Gerald R Ford International Airport in the US state of Michigan has unveiled a new plan to expand Concourse A.
The $90m expansion plan forms part of the airport’s three-phase Project Elevate.
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In the first stage, eight new gates and further amenities such as restaurants and stores will be added to Concourse A to accommodate projected traveller growth over the next two decades.
As a result of the expansion, Concourse A will be widened from 66ft to 120ft. Its length will be increased by 510ft to a total of 900ft.
Construction will commence in mid-2020, with the facility scheduled to become operational by 2022.
The second part of Project Elevate will include setting up a federal inspection station (FIS). The station, which is pending federal approval, will accelerate the screening of international passengers.
In its third stage, the project will focus on transferring the airport’s existing air traffic control tower. This will allow the area to be used for additional tenant hangars and parking spaces.
Gerald R Ford Airport authority board chairman Dan Koorndyk said: “Project Elevate will change the skyline of the airport. It sets the stage for not only the airport’s growth, but our region’s as a whole.
“Through this monumental transformation, we will create world-class facilities that will enhance the travel experience while providing crucial behind-the-scenes infrastructure needed to meet our growth.
“Our airfield still has plenty of capacity, but our terminal has a number of choke points. Project Elevate will address these issues, building on the success of our Gateway Transformation to create an airport ready to serve the modern passenger.”
Project Elevate will be financed by a mixture of federal and state grants, municipal bonds issued by the airport and user fees.
During the last 19 months, the airport registered a 16% growth in passenger traffic, reaching 3.26 million travellers last year.
