Feature Illustration: Artist rendering of the renovated Austin airport. Image: City of Austin.
Posted: 10-1-2024
Austin (Travis County) — Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) has announced a significant milestone in its Journey With AUS expansion program.
City Council approved all major expansion projects on their September 26 agenda to move forward with professional services contracts, paving the way for the design and construction of new airport facilities.
Key program efforts include:
- Concourse B: A new, 20-gate midfield concourse to meet the airport’s long-term passenger activity level demand, with modern boarding areas, ample concession spaces and directly connected with the Barbara Jordan Terminal. VBX has been fallowing the project since April with anticipated completion expected in 2030.
- The arrivals and departures hall: A new multistory building, north of the Barbara Jordan Terminal, will add expanded ticketing and check-in areas, consolidated security checkpoints, additional tenant and an expanded baggage claim area all roughly estimated to be completed in 2030. VBX has been following the project since May. Landside Improvements: Replacing the Red Garage with a new parking garage, surface lots and an improved roadway and a larger curbside for passenger drop-off to the new arrivals and departures Hall.
- Airside enhancements: Enhancing the airport’s airfield with new parallel midfield taxiways to better connect our two runways and to support an efficient operation of Concourse B and future concourses.
- Infrastructure enhancements: Upgrading various critical airport utilities like a new Central Utility Plant to heat and cool an expanded AUS.
The airport entered into a contract with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP for the design and Austin Commercial LP for the construction of the arrivals and departures hall project and with Hensel Phelps Construction Company for the construction of a new 20+ gate midfield concourse. To date, the Department of Aviation has completed more than 20 different solicitations in collaboration with the Small and Minority Business Resources Department and the Financial Services Department.
“The work we are doing to transform our airport doesn’t stop at opening doors for more nonstop flights and an improved customer experience,” said Mayor Kirk Watson. “This program will infuse approximately $437 million to small, woman-owned, and minority-owned businesses who will join this journey to modernize the Austin airport. I want to thank the City of Austin professionals whose hard work has allowed us to meet this milestone and I applaud all the selected Prime firms for exceeding their subcontracting goals that create incredible economic opportunities for our community.”
As design and construction teams for the program’s two largest projects, Concourse B and the Arrivals and Departures Hall, finalize contracts and begin their onboarding process, the expansion team, led by the Department of Aviation staff, includes a diverse group of professionals comprised of professional firms and their subconsultants, augmented consultant staff and City professionals from different Departments, will continue to work on enabling projects and near-term improvements, like the West Gate Expansion, Outbound Baggage Handling System, Atrium Infill and West Infill expansion. These projects will add more passenger areas to the terminal by 2026.
The Journey With AUS program represents an estimated $4 billion investment into modernizing and expanding Austin-Bergstrom.
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