6 airport megaprojects in flight by 2025

Listen to the article
9 minutes

This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.

By 2025, several major airport projects with a price tag of more than $1 billion are expected to move forward across the country.

Growth is driven by strong demand for larger, more modern facilities, as well as continued rollout of funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Here are five airport overhauls and expansions with multibillion-dollar price tags and major milestones to keep an eye on in the coming year:

John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio
Cost: $2 billion

John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio is performing a massive $2 billion project to overhaul the airfield and replace its current terminal, which opened in 1958. Greeley, Colo.-based Hensel Phelps won the project in September 2023.

Hensel Phelps will build a 1 million square foot terminal that will allow the airport to serve more than 13 million passengers annually, according to the builder. Next to it is a new parking structure for 5,000 people and seven new gates, according to project information page. Once the works are finished, the old terminal will be demolished.

The terminal will consist of five main components: a pedestrian bridge, an entrance canopy and a main house, a market and east and west concourses, according to the contractor.

The construction team started last month, according to Columbus Business First. According to the builder, it was moved from the original target of Hensel Phelps’ groundbreaking date of early 2025. The terminal is expected to open in early 2029.

Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh
Cost: $1.57 billion

Pittsburgh International Airport $1.57 billion modernization project it has a new land terminal, which will open this year.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority is leading the project, which will consolidate airline operations, public spaces and passengers under one roof, and introduce a new road system and multi-level parking garage.

Pittsburgh-based Mascaro, the project’s general contractor, is overseeing foundation work, structural steel and concrete decks for the parking lot, as well as the terminal’s architectural enclosure. The construction management team, New York-based Turner Construction and a joint venture between Pittsburgh-based PJ Dick and Indianapolis-based Hunt, are working together to ensure the project meets its schedule .

The The design of the terminal incorporates biophilic elements like tree-shaped steel columns and a long-span roof inspired by the hills of Pittsburgh, according to Thornton Tomasetti, the project’s New York-based structural engineer. Locally sourced wood and energy-efficient glazing contribute to the airport’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2028.

Advanced engineering solutions, such as high-density geofoam to stabilize construction above the active underground people mover, aim to ensure operations continue without interruption during construction. With the exterior fully enclosed and the project on track, crews are shifting their focus to interior work.

Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida
Cost: $1.5 billion

Tampa International Airport It will soon get its first new airfoil in almost 20 years. The project began on December 18 and is scheduled to open to passengers in 2028. The 16-door Airside D will serve as the international arrivals and departures facility.

Greeley, Colo.-based Hensel Phelps is leading the design and construction team, along with Kansas City, Mo.-based architecture and engineering firm HNTB, in association with San Francisco-based Gensler.

Design features include two levels and a mezzanine, two airline lounges, international passenger processing areas and retail and dining locations.

TPA currently serves 25 million passengers annually, but the expansion will help the airport adapt to regional growth to serve 35 million passengers annually by 2037.

Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennessee
Cost: $1.5 billion

Nashville International Airport is undergoing a number of projects to keep up with rapidly growing passenger numbers. his $1.5 billion New Horizons plan it involves expanding two concourses, improving the baggage handling system and revising the terminal’s tracks to improve traffic flow.

The airport completed the first phase of its current overhaul in February. Phase 2 includes reworking Concourse A, adding more gates to Concourse D, expanding transportation infrastructure at the airport and modernizing the bag handling system, according to the press release.

Hensel Phelps was drafted in November serve as construction manager at risk for the Concourse A project. A Hensel Phelps/Fentress Architects JV is already working as the general contractor for the $250 million expansion of Concourse D, which began in late 2023.

Funding for the improvements will come from bonds, federal and state aviation grants, passenger facilities fees and other airport funds, according to the airport. The overall project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028.

Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento, California
Cost: $1.3 billion

Sacramento International Airport’s $1.3 billion improvement program has plenty of runway ahead of it.

In August, Balfour Beatty began building one $140 million pedestrian walkway and sky bridge which will include moving sidewalks, escalators and elevators to connect Terminal B with Concourse B, according to a news release from the Sacramento County Airports Department. The walkway will be an alternative to the airport’s existing automated passenger transport and will feature three major pieces of public art representing a $2.5 million investment.

The project is funded, in part, by $33 million from the IIJA, as well as a low-interest loan through the Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act.

The construction is just one of seven projects underway or planned under SMForward.

In October, Sacramento-based, woman-owned Otto Construction turned dirt into one $229 million Terminal B parking garagewhich will house 5,500 places, a passenger guide system, reserved parking and electric vehicle charging. It is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2026.

Other construction plans and their approximate start dates include:

• A new car rental facilityfor which the airport issued an RFQ on December 4.
• Extension of Terminal A, including additional gates, winter 2025.
• A new exit road from Terminal A, Q3 2025.
• Expansion of Concourse B, including additional doors, Q1 2026.
• A new ground transportation hub, 3Q 2026.

Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey
Cost: to be determined

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is designing a complete reimagining of the 97-year-old Newark Liberty International Airport with modern terminals and infrastructure, an intuitive road network and a redesigned road network to accommodate more planes and reduce delays. .

Developed in collaboration with London-based design firm Arup and New York architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the plan will enable the airport. to meet current needs and future growthaccording to an October press release. Much of its current infrastructure dates back to the 1970s, when Terminals B and C and the original Terminal A were built, according to the release.

The works include a new international terminal to replace the current Terminal B and improvements to Terminal C. They will also incorporate ongoing modernization projects at the airport, including replacing the airport’s AirTrain system with an automated system. The project will take a phased approach to minimize impact on airport operations.

The Port Authority plans to begin a two- to three-year planning process this year for the main elements of the redevelopment, including cost projections and delivery alternatives for the project. Your board has approved a total of $55 million for the preliminary design work of the new Terminal B.