ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport has been awarded more than $8.4 million in funding for its Commercial Terminal Modernization Project, and construction is set to begin in July.
The $8,406,667 in funding will come from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Wyoming Business Council (WBC) and Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). The three grants were recently approved by the airport’s governing body, the Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport Board, and represent the first installment of grant funds towards the $19.51 million project.
Construction is slated to begin in July 2021 and continue through the end of 2022, according to Devon Brubaker, airport director. The airport will remain open throughout construction with the airport and its construction team, T-O Engineers, Mead & Hunt, and Sletten Construction, working on detailed phasing planes to ensure minimal impacts to the travelling public.
The Commercial Terminal Modernization Project will include the expansion and renovation of the existing commercial airline terminal. Ultimately, the terminal will double in size from its current 17,000-square-foot footprint.
The look and feel of the terminal will be drastically altered to improve passenger comfort, amenities, and processing, Brubaker said. Enhancements will include: increased checkpoint and hold room space; a modern baggage claim area; public airfield observation area; hold room concessions; passenger boarding bridge; and modernized security equipment. This first round of grant funding includes $4,906,667 in FAA Airport Improvement Program funding, $3,000,000 in WBC Business Ready Communities funding, and $500,000 in WYDOT Aeronautics funding.
