NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — It's been years and $3.5 million in the making, but a major upgrade to the Aquarium of Niagara opens Wednesday.

The new Humboldt penguin habitat is more than five times the size of the former exhibit and allow them to bring in more penguins.

It gives the penguins 1,500 square feet to swim and more nesting room, which was a major reason for the expansion.

With the old setup, there wasn't enough room to bring in more birds to breed.

Now that they have the space, the Aquarium hopes to triple the size of the penguin colony, leaving plenty of room for chicks.

Before they can start breeding, they will have to apply for accreditation that will allow them to bring in more bids. That process is expected to take about six months to complete.