Members of the Houston City Council approved an agenda item at a Jan. 10 meeting providing $1.2 million for upgrades at the departure and arrival vestibules at Terminal A of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Two-minute impact
The contract was awarded to FMG Construction Group and uses funding from the city's Airports Renewal and Replacement Fund. In agenda language submitted to council, city staff said the vestibules at Terminal A were in need of replacement. The contract also calls for efficiency upgrades. In all, work will target all three arrival vestibules and one departure vestibule on Level 2, including:
- Replacement of automatic sliding doors, air curtains and security devices
- Expansion of departures vestibule and refreshing finishes
Work will be carried out through a phased approach with an accessible path to operational curbsides while work is underway, according to city information.
What else
A much larger project is still on hold related to a $2.6 billion expansion and renovation project by United Airlines at the airport's Terminal B. The project—which would be partially funded by the city of Houston to the tune of $624 million—had been left on hold as former city Controller Chris Brown declined to sign off on it until several concerns he had were addressed, including the completion of a feasibility study.
With Brown term-limited during the 2023 election cycle, Chris Hollins was elected as the next controller and took part in his first meeting Jan. 10. However, the Terminal B item was not on the agenda.
What's next
Once work starts, construction on Terminal A is expected to be underway for around six months.
