Photo courtesy of City of AustinThis rendering is of the third level of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport expansion project. The total cost of the east infill project is expected to be around $50 million.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will soon undergo an expansion after Austin City Council approved the negotiation and execution of a design-build agreement with Hansel Phelps Construction Co. for up to $6.3 million for the preliminary design phase Oct. 18.
"[In] my regular job, I was an airline pilot for Delta Airlines for 31 years," Mayor Lee Leffingwell said during a news conference Oct. 12. "So I've seen a lot of airports, and I know a lot about airports. Airline pilots know more about airports than anybody else in the world knows about airports. I can honestly say this is one of the best airports I have ever been in."
Improvements through the east terminal expansion include enhanced ability to screen passengers for security, upgraded custom facilities for international flights the city is looking to receive and increased retial and concession opportunities. Officials hope to reduce waiting times by 70 percent with the expansion, which is expected to cost a total of about $50 million.
According to city officials, the airport opened in 1999 and has continually grown at a rate of 4 percent a year. 2010 and 2011 saw a 6 percent increase in the number of passengers. As of August, the airport had about 9.3 million passenger boardings this year.
