5 airport megaprojects reach new heights | Construction Dive

Priced in the billions, these gate, runway, inspection facility and other improvements are underway around the country.

Pricey airport overhauls are taking off around the country, fueled by a rebound from the COVID-19 travel slump as well as federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Current projects underway range from upgrades costing a few million dollars to John F. Kennedy International Airport’s eye-popping $19 billion makeover in New York City. Below, Construction Dive rounds up some of the biggest efforts to watch, with price tags starting at $1 billion.

Here are five notable airport projects, in various stages of construction:

Cost: $3 billionLocation: Cleveland

Hopkins Airport is overhauling its infrastructure and passenger facilities in multiple phases with expanded ticketing and passenger gate areas, improved security checkpoints and more parking, plus new concourses and a relocated rental car facility. Work will kick off soon with renovations at a nearby building to create office and storage space, according to Cleveland Magazine.

Dallas-based AECOM is the airport’s master plan consultant, while Fort Worth, Texas-headquartered Paslay Group is providing executive program management services. Construction will start on the main airport in 2025 and will take about a decade to complete, per Cleveland Magazine.

Cost: $2 billionLocation: Austin, Texas

The airport is planning a multiphase overhaul of its facilities in order to meet the needs of a growing region, including a new 20-gate concourse, a new arrivals and departures hall, airfield improvements and infrastructure upgrades. At the end of September, the Austin City Council greenlit over $1 billion worth of construction contracts at Austin-Bergstrom.

Greeley, Colorado-based Hensel Phelps will build the airport's $1.03 billion Concourse B and Tunnel Project, per a Sept. 26 news release from the airport. The city also proposed a $820 million contract for Austin Commercial LP of Dallas for pre-construction and construction services for the hub's Arrivals and Departures Hall project, as well as a $45 million design contract for New York City architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, according to KXAN. The new concourse and hall are slated for completion in 2030.

Cost: $1.3 billionLocation: Burbank, California

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority is building a replacement terminal that will have 14 gates as well as a new TSA checkpoint and baggage claim. The project will resolve long-standing safety and accessibility issues with the current terminal, according to a news release from the authority.

The design-build team is a joint venture made of Atlanta-based Holder Construction, Pankow Builders of Pasadena, California, and U.K. firm TEC Construction. Dallas-based Corgan is providing architectural services for the project along with CannonDesign, headquartered in New York City. Dallas-based Jacobs is charged with project management. The project broke ground in January and is on track to open in October 2026, per the authority.

Cost: $1 billionLocation: Norfolk, Virginia

The Norfolk airport broke ground on its $1 billion improvement program in June. It is building three new gates and a new U.S. Customs Inspections facility to screen passengers and also plans to improve its baggage management, shipping and receiving areas and fuel farm and to build an administration building. The most significant element is a new departures building.

Newport News, Virginia-based W.M. Jordan Co. is building the new gates and customs facility, together projected to cost about $60 million. Antigo, Wisconsin-based Antigo Construction is charged with phase 2 of the Runway 05/23 improvements. Work has begun on those elements, but others do not yet have a timeline.

Cost: $1 billionLocation: Fort Myers, Florida

Southwest Florida airport is building a new terminal, named Concourse E, that includes 14 gates plus room for another five, a new TSA checkpoint, an upgraded baggage handling system and expanded retail spaces. The project also includes upgrades to taxiways and utilities. The goal of the Phase 2 expansion is to boost capacity and amenity options for passengers, as well as to improve airport efficiency, according to the project website.

Canadian firm AtkinsRéalis, formerly SNC-Lavalin Group, is providing design and construction administration services. Work kicked off on Oct. 1 and will take about three years to complete.