DIA plans to spend $11.75 million on tunnel cleaning
Jan 30, 2026, 4:22 PM | Updated: Feb 2, 2026, 11:40 am
You’ve heard all the conspiracy theories about Denver International Airport, but this could add to them a little. Why does it cost so much to clean the underground tunnels at the airport? Is it to keep the cleaners quiet about what they see?
The tunnels are used to transport luggage, equipment and staff, according to airport officials, and account for around 3.5 million square feet. That’s a lot of area to clean, but still, $11.75 million to clean them seems steep.
The reason DIA needs $11.75 million? “Ultimately, it’s just a deep cleaning of the dust that is down there. These tunnels are open to the air, and there are a bunch of different entry points just for getting out to air traffic,” Denver Airport safety director Travis Krabbenhoft says. “In your house, when you don’t clean your ceiling fan, everything can get dusty. Our ceiling fan just happens to be five miles long.”
The proposal was approved by a Denver City Council committee on January 28 and needs one more vote for full approval. Belfor Environmental will perform the cleanup job with about fifty workers.
