A new facility will be built at the Eastern Iowa Airport to house and maintain the airport’s snow removal equipment.
The new snow removal equipment (SRE) building will be located near the airport’s public safety facility, along Wright Brothers Boulevard SW.
Eastern Iowa Airport director Marty Lenss said eight bids were received for the project, and the lowest bid, for $24,799,000, submitted by Russell Construction of Davenport, was unanimously approved by the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission at their meeting May 28.
Mr. Lenss said the new facility’s location will be central to the airport’s long-term development.
“It also gives the opportunity to grow the SRE in the future,” he said.
The new 54,000-square-foot building will be much more modern than the airport’s current snow removal equipment facility, and will incorporate vehicle lifts for maintenance work and more storage capacity for additional equipment, Mr. Lenss said.
“How we attack snowstorms has changed dramatically, with multi-function equipment that (is) much longer than we’ve had in the past,” Mr. Lenss said. “Things have changed. Growth has put us in a position where the need is there.”
The new building will also include administrative spaces.
The project also includes construction of an approximately 8,000-square-foot building with mezzanine for airfield deicing material storage.
The existing SRE facility, just east of the main airport terminal, will be demolished when the new facility is ready, and future plans call for a new centralized de-icing pad to be built in its place, Mr. Lenss said.
Construction could begin as early as fall 2025 but no later than spring 2026, and the project is anticipated to be completed within 14 months, according to airport commission documents.
Approximately 68% of the project will be funded by the Federal Aviation Administration through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Another 4% is expected to come from a grant from the state of Iowa, and the remaining 28% will be funded through airport operating revenue, Mr. Lenss said.
