Final phase of Eastern Iowa Airport’s modernization set to begin

The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) is preparing to embark on the final, and costliest, chapter of its four-phase modernization program that’s been underway for nearly a decade. And for airport director Marty Lenss, the $62 million Phase 4 project represents the conclusion of a key development in the history of Eastern Iowa’s largest commercial airport. “It's been a long project,” said Mr. Lenss, who’s been the Eastern Iowa Airport's director since 2014. “We started planning this project in 2012, and construction work began back in 2014. So, it’ll be nice to see the end of the tunnel, for sure.”

The focus of the airport’s final phase is an extensive remodeling and 30,000-square-foot expansion of the airport’s passenger concourse and the addition of four new jetways. The expansion will begin at Gate 9, at the end of the current concourse, and turn to the west, Mr. Lenss said. As part of the project, another restaurant will be added to the concourse, and the existing Cedar Ridge restaurant will be remodeled and reconfigured for “quick grab” concessions. All gates from Gate 4 to the end of the current concourse will be extensively remodeled, with new seating, more natural daylighting, and a new heating and cooling system with energy provided exclusively through a new geothermal field and additional photovoltaic solar energy panels on the concourse roof. “Only the public portion of the terminal will be on a traditional boiler system for heat,” Mr. Lenss said. “We’re switching over to a much more efficient and greener energy system.” More restrooms will be added, along with lounges for parents traveling with children who may need a quieter space. A “sensory room” will also be included for people “for folks that need to get out of a congested gate area and need to calm the energy down,” and an indoor area will be available for traveling pets and service animals.

Expanded outdoor patio a highlight

One of the primary highlights of the expanded concourse will be an elevated outdoor patio. The airport currently provides a small post-security patio near Gate 1, Mr. Lenss said, but this patio, also located post-security, will be larger and strategically positioned, with various seating options, greenery, a louvered pergola roof and a liquor license for outdoor service. “It’ll provide some fantastic views of aircraft coming and going from the terminal,” Mr. Lenss said. “You'll have a front row seat on the action as you wait for your flight. It’ll be available when the weather's nice or even when it’s a little chilly, but the sun is out. You could grab one of our microbrews and enjoy the outdoors before you jump on an airplane and head to your destination. We're definitely excited to have more outdoor space.” One of the main goals of the project is to help improve the overall travel experience, Mr. Lenss said. “It's about de-stressing, giving folks the opportunity to be outside and help that stress load,” he said. “Whether it's a tough day of work or some other sort of excitement going on in travel, we hope to help people's overall experience and set the airport apart from some of our peers.” The four new jetways will provide more space between planes and make room for ongoing changes in the types of aircraft coming into the airport, Mr. Lenss said. “We've seen the market transition from regional jet aircraft to more Airbus and 737 types of aircraft – much larger airplanes,” he said. “We certainly feel that in the gate area, so we're expanding gate hold areas so that we have more seating and accommodate these larger aircraft. And more jetways are needed because today, we often operate two airplanes from one jetway. We’ve able to do it with smaller regional jets, but when we go to the larger equipment, we need more space between the aircraft's wingspans. We’ll be able to spread out a little bit more and accommodate the continued growth that we've seen in the fleet.”

Previous phases addressed needs

Phase 4 of the airport’s modernization plan will conclude an extensive revisioning and freshening of nearly every section of the airport’s facilities.

Phase 1, completed at the beginning of 2015, brought a new exterior facade to the terminal and a weather protection/enclosure added to the covered walk in the parking lot. Phase 2, completed in December 2016, updated the pre-security areas of the airport, including the main lobby and ticketing areas, bringing in natural lighting, natural finishes, improved energy efficiency and a modern look and feel. And Phase 3, completed in the summer of 2019, was the single largest project in the airport’s history to that point – a $30.8 million, 54,000-square-foot expansion. It involved additional updates in the post-security areas, including a new central escalator and stairway to the concourse area with an “oculus” skylight, a new High Porch restaurant, two new jetways, new restrooms, a Java House for quick-serve coffee and breakfast and a new security screening checkpoint. Work also continued during this phase on improvements to the terminal entryway and parking lots. In total, the first three projects comprised an investment of about $55 million. The final $62 million phase is being funded primarily through two grants – a $28.35 million grant awarded in June through the American Rescue Plan Act’s Iowa Commercial Aviation Infrastructure Fund (ICAIF) and another $20.4 million grant awarded in July from ARPA funds. The majority of the project’s remaining balance will be funded through a combination of passenger facility charges, currently set at $4.50 per ticket, and airport reserves. No bonding or other forms of indebtedness are anticipated, Mr. Lenss said. “We're able to pay as we go,” he said. “That really helps us as a community and as an airport to partner with our airlines to keep rates and charges low and keep us competitive in maintaining our service. Absent any surprises in the bid opening, we should be just fine.”

Project to begin in spring

At its November meeting, the Airport Commission approved plans and specifications for the project. The commission is slated to review bids and award a contract at its Dec. 19 meeting, with construction slated to begin in the spring of 2023 and completed by the spring of 2025. While overall impacts of the project are expected to be minimal, there will be some disruptions of passenger flows at certain points, Mr. Lenss said. “We'll remain open throughout construction, and facilities will be constructed around the operation as we continue to move,” he said. “We’re going to stay open throughout the project, and there'll be construction walls and barriers put up to keep people separated and safe from construction activities. We'll be back into the ‘pardon the noise and pardon the dust’ kind of concept, but I think as people have come into the terminal today and seen the transformation that's happened, they’re pretty excited to see what phase four is going to look like.”