Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is advancing another phase of its terminal fire- and life-safety improvement program after Atlanta City Council approved $36.84 million for construction work on Concourse B, raising the broader contract ceiling to approximately $108.84 million.
The funding forms part of a package of airport-related investments totaling more than $55 million approved by the council on November 2, 2026. The largest allocation targets the airport’s Central Passenger Terminal Complex, where the Department of Aviation is upgrading fire-safety infrastructure through a phased construction program.
The work is being delivered under a construction-manager-at-risk contract with NSMS, a joint venture comprising New South Construction, McCarthy Building Companies and Synergy Development Partners.
The latest authorization moves the program beyond earlier improvements at the pedestrian-mall level and Concourse A. However, the airport has not yet publicly detailed the individual installations planned for Concourse B or provided a construction timetable for the latest phase.
Concourse B Funding Pushes Fire-Safety Contract Above $108M
The $36.84 million allocation represents the third major funding stage of the airport’s wider fire- and life-safety construction program.
The initial phase authorized approximately $33.5 million for improvements at the pedestrian-mall level. Atlanta subsequently approved another $38.5 million for work on Concourse A. The latest Concourse B authorization brings the cumulative contract ceiling to approximately $108.84 million.
NSMS is carrying out the work under a construction-manager-at-risk arrangement, which allows the Department of Aviation to authorize funding for construction elements incrementally rather than commit the entire program cost at the outset.
The distinction is important: the $108.84 million figure represents the broader contract ceiling, not the amount allocated to Concourse B alone or the final cost of all terminal fire-safety improvements.
The airport has also indicated that it expects to request additional funding for Concourse C at a later stage. That means the latest council action does not complete the wider program, and the eventual cost will depend on the remaining work and future authorizations.
Contractors Upgrade Fire Protection and Emergency Egress Systems
NSMS brings together three construction and development companies: New South Construction, McCarthy Building Companies and Synergy Development Partners.
New South’s published description of the airport’s existing fire- and life-safety work provides an indication of the technical improvements being delivered elsewhere in the terminal complex.
At the Plane Train and passenger tunnels, the work includes installing fire sprinklers, adding smoke-detection systems and upgrading doors and hardware along emergency exit routes.
On Concourse A, the contractor’s documented scope includes upgraded doors and hardware at gates, improvements to exit stairs, additions and upgrades to exterior egress stairs, and fire- and smoke-detection improvements.
These installations address different parts of the airport’s emergency-protection infrastructure, from detecting smoke and controlling fire to supporting passenger evacuation.
However, the council’s Concourse B authorization describes the work as code-driven fire- and life-safety improvements without publishing a comparable itemized technical scope. The specific equipment, locations and construction sequence for that phase have not been publicly established in the records reviewed.
The distinction matters because Concourse B is a separate construction phase, and the work should not automatically be assumed to duplicate every installation already documented on Concourse A.
Concourse C Remains Ahead in the Airport’s Safety Program
The phased funding structure leaves another major stage of the terminal program to be addressed.
With the pedestrian-mall level, Concourse A and Concourse B included in the current contract ceiling, Concourse C remains the next identified phase requiring a separate funding request.
The Department of Aviation has not yet disclosed the amount it expects to seek for that work or when it intends to bring the request forward.
The eventual cost and schedule for the wider fire-safety program therefore remain open questions. The current $108.84 million ceiling should be viewed as the authorized limit for the funded phases rather than a complete price for all planned terminal improvements.
The next important milestones will be the airport’s disclosure of the Concourse B construction schedule, confirmation of the detailed work scope and a subsequent funding decision for Concourse C.
More Than $55M Package Also Supports Airport Security and Operations
The fire-safety allocation accounts for most of the construction-focused funding in the latest council package, but the full approval covers several other airport needs.
Atlanta City Council also authorized a $10.75 million renewal of the airport’s agreement with AUS-HSG JV for perimeter-gate inspections, maintenance and exit services. The one-year renewal covers the period from February 13, 2027, through February 12, 2028.
Another $3.5 million allocation from the Airport Renewal and Extension Fund includes $2.5 million for firefighting vehicles and $1 million for professional services.
The package also includes a $4.5 million purchasing agreement with Howard Fertilizer & Chemical Company for herbicides, fertilizers, insecticides and related supplies. The agreement covers both the airport and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, with the airport allocated $2 million and Parks and Recreation allocated $2.5 million.
These items are separate from the Concourse B construction contract. Together, they bring the council’s airport-related approvals to approximately $55.59 million, spanning terminal safety construction, perimeter security, emergency-response equipment and procurement.
Fire-Safety Work Joins Atlanta Airport’s Wider Construction Program
The additional funding comes as Hartsfield-Jackson manages a large portfolio of terminal, airfield and operational infrastructure projects.
Local reporting has put the airport’s active construction portfolio at approximately 58 projects, with a combined value of about $4.2 billion. Airport officials have also described construction spending reaching as much as $3.3 million per day.
Among the major developments is the Concourse D widening project, which is expanding passenger and gate capacity. The airport is also advancing the Plane Train replacement program and other upgrades to its baggage, terminal and airfield infrastructure.
The fire-safety program addresses a different but equally important part of airport capacity: the systems needed to protect passengers, employees and facilities as the airport continues operating at high traffic volumes.
For now, the Concourse B allocation advances the next funded stage of that work, while Concourse C and the final cost and schedule of the wider program remain unresolved.
The next funding request will help determine how quickly Atlanta can move the terminal safety improvements into their remaining phases.
Atlanta’s latest investment at Hartsfield-Jackson also reflects a wider push to modernize major U.S. airports as passenger numbers and infrastructure demands grow. A similar challenge is unfolding at Denver International Airport, where a joint venture between AtkinsRéalis USA and H.J. Russell & Company has secured a 10-year, $135 million program-management contract for the North Terminal Expansion, a separate project aimed at increasing passenger-processing capacity as Denver prepares for 100 million annual passengers.
Project Factsheet: Hartsfield-Jackson Terminal Fire-Safety Upgrades
- Project: Central Passenger Terminal Complex Fire and Life Safety Enhancement Program
- Location: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia
- Owner: City of Atlanta, Department of Aviation
- Approving authority: Atlanta City Council
- Council action: November 2, 2026
- Latest construction allocation: $36.84 million for Concourse B
- Current broader contract ceiling: Approximately $108.84 million
- Earlier funded phases: Pedestrian-mall level and Concourse A
- Next identified phase: Concourse C, subject to a future funding request
- Construction contractor: NSMS joint venture
- Contract partners: New South Construction, McCarthy Building Companies and Synergy Development Partners
- Delivery model: Construction manager at risk
- Concourse B detailed construction scope: Not publicly itemized in the records reviewed
- Concourse B construction schedule: Not publicly disclosed
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