Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has begun construction on its $1.6 billion CLEvolution upgrade, with a new terminal headhouse, 6,000 space parking garage and transit station planned to open in 2032. The work is largely airline funded, and Director of Port Control Bryant Francis said crews must build around live operations.
According to the Cleveland Department of Port Control, phase one includes a new headhouse with ticketing, curbside, baggage claim and security, an international customs facility, a regional transit station and more space outside security. Program briefings put the headhouse at about $1.1 billion and the parking and ground transportation project at $301 million. Francis said the existing facility is “far undersized” for the 10 million passengers Cleveland handles each year, and the airport recently ranked last among medium airports in a J.D. Power survey. Building a new terminal beside a working one is also the challenge in Columbus.
Ohio’s other large terminal replacement faces the same constraint at the $2 billion John Glenn Columbus International Airport terminal that CRO covered at approval in 2024. Construction began in December 2024 on the 36 gate building, and the airport authority is targeting an opening in January 2029 under construction manager Hensel Phelps. The authority says no local tax dollars will fund the terminal, and CRO has since reported more than $350 million in additional funding approvals.
Cleveland Hopkins CLEvolution Program Replaces the Headhouse and Landside Access
The new headhouse is estimated at about 895,000 square feet and will rise on the site of the airport’s 4,000 space Smart Garage, according to earlier program documents. That garage must be demolished first, which is why parking has to be replaced before the terminal building can start.
The first step is the Gold Lot, a $22.5 million, 1,600 space lot beside Concourse D. Next comes the $301 million garage, ground transportation center and relocated Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority station, and earlier plans repurposed the old subway tunnel as interim terminal access during construction.
Francis said new construction is the way to improve the traveler experience, because the current building cannot comfortably serve the passenger volume the airport sees today.
The design from Corgan features a sawtooth roof. The Gold Lot sits beside Concourse D, which ENR reported had been out of service for more than a decade when bidding opened in 2025.
Francis has also noted that Cleveland was once a Continental hub, when most passengers were connecting, while today it is mainly an origin and destination airport. That shift calls for more curbside, ticketing and security space, which is the landside capacity phase one is designed to add.
Cleveland Hopkins CLEvolution Program Relies on Airline Funding and Jacobs Management
Airlines approved $175 million in initial funding in 2024 and an additional $301 million in May 2025, according to Cleveland planning documents. Funding for the headhouse had not been finalized when bidding opened in 2025, although local reports now describe the improvements as largely funded by airlines.
Jacobs provides program and construction management for the three phase one projects, according to the airport. Shook Construction is building the Gold Lot with design partners Passero Associates and HEAPY, and CLE Connection Group is the design builder for the parking and transit structure.
Corgan leads the design team, which includes Paslay Group, Connico, DVA Architecture, Robert P. Madison International, McGuinness Unlimited and Regency Construction Services. An industry day in October 2026 drew nearly 800 contractors, consultants and suppliers ahead of upcoming procurement packages.
Cleveland Hopkins CLEvolution Program Dates Differ Across Announcements
The airport held a Gold Lot groundbreaking ceremony on July 1, 2026 and described it as the official start of CLEvolution, with construction beginning in mid July. An airport release in October 2025 had said the first phase would begin in late October of that year, so reports of the construction start vary.
The Gold Lot is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027, and the headhouse and related landside work are scheduled through 2032. Airside work is still years away and depends on further planning and airline approvals.
The masterplan for that later phase shows two new concourses of 20 gates each replacing the three concourses and 46 gates in use today.
Project Overview
- Project Name: CLEvolution, the Cleveland Hopkins Terminal Modernization Development Program
- Owner: City of Cleveland, Department of Port Control
- Location: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), Cleveland, Ohio
- Project Value: $1.6 billion for the landside phase
- Headhouse: Estimated at $1.1 billion and about 895,000 square feet
- Garage and Transit: $301 million for a 6,000 space garage, ground transportation center and transit station
- Gold Lot: $22.5 million, about 1,600 spaces, targeted for late 2026 or early 2027
- Phase One Opening: 2032
- Funding: Largely airline funded, with $175 million approved in 2024 and $301 million in May 2025
- Program Manager: Jacobs
- Lead Design Firm: Corgan
- Passenger Volume: About 10 million a year
- Groundbreaking: July 1, 2026, for the Gold Lot
- Phase Two: Airside concourses, still years away, with two 20 gate concourses planned to replace three concourses and 46 gates
Project Team
Owner and Management
- Owner: Cleveland Department of Port Control
- Program and Construction Manager: Jacobs
Design Team
- Lead Design Firm: Corgan
- Airport Consultant: Paslay Group
- Engineering Consultant: Connico
- Local Architect: DVA Architecture
- Interior Planner: Robert P. Madison International
- Estimating and Scheduling: McGuinness Unlimited
- Construction Management Consultant: Regency Construction Services
Contractors
- Gold Lot Construction Manager: Shook Construction
- Gold Lot Design Partner: Passero Associates
- Gold Lot Engineering Partner: HEAPY
- Parking and Transit Design Builder: CLE Connection Group
Related Project: John Glenn Columbus International Airport Terminal
- Owner: Columbus Regional Airport Authority
- Construction Manager at Risk: Hensel Phelps
- Construction Partner: Elford
- Architect: Gensler
- Local Architect: Moody Nolan
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