Three years after groundbreaking, KCI’s new terminal is 80% complete, remains on budget
Three years ago to this day the ground was broken on Kansas City International Airport’s new single terminal and what was once a rendering is now much closer to being a reality.
“I checked my countdown calendar today: 11 months, six days until March of 2023,” Pat Klein, Kansas City’s director of aviation, said. “We are still on time. We’re still on budget.”
Klein’s comment came during a media tour of the the new terminal project Thursday afternoon to give an update on the project now that it’s one year away from completion.
Officials with Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate and its design-build partner Clark | Weitz | Clarkson, as well as Vantage Airport Group were on hand to show the progress.
An opening date has not been set yet.
There’s still a ways to go before the $1.5 billion project is completed and passengers start arriving and departing from the million-square-foot single terminal that will have 39 gates on opening day as well as 16 lanes at the security checkpoint.
The massive ticketing hall with its high ceilings and natural light, for example, still needs the wood ceiling installed.
Construction on the new terminal is about 80% done, said Mark Goodwin, vice president of Clark | Weitz | Clarkson. About 625 men and women are working on the job site every day.
Workers have a “nice train of activities” on interior work that will keep them busy the next six to nine months. Finishes on the inside of the building are about 60% complete. The baggage handling system is largely installed, but there’s a lot of testing left to go. And there’s a significant amount of air side paving left to go.
Although construction material prices jumped during COVID, Goodwin said they had the benefit of procuring materials before the pandemic.
“The timing was a benefit to this project — we did lock in before a lot of those challenges that are out there in the market today,” Goodwin said.
‘Living room of Kansas City’
Once passengers are through the security checkpoint, the entire terminal is open so their experience at the airport will not be dependent on what airline they are flying as is the case with the current terminals, said Justin Meyer, deputy aviation director.
Passengers will be able to go between the two concourses to experience such amenities as a meditation room, a conference room that is able to be leased and an air travel simulation room, designed for families with young travelers who might have autism so they can get the airport experience before they actually fly.
About 78% of the artists chosen for the new terminal are from Kansas City or have significant ties to Kansas City, said James Martin, Kansas City’s public art administrator.
“We felt like we wanted this to be like the living room of Kansas City,” Martin said. “You know, the comfortable place where it’s welcoming them home and then showing off the great art community we have to the people that are arriving here for the first time.”
There will be nearly 50 local and global eating and shopping experiences in the new terminal, said Jason Parson, president and CEO of Parson + Associates, which is working with Vantage Airport Group, which will run concessions.
“We want to make sure that you have that Kansas City experience whether we’re talking food, concessions and/or retail,” Parson said. “We are really excited about it, especially the number of local restaurants that are from the Kansas City area. They will be well represented.”
It’s been an emotional experience to see the new terminal go from what was a rendering and become a reality, Meyer said.
“This has not been an easy process to get started in Kansas City,” he said. “But to be at this point when we’re inside a year away from opening the doors and welcoming Kansas City into this facility, it’s been really incredible to watch a dream turned into reality.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 9:11 AM.
