GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Gerald R. Ford International Airport will look a lot different in a few months. Concourse A is undergoing a $110,000,000 expansion to meet the rising travel demand.
“Today the airport supports over $3.2 billion of economic activity in West Michigan,” said Casey Reis, the engineering and planning director with the Ford Airport Authority. “Our community is doing great. Our community is growing and the airport needs to grow to keep up. Pre-pandemic we were one of the fastest-growing airports in the country and today we have returned to pre-pandemic traffic levels.”
Reis and other airport officials gave Fox 17 a hard-hat tour of the new 100,000 sq-ft space. Construction workers were spread throughout the area, cutting metal and working on everything from flooring to ceiling.
He said there will be flexible seating that’ll merge into the food, beverage, and retail areas.
“Oh my gosh, the airport’s growing,” Reis said. “We are growing up. Our communities are growing up and the airport needs to keep pace.”
HAPPENING NOW: A first look at the inside of the new $110M expanded wing at @FlyGRFord
— Lauren Edwards (@LaurenEdwardsTV) December 15, 2022
The look of it they say will mirror West Michigan from the water to the dunes. It’ll also feature art from local artists. // @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/YUcKfbomSp
Reis said they’re adding eight new gates for larger aircrafts that hold 150-180 passengers, and the concourse will be fashioned to look like West Michigan.
“The journey starts off in the existing concourse with blue highlights of Lake Michigan, transitions into some tans and browns like you’ve hit the dunes and the beach,” Reis said. “Then we work through the greenery, the forest, and agriculture. And finally you arrive in the city with the purple tone.”
Reis added that four local artists are working on the journey aspect. Also, local art will hang throughout the concourse, where there will also be an emphasis on sustainability.
“All the glass in this whole space it’s, we’re calling it daylight harvesting,” said Jim VanBeek, project manager with Bazen Electric. “So, what it does is it uses the natural daylight, as the sun comes up the LEDs will actually go down. So, the energy efficiency goes throughout this whole space.”
Bazen Electric has worked with the airport on various projects for 10 years. Coming on board this latest one has been ‘really cool,’ he said, because of the community aspect.
“What I’m very proud of in that $110-million investment is that we’ve been able to keep the majority of that local here to West Michigan,” said Jacob Kulhanek, senior VP and GM of the West Michigan Region of the Christman Company. “That’s always been very important to the airport and the Christman Company. And, over 95 percent of that investment is in fact local with West Michigan trade partners.”
Construction crews will continue working through the winter and spring seasons to get the project done. The newly expanded Concourse A is expected to open to the public in June 2023.
“It’s so stunning. To stand here and look at the old, look at the old space and where we were, to turn around and see what’s behind us and the new space is just spectacular,” Reis said. “I’m so glad you’re here to see it. I can’t wait for everyone to share the experience with us.”
