San Antonio's $2.5B airport expansion project takes off

Dive Brief:

The San Antonio Airport is planning a $2.5 billion expansion, including a new 17-gate terminal, in an effort to meet the needs of expected exponential passenger growth, the city said in a press release. Jesus Saenz, director of airports for San Antonio, unveiled the details of the Terminal Development Program at a city council meeting on May 18.
In addition to the third terminal, the city is building five new gates at the current facility through two separate projects. The work will also include a road realignment for the terminal, a parking garage and a ground transportation center.
The airport expects to complete the work in early- to mid-2028, according to the release, and the government is soliciting contractors to work on these projects. Corgan Associates, a Dallas-based architecture and design firm, will lead terminal planning and provide those services pending their approval by the city council on June 2, according to the San Antonio Report.

Dive Insight:

Over the coming months, the city council will conduct pre-solicitation meetings and invite bids for contracts worth over $210 million, according to the San Antonio Report. Solicitations will include positions such as master architect, general engineering consultants, pavement management maintenance services and more.

The TDP is one component of the Strategic Development Program, which the San Antonio city council approved unanimously last November. Additionally, the airport system has begun the next phase of its airfield expansion, which will extend an existing runway up to a 10,000-foot runway once complete, according to the release.

“We are going to be the airport of the future,” Saenz said in the release. “We are on track to give travelers everything they need — and then some. This is going to be the airport the entire San Antonio community will be proud of.”

Certain solicitations and bid opportunities are live on the San Antonio government’s website. One such bid for the airport includes reconstruction of Taxiway H, and more projects will follow as time goes on.

San Antonio is not alone in investing in massive infrastructure upgrades. Both Denver International Airport and Orlando International Airport have seen new developments and expansions. COVID-19 has forced airports to reckon with what the future would require of them. Among the new design trends are better air filtration, touchless interactions such as at ticket kiosks, adaptable terminals that can change their usage based on their spaces and more.