Listen to this article

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County is seeking contractors for demolition and construction of a new international terminal at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

County supervisors approved redeveloping the international terminal in 2017 but the project was halted by the pandemic. Original plans budgeted the redevelopment at around $50 million; years later costs are now around $80 million. The project has been in planning since at least 2016 as the airport seeks a larger terminal to make space for more passengers and flights.

Now, the county has four different bid packages: demolition of the existing Concourse E, construction of the new concourse, building a new fueling system and installing new boarding bridges. The bid date is July 25.

Milwaukee-based Gilbane Building Co. and Minneapolis-based Alliiance are the construction manager and prime consultant, respectively, for the redevelopment.

The airport is seeking federal funds through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, said Brian Dranzik, the airport’s director. The money stems from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which allocated billions of dollars for airports across the U.S.

No funding awards have been announced yet, an airport spokesperson said. The airport is seeking bids so it can be able to move forward if funding becomes available. “Nothing is imminent at this time,” they added.

The notice for FAA funding won’t be ready until late summer or early fall of 2024, Dranzik said in March. The airport plans to apply then and wait until February 2025 when funding is announced.

Depending on how finances line up, the project could start in 2025 with construction lasting for two years.

The current international terminal was built in 1975 and is a standalone building with around 23,000 square feet of space. Passengers either must shuttle or take a lengthy walk between the detached terminal and the main terminal and parking garage.

Before the pandemic, the airport released plans for a 50,000-square-foot international concourse split into two phases. Phase one involves two gates, a third passenger parking space and new security gates. The second phase involves a new gate seating space and an additional arrival and departure gate.

The county has a 25% disadvantaged business enterprise participation goal for the project.

While the airport gears up for concourse redevelopment, it also plans to remove a runway north of Taxiway W. Construction is planned for 2027 and 2028 with designs expected to start in 2025, according to a notice.

The project calls for full depth pavement removal, removal of runway lights, signs and cabling. It will also align the airfield’s geometry to the layout the airport approved in 2022. Project officials cited reduced costs and increased safety to come with removal.

Runway removal is supported by revenue from passenger facilities, state grants and the federal infrastructure law.