods and dramatically changed the scenery of
Stapleton International Airport Stapleton Airfield in 1944, in honor of Mayor Stapleton. Stapleton's modern horseshoe-shaped terminal design was first announced in 1946 and promptly shelved by incoming mayor James Newton. The original administration building was extended with new wings in the early 1950s, and replaced entirely in 1954. By the early 1950s, the airport was served by five major airlines. United connected Denver to both coasts, with multi-stop routes extending to Boston, New York and Washington in the east, to major cities on the West Coast, and to Honolulu. Braniff operated routes from Denver to Texas, with connections to South America. Continental connected