After years of preparation, work officially began Monday on a new terminal at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, a project Gov. Mike DeWine dubbed "Ohio's front porch."

With the "Top Gun" song "Danger Zone" blasting away, about 300 visitors gathered under a tent on the airport's "blue lot" to celebrate the groundbreaking of the nearly $2-billion project.

The ground-breaking caps years of planning for a terminal to replace the existing 66-year-old terminal. Airport officials have argued for years that the current terminal, with its three concourses, is outdated and inefficient.

The new terminal will feature 36 gates compared with the current 29, and will be able to accommodate up to 13 million passengers that the airport is forecasting to hit 20 years after the terminal opens. The airport is on track this year to set a record for passenger traffic, topping 8.6 million passengers in 2019.

The new terminal will also be able to handle larger aircraft, including the 747-8, Boeing's largest plane.

The terminal is expected to cost $1.6 billion, in addition to $110 million for design and staffing costs and $179 million for a new garage, for a total of $1.89 billion.

Airport users will foot the lion's share of the bill, with a bit of help from federal taxpayers. The airport authority has $240 million on hand for the terminal. It also expects to receive $140 million in federal grants and $100 million from other sources toward the project.

The remaining costs, about $1.5 billion, will be financed through the sale of bonds that will be paid over time from airport revenue, which comes from several sources such as airline fees, parking, taxis and other transportation services, and fees from businesses that operate at the terminal.