Traveling to Wichita, Kan., may be a lot easier soon, as construction is underway for a new $101.5 million terminal in the city's airport.
The Wichita Eagle reports that rain stopped the official groundbreaking ceremony for Air Capital Terminal 3 (ACT 3), but that didn't diminish the hope of what this project may accomplish. The grounds were actually broken a month ago for construction purposes, according to the news provider.
"There’s an old Irish saying, that when there's bad weather on the day of a wedding, the marriage will succeed," Victor White, the city's director of airports, told the news provider. "I hope that holds true for construction projects."
The Wichita Airport Authority originally voted for the project in 2004, but it was delayed while the city tried to solicit bids. The project eventually went to Key Construction, which is based in the area.
City officials are excited for what the terminal, set to be completed in early 2015, could do for the area.
"Wichita’s going to grow because we're increasing the core area of downtown," Thom Rosenberg, the chairman of the Wichita Airport Advisory Board, told the news provider. "New people come to our city and this is the first vision they see. We are the Air Capital of the World and to see a facility that is so modern, so up to date, far ahead of the airports in some much larger cities, that’s such a plus for our future."
Excavators will be moving in on the grounds in the next month and a half, and the rest of the construction equipment needed should arrive at the site by early November at the latest, according to the Wichita Business Journal. Part of the project is to demolish most of the current terminal in order to make room for ACT 3. By the beginning of next year, steel should be at the site to begin creating the actual structure.
That's not the only construction project in the area. The news provider reports that a $40 million parking garage will be going in at the airport. However, the contract will not be up for bid until next year. The garage will reportedly be four floors with 1,600 spaces for travelers and people who are picking up loved ones.
