A structural steel beam – with the signatures of many airport and construction crew members – is put in place on Wednesday, Aug. 28, during a topping-out ceremony at the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
The Quad Cities International Airport’s massive Gateway plan to improve the “modern traveling experience” for customers took a ceremonial step forward with a final steel beam placed in a new building Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 28. QCIA officials hosted a brief topping-out ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate the approaching completion of a new baggage processing building […]
Already a subscriber? Log in
Want to Read More?
Get immediate, unlimited access to all subscriber content and much more. Learn more in our subscriber FAQ.
The Quad Cities International Airport’s massive Gateway plan to improve the “modern traveling experience” for customers took a ceremonial step forward with a final steel beam placed in a new building Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 28.
1 of 4
Benjamin Leischner, executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport, talks about Project Gateway at the airport on Wednesday, Aug. 28. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
A structural steel beam is put in place on Wednesday, Aug. 28, during a topping-out ceremony at the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Benjamin Leischner, executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, talks about Project Gateway at the airport on Wednesday, Aug. 28. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
This is the new baggage building under construction at the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline. The building is expected to be complete in April. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
QCIA officials hosted a brief topping-out ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate the approaching completion of a new baggage processing building at the airport. It featured the building’s final structural steel beam – decorated with the signatures of many airport employees and construction crew leaders – being placed in the new structure. The beam will be on public display when the building is complete.The baggage building is still a work in progress. It is scheduled to be completed in April.
Gateway multi-year plan
The work is part of the first phase of the airport’s ongoing and extensive improvement plan called Project Gateway. That’s a multi-year, multi-phase, $40 million to $60 million construction master plan for major terminal renovations. (Project Gateway construction work started in April. Mortenson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the project’s general contractor.)The project is needed because “the landside of the airport was last updated in 1985 – prior to the creation of TSA, rollaboard suitcases and the Americans with Disabilities Act. After nearly 40 years, the building has reached the end of its useful life and the best time is now to reinvest in our infrastructure,” according to information from the airport.“While construction work has been active just for a few short months, today was years in the making,” Benjamin Leischner, executive director of the QCIA, said in a news release.“We couldn’t make meaningful changes to the passenger experience in the terminal without first modernizing the baggage screening and handling operations, so to see this finally move from planning, designing and concepting to reality is a historic moment for the airport.”Shortly after Wednesday's ceremony, Mr. Leischner said the Project Gateway work is “focused on the modern traveling experience” for the airport’s customers.“We take pride in being the hometown airport for our region and when people return home, or we welcome guests, we want them to know they’ve landed someplace special by creating a space that feels like home we all know and love,” he added.
New building features
Some of the features of the new baggage building will include:
The structure, referred to as a baggage makeup building, will have 14,000 square feet.
This first phase of Project Gateway is expected to cost $18.1 million, with $13 million supported by grant funding. In addition to the new building, the first phase will include major updates to the ticketing counters. They will be upgraded to accommodate a new circular belt that will feed into the new baggage building. “The ticketing counters will give a glimpse of what’s to come for the rest of the public side of the terminal, with modern fixtures that were intentionally selected to give the space a light and airy feeling, while incorporating design touches that feel quintessentially Quad Cities,” according to the airport.
All projects in the first phase are scheduled to be done in the spring.
When complete, the building will allow for a seamless baggage screening process that takes Transportation Security Administration (TSA) machinery out of public view.
The new building will allow airline ground handlers to quickly and efficiently load baggage carts, and include parking for small airline equipment to help reduce wear and tear brought on the elements.
Other Project Gateway work will include adding a curbside canopy, replacing brick floors in the airport’s main building, upgrading restrooms, adding mothers’ suites and family/companion care rooms, relocating the public meeting space, and making changes to the food, barrage and retail space at the airport.However, it’s not known when that additional work will be done. Mr. Leischner told the QCBJ on Wednesday that the other projects are still in the design phases and have not been formally scheduled yet.
