December 16, 2024

Contractor selected for $195M project at Spokane International Airport

Renderings by Alliiance [enlarge]

Concourse connectors will link the new central hall to the airport’s three concourses.

A joint venture of Garco and Q&D Construction has been awarded the construction contract for a large expansion and renovation project at Spokane International Airport.

The team will build a new, approximately 145,000-square-foot central hall that will house a consolidated security screen checkpoint and central baggage claim. The work scope also includes renovations to an existing baggage claim area for flights arriving at the airport's A and B concourses.

Concourse connectors will link the new hall checkpoint to all three of the airport's concourses (A, B and C).

[enlarge]

The new hall will house a consolidated security checkpoint.

Minnesotan architecture firm Alliiance has designed the new hall in collaboration with local architectural partner Wolfe Architectural Group. Renderings depict a light-filled space with lofty ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and warm interiors featuring wood.

The project is pursuing LEED certification. The total budget is $195 million. Estimated construction costs are $150 million to $170 million.

The DJC reported the construction contract award to Garco and Q&D last week. The joint venture will perform both preconstruction and construction services. The award amount was unavailable at time of publication and the contract is yet to be signed.

Photo via Garco [enlarge]

In May,the same joint venture completed phase one construction of an expansion project at the airport’s C Concourse.

Garco is based in Spokane and also has an office in Federal Way. Q&D Construction is based in Nevada.

The DJC previously reported that the airport hopes to break ground on the new hall and baggage claim renovations in the coming spring. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027.

This work is the second phase of the Terminal Renovation and Expansion Project, or TREX for short, which is the largest modernization and expansion in the airport's history.

The first phase of TREX, which is under construction, is expanding and modernizing the C Concourse. Once completed, the existing concourse will be expanded by approximately 167,000 square feet. The upgraded concourse will have seven new boarding bridges, an expanded ticketing area and new amenities for travelers, including new dining and retail options.

The C Concourse upgrades are being built in two phases. Phase one was completed this spring and included three new gates, an addition to the existing ticketing level with six new ticketing counters, plus a suite of passenger-focused amenities, including the new restaurant and retail spaces and a nursing mothers room. The second and final phase will replace boarding gates with new passenger boarding bridges and upgrade the concourse's existing gates and ticketing counters to reflect the terminal's new look and feel. According to a news release from the airport, that work should be completed in quarter four of 2025.

The Garco and Q&D joint venture is also the general contractor for the C Concourse project, which was designed by Alliiance and Wolf Architecture Group. That phase is costing $150 million.

Funding sources for the $195 million second phase (the new hall) include $2 million from the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Terminal Program.

Depending on future funding, the airport says TREX could have additional phases. Those could include upgrades to the A and B concourses and the relocation of the airport's rental car facility.

In addition to TREX, the airport is also planning to reconstruct its Taxiway A and was recently awarded $18.1 million from the FAA for that project.

A new office and administration building is also in the works. That would be located at 9000 W. Airport Drive. MWA Architects of Portland has designed the new building, which will be two stories and 48,000 square feet. It will house offices, meeting rooms, restrooms, kitchen/breakroom, mechanical/electrical/IT ancillary spaces, an employee parking garage, and other necessary support spaces.

The Spokane Airport Board recently issued a SEPA determination of non-significance for the project, indicating that construction could start soon. The general contractor will be Bouten Construction Co., which is based in Spokane. The Spokane office of Turner & Townsend Heery is the construction manager.

Spokane International Airport is the second busiest airport in Washington state and served approximately 4.1 million passengers in 2023. The airport anticipates around 6.2 million passengers to pass through the facility in 2030.