Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas City International Airport is about to begin the final phase of a $258 million renovation project that will bring the airport’s decor out of the 1970s.

Wednesday night, work crews are expected to close part of Terminal B, the only terminal space at the airport that hasn’t been renovated. The project is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Airport patrons will get their first look at the renovated middle section of Terminal B when it opens Thursday. Southwest Airlines Inc. — the airport’s busiest carrier — will move from the closed section of the terminal to eight gates in the new area. The section also will include a Starbucks Coffee shop, City Deli and CNBC News store.

It’s “the end to the last vestige of the original KCI terminals and their 1970s design,” said KCI spokesman Joe McBride.

The wood floors, paneled walls and drab signage had been part of the terminals since the airport opened in 1972. Crews have installed blue terrazzo flooring, lighter-colored walls and signage, and electronic advertising and flight information displays as part of the renovations.