Getting There: Spokane airport terminal renovations aim to take off next year

Administrators at Spokane International Airport hope to begin construction on the first phase of the airport’s long-awaited terminal overhaul in the coming year.

The latest vision of the airport’s terminal expansion and renovation project, or TREX, proposes a phased approach for tens of millions of dollars in facility renovations. The initial phase centers on renovations to Concourse C, which houses gates for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

The first phase includes a 64,430-square-foot expansion to add three bridged gates on the west side of the concourse along with another 49,910 square feet to the east for ground boarding, according to the airport’s predevelopment application to the city. The design also includes plans to expand the concourse’s ticketing lobby.

“We anticipate submitting a building permit application in the spring and construction would commence in the summer along with financing,” said Spokane International Airport CEO Larry Krauter in an email. “However, we are still very early in the process and the schedule is very fluid.”

The project’s estimated budget is $96 million, according to media reports. Krauter has said the airport aims to fund the TREX project using a mix of bonds, grant funds and airport and passenger facility revenue.

Krauter said the airport also intends to apply for funding made available through the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in November. He said the airport will apply as soon as guidance and funding opportunities are published by the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration.

“Approaching the project in phases is a conservative financial approach during the pandemic recovery that also minimizes operational disruption,” he said.

While the TREX project was introduced in 2013, airport officials decided against expediting the project over the next five years based on record passenger growth at the airport.

An initial design included plans for a centralized security checkpoint and baggage claim in a two-story mezzanine with a connector between terminals, a skywalk, curbside canopies, additional gates at the Alaska Airlines concourse and infrastructure improvements. A later design presented in July 2019 nixed the mezzanine, canopies, skywalk and other elements due to funding concerns.

Plans for a centralized security checkpoint are still in the cards for a future TREX phase based on the availability of funds, Krauter said.

Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs and Spokane County Commissioner Al French, members of the Spokane Airport Board, did not respond to a request for comment. Airport Board Chair Ezra Eckhardt deferred comment to Krauter.

Work to watch for

Main Avenue between Monroe and Lincoln streets in downtown is scheduled to reopen Tuesday following the completion of Cameron-Reilly work.

The northbound curb lane of Grand Boulevard between 9th and 12 avenues will close Monday through the end of the month for Sefnco work.

The intersection of Rowen Avenue and Perry Street will be flagged through Jan. 21 for Lumen work.

Motorists using Appleway Avenue near the state line should be aware of lane restrictions at Spokane Bridge Road that could cause delays.