Demolition work is nearing completion and site preparation and installation of utilities has started to make way for a new, long-awaited concourse and parking garage being built at Jacksonville International Airport in Florida that will help the venue keep up with increasing demand.
In January, crews are expected to start putting in place the first building piles for the foundation of the $340-million concourse. The plan is to start installing structural steel and decking in May, with construction of the building envelope, roof and interior buildout to begin next October.
, was supposed to be built earlier to replace one that was demolished in 2009. However, the project was interrupted when the aviation industry experienced an economic downturn during the recession in 2008-09, which affected the plans.
There are two concourses at the airport — Concourse A and C. The new one, to be known as Concourse B, will consist of three levels with about 190,000 square feet of space. The structure will include new holdrooms, six new aircraft gates, concessions, restrooms and a connecting corridor with moving sidewalks.
Nearby, a new, $100-million, six-level parking garage located next to an existing garage will add about 2,000 additional spaces. There will also be changes to a rental car pickup and drop-off area to reduce traffic near the terminal. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
As part of the venture, an existing taxiway at the airport will be relocated about 600 feet west of its current location and extended to improve aircraft maneuverability and eliminate line-of-sight obstructions for air traffic control personnel.
An apron rehabilitation and expansion project will begin after that, with completion set for spring 2026. Meanwhile, a transmitter receiver and surface weather station system will be relocated.
Earlier, one of two existing economy parking lots at the airport was expanded to offer 287 new spaces while a third was constructed that features 800 spaces.
“The need for additional parking options is a significant indicator of our continued growth,” says Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh. “The permanent opening of economy lot #3 is just one of the parking-related accommodations planned over the next several years.”
A security checkpoint expansion was also completed in fall 2023 that includes an updated screening area. Past work has included about 95,000 square feet of space for baggage claim, ticketing and rental-car counters, 46,500 square feet for a main courtyard and to accommodate a new centralized security screening checkpoint and concession space, and replacement of concourses A and C.
The U.S. arm of London-based Balfour Beatty infrastructure group is the general on the concourse and garage projects. Dallas-based Jacobs Solutions is the prime designer on the project.
After years of delays, a groundbreaking was held at the airport in May to kick-off the project.
The ground level of the new concourse will support the airport and airline operations and house about 52,000 square feet of mechanical and electrical rooms.
The second level, with 119,000-square-feet of space, will be largely passenger circulation and holdroom areas.
There will also be restrooms, mother’s nursing rooms and a pet relief area on the second floor of the structure.
The third level will consist of 19,000 square feet at a central concession hub area. The space will be able to be subdivided as needed for club areas or a potential restaurant.
The new concourse will have a contemporary design that ties it into the colours, finishes and artwork of concourses A and C.
The concourse will connect to the existing concourse at the concession hub with food and retail tenants. Passengers will be able to get from the concession hub to a new gate area through a connector bridge that will feature an open ceiling and space for artwork and museum displays.
The airport presently has two runways, with the longest measuring 10,000 feet. Two fixed-base operators use the airport, along with several cargo operations and freight forwarders, and the airport supports the Florida Air National Guard 125th Fighter Wing.
The existing holdroom space and gates reached capacity in 2019 and airport officials opted to build the new concourse.
In 2023, nearly 7.5 million people flew in and out of the airport, a three-million increase over 2022.
Concourse A is nearly 600 linear feet from the terminal courtyard and approximately 111,000 square feet in total area. The second storey of the concourse is about 55,700 square feet in area. Concourse C is also nearly 600 feet from the terminal courtyard and approximately 112,000 square feet in total area. The second level of the concourse is about 56,200 square feet in area.
Both concourses were built in 2008.
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