The days of waiting in one long, snaking line at Denver International Airport’s South Security Checkpoint are over.

On Monday, airport officials gathered to celebrate the completion of the airport’s new Transportation Security Administration East Security Checkpoint, equipped with 17 new screening lanes.

Located on Level 6 directly across from the West Security Checkpoint, which launched in February, the new East checkpoint opens at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

That day, all DIA security checkpoints will be located on the North end of Level 6 and the South Security Checkpoint will no longer be operational.

As part of the new high-tech checkpoint, the bridge to Concourse A will be open again for arriving and departing passengers after getting through TSA.

“Denver is already one of the biggest airports in the world. It is already one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Now, it will be one of the easiest airports in the world,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.

A mirror image of the west side checkpoint, the east side lanes will be equipped with the latest technology, including facial recognition ID verification, officials said.

Similar to other U.S. airports, TSA will now take a photo to help speed up the process of verifying passengers’ identity, which, officials said, is deleted within 24 hours after verification.

People can opt out of facial recognition and they will not lose their spot in line, officials added. 

Additionally, the new equipment will allow multiple passengers to place their items in bins simultaneously and leave liquids and laptops in their bags.

Bin returns will be automated along with the diversion of any carry-on bag that may contain a prohibited item.

Unique Radio Frequency Identification tags attached to each bin will allow for more accountability of a traveler’s carry-on property, as it moves through the screening process, according to officials.

Airport CEO Phil Washington said the new technology, which was rolled out in the West Checkpoint, has made security at the airport faster and easier for air travelers.

“Customer satisfaction survey results have increased our score for ease of going through security by 13% from the time period leading up to the checkpoint opening on West and the waiting time for security screening improved by 19%,” he said.

Alongside automation, airport officials said the greater number of security lanes has been helping increase the airport’s screening abilities.

“We’re going from 36 lanes that we had before we started the East and the West terminal improvements to now 46 lanes,” Johnston said. “That doesn’t actually tell the story — because the beauty is all 34 of these new lanes now have three stations for loading on each one, which means you’re really talking about going to 114 lanes.”

TSA Domestic Aviation Operations Assistant Administrator Michael Turner praised the improvements.

“In my role, one of the things I do is oversee 430 plus federalized airports, and I can tell you that you are leading the charge in technology and security and passenger experience,” Turner said.

The east and west security station improvements are part of the airport’s broader Great Hall Program renovations.

The $2.1 billion construction program is set to finish right around the end of 2027 and is entering its completion phase.

The program aims to better accommodate the 100 million annual passengers that airport officials anticipate within the next few years, according to Washington.

The East Security Checkpoint was part of the program’s second phase, which was completed approximately five months ahead of schedule and $10 million under budget.

Still to come in the project is the construction of meet and greet areas for domestic and international travelers on level 5, including eight new security lanes for international travelers connecting through DIA.

What is currently known as the South Security Checkpoint will be transformed into the Living Room, a seating and dining space for airport goers to lounge, as well as four security lanes for those arriving to DIA via the RTD A-Line.

Additionally, the last phase will include the construction of the Center for Equity and Excellence in Aviation, promoted by airport officials as the first of its kind in the industry.

“This airport generates over $47 billion dollars every year in economic development, and with an average of more than 225,000 passengers moving through this airport every day, investing in efficiency, safety and passenger experience is more important than ever,” said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette.