If you’ve taken a flight through Des Moines International Airport you must have noticed the construction going on at the airport and wondered whats going on. Like many airports aroundthe world the airport has undertaken an expansion project that started way back in November 2023 when the ground brreaking ceremony took place.
The Des Moines International Airport expansion project is a $445m expansion project that will see the gates increased from 6 to 18. You have probably also noticed the new parking garage that will join the existing one and features 1,222 new parking slots that will be connected to the new terminal through a pedestrian walkway. So when will the projet be completed Well, reports indicate that this phase of the construction will be completed in 2026.
Recently the contractor Turner Construction Company and The Weitz Company JV celebrated the topping out of the $445m Des Moines International Airport expansion project in Iowa in latest milestone. The event was marked by beam signing as a gesture to appreciate the project and all involved stakeholders.
The $445m Des Moines International Airport expansion project
The latest milestone in the expansion of the Des Moines International Airport has increased the number of gates by 6, up to 18. This change will increase gate operations.
Also achieved of the $445 million investment to modernize and enhance the international airport is improved commuter experience. Included in this are upgrades to the passenger arrival and departures areas, security checkpoints, baggage handling systems. Also featured in the improvements are dining spaces and retail outlets.
The Weitz Company took precedence in the construction of a new parking garage that will join to the existing one via skyway according to the company’s website. The parking space features 1,222 new stalls that will connect to the new terminal through a pedestrian walkway. Also worth noting is the material used for the ramp; cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete type of structure was chosen according to the construction company.
Des Moines International Airport expansion project factsheet
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Client: Des Moines Airport Authority
Contractors: Turner Construction Company and The Weitz Company JV
Cost: $445 million
Ground breaking date: 2023
Completion date: 2025 – 2026
Post-construction work completion date: 2027
Other partners also involved in the project include:
Architecture: Farnsworth Group
Mep engineer: IMEG Corporation
Structural engineer: Walker Consultants
Civil engineer: Bolton & Menk
Technology: IP Design Group
Ground-breaking event
The ceremony to mark the start of construction work took place in November 2023. Also clarified at the event were the reasons for the expansion. The airport had recently seen a rise in passenger traffic and there was definitely a dire need for matched up efficiency. The airport served a record 3 million passengers in 2023.
Turner Construction Company’s VP and General Manager, Zachary Loy, refereed to the Des Moines International Airport as the “front door” to the Iowans. Also implied was the importance of the airport to the local economy, as well as its significance to the region’s transportation.
Phase 1 of the expansion project, valued at $445 million, will see completion by 2026, with the construction work timeline set to extend to 2027. The latter will feature demolitions and renovations.
The airport covers 2,600 acres, and is served by 2 runways, close to 50 buildings and parking amenities, and the (new) terminal.
Also read: Construction begins on NYC’s first-ever professional soccer-specific stadium, Etihad Park
Also read: San Antonio International Airport’s $1.4bn terminal project kicks off
