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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The Colorado Springs Airport is following up on an okay it got from the city council back in September to expand and remodel the airport and make more room in the security area for full-body scanners and passenger lines.

The council's initial approval was for a remodeling of the security checkpoint area.  However, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) now requires full-body scanners, leading the council to grant an additional $903,000 for the project Tuesday.

The actual scanners won't be seen in the airport until the summer of 2012, but the expansion and remodeling process will begin right away. TSA plans to have full-body scanners in all airports by the end of 2012, but Colorado Springs is near the bottom of the priority list. 

With the expansion plans, it works out for the airport anyway, since there is currently no room for scanners at the security checkpoint without making travelers stand in the middle of the airport while waiting for security.

According to the Colorado Springs Business Journal, 2,000 square feet will be added to the east side of the screening checkpoint to make room for passengers in line for security, and about 1,800 square feet will be added to the west side to make room for TSA scanners and other equipment.

A current $3 fee on each passenger ticket is being used to help fund the expansion, and officials said that fee will not increase.

In late November, city councilman Sean Paige proposed an alternative to TSA screeners, but his idea never gained traction.

The TSA security procedures have some worried.  Some said the radiation from the full-body imaging is harmful to the skin.  Others worry about the privacy issue of having the enhanced body images on TSA monitors.

TSA conducts full-body pat-downs to anyone who opts out of the scanning procedure. Some are also concerned with the pat-downs because they said TSA officials go too far in terms of touching and groping.

Have you had trouble or felt uncomfortable with security at an airport?  Share your airport security experiences and/or thoughts on this topic in our comment section below.