How long will Sarasota Bradenton airport expansion take? Officials talk timeline, contracts
Sarasota Manatee International Airport officials are moving as fast as they can with expansion plans, but even if everything goes right, it will be two years before the biggest projects are completed.
Rick Piccolo, the airport’s president and CEO, told members of the Sarasota Manatee Authority on Monday that it will be the fourth quarter of 2024 before the planned ground boarding facility and associated capital improvement projects are completed.
It will also be the fourth quarter of 2024 when expansion “bump outs” to the existing concourse are forecast to be completed to add more room and facilitate passenger flow.
Airport authority members got their first look at renderings for the proposed ground boarding facility in April.
The renderings show five passenger gates and five places for airliners to load and off-load passengers, all designed designed to blend with the existing terminal.
The expansion projects carry an estimated price tag of $72 million.
The scramble to expand the facility comes as the airport experiences the fastest growth of any airport in the nation, starting unexpectedly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the first four months of this year, SRQ saw 1,471,513 passengers traveling through the airport, a total that in the past would have been celebrated as a banner business year.
Monday, the airport authority approved several contracts, the largest of which were:
▪ A $41,861,000 contract to Archer Western Construction for a new baggage handling system. The new system will replace three separate mini-inline baggage systems with a single system. The new system will include the latest bag screening technology and meet Transportation Safety Administration guidelines and standards.
▪ Approved the awarding of a $9.9 million contract for expansion of the commercial apron to Quality Enterprises USA to accommodate overnight aircraft parking.
The contract for the ground-level terminal has not yet been awarded.
In addition to the expansion projects, the airport authority also approved a ground lease with the Manatee County School District to provide aircraft maintenance technical training. The training would be conducted by Manatee Technical College.
Airport officials also said goodbye to airport fire chief Bill Quinn, who retired after 42 years of service.
Quinn’s service included 13 years as chief.
Piccolo called Quinn’s service outstanding.
“You left the department much better than you found it. Things are safe here because of the work that you did,” Piccolo said.
Jason Hackley has been named the new airport fire chief.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
