Officials working on the construction of a passenger terminal at Missoula International Airport have said the project is on schedule and within budget. The officials noted that also the project’s construction has been affected by the early onset of winter; a lot of progress has been made.
Vertical construction of the project is almost done and the facility will be ready for use at the end of next year. “It’s easier to see things now that there’s actually walls and hallways to walk,” said Tim Damrow, the airport’s project director.
The construction of the terminal at Missoula International Airport was launched last spring with the project expected to cost around $70 million. Just last week, the project received a boost of $20 million in discretionary funding from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Initially, the project had been allocated $5 million by airport officials and the additional funding is an additional boost. According to airport officials, the additional funding helped to keep the borrowing costs low. Out of the $20 million that was issued to the project, $3.5 million remains unspent.
Damrow said they are always looking for additional funding opportunities either in form of a supplementary budget or CARES funding in another act. He added that some sources that have approved funding for the project are yet to release some balance. Around $2.6 million of the $7.2 million provided from entitlement funds is yet to be released. Entitlement funds depend on the level of traffic and the number of passengers.
The Missoula County Airport Authority had allocated $37 million to the project but $32 million is yet to be released. The construction of vertical structures which is expected to cost around $54 million still has a balance of $3.1 million.
The first phase of the project will include the construction of a new south concourse with five gates. Each room will accommodate 150 passengers with enough spaces compared to the current terminal which is very crowded.
