GRAND RAPIDS -- Sticker shock at Gerald R. Ford International Airport isn't confined to airfare.
There's also the proposed parking ramp, with a glass-and-steel canopy, which could cost $13.6 million more than expected.
The lowest construction bid came in at nearly $118 million -- 13 percent higher than what airport officials expected to pay.
That is forcing airport leaders to rethink plans and look at ways to cut corners, though it's not expected to ground the project.
The four-story ramp would add 4,000 parking spots and feature covered skywalks and a curved canopy roof connecting it to the terminal.
The projected construction cost was $104 million, according to airport engineers and an architectural firm.
The lowest bid was $117.9 million, while the highest of the seven bids came in at more than $145 million.
Darryl Massa, vice president of Granger Construction Co., one of the companies that bid on the project, said he wasn't surprised the bids came in higher. He pointed to, among other things, higher steel costs. He also said the airport's estimate was unrealistically low.
"They're lucky it wasn't more over budget," he said. "What you saw was a bunch of contractors awful hungry for a Michigan job."
Massa also pointed to what he called the "unique" canopy roof, made of tubes of curved steel and glass. The canopy likely added $20 million to the project.
