SPOKANE, Wash. — Construction on the new Spokane International Airport (GEG) expansion project is hitting a major milestone.
Thursday morning a 2,400-pound steel beam was locked into place, marking the end of the structural build for the west Concourse C addition.
"It symbolizes the completion of more than a million pounds of steel," Spokane County Commissioner Al French said.
Thursday's 'topping out' ceremony allowed guests to sign the beam before it was hoisted into place.
According to GEG's website, the expansion project will include:
- 144,000 square feet
- 3 new gates
- 3 passenger bridges to replace the current ground boarding gates that exist
- Cost roughly $150,000,000
"It's going to be very modern and it's going to be telling our story as a community. I think that's gonna be one of the big differences people are gonna see," airport CEO Larry Krauter said.
The project was created through the Terminal Renovation and Expansion Program.
Funding comes from multiple sources including an $11,000,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. No local tax dollars will be used on the project.
It's not just upgrades- it's also upping capacity.
Last year, the airport saw its third-highest number of passengers: four million, according to Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward. By 2030, that's expected to grow to more than six million.
"The $150 million project, 144,000 square foot expansion will provide much-needed additional capacity to accommodate all the people who are coming through our region," the mayor said.
Another benefit the airport expects this project to bring is a positive economic impact. That includes 1,164 jobs associated with an expansion and also creates the possibility of more additional flights coming through Spokane.
"So that may mean expanding existing non-stop destinations with more frequencies or adding new non-stop destinations we don't currently have today," Krauter said.
This is just the first phase of three coming to the airport. Later additions will include replacing current ground boarding gates on the eastern side of Concourse C and upgrading the existing upper C Concourse gates. Six more ticket counters will also be added.
More space, more opportunities taking off.
"We're just not a place to catch a plane, we're a significant economic engine," Krauter said.
The first phase of the expansion is expected to be done by fall, with the entire TREX project wrapping up sometime in 2025.
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