The Bismarck Municipal Airport’s $132 million terminal expansion project took a step forward recently when city commissioners approved a $10 million design contract that keeps the project on track for construction to begin in 2027.

Commissioners approved the contract with Ubl Design Group on July 28, clearing the way for design of the new terminal and for work to begin on environmental reviews.

With a design contract now approved, the airport will also initiate more detailed discussions with important stakeholders such as the airlines, Transportation Security Administration and airport concessions, Assistant Airport Director Matthew Remynse said.

The project aims to update and expand the airport’s terminal to accommodate continued passenger growth. But while design begins on the expansion, officials say they do not know how much funding they’ll have to pay for it.

Airport awaits state, federal funding decisions

Remynse told the Tribune that much of what the terminal expansion ultimately accomplishes will depend on the 2027 legislative session in Bismarck.

The airport has asked for an appropriation of $65 million to help fund the project, and if that funding isn’t secured, Remynse said officials may have to limit their ambitions for the terminal expansion.

“We’re focusing on the design of all three phases, but we may have to look at something different depending on funding,” he said.

Contingencies have been placed into the design contract in case funding isn’t secured, and Remynse said bidding for the project won’t take place until after the legislative session concludes at the end of April.

The airport is also pursuing about $26 million in federal funding for the project, which hasn’t yet been secured. Remynse said the airport is also working with U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., to secure additional funding beyond that $26 million.

The city of Bismarck, meanwhile, has committed $19 million to the terminal expansion, about $5 million of which will help pay for the recently approved design contract. The contract will also be paid for with about $5.7 million in grant funding already awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission.

What will the project do?

The project aims to update and expand the airport’s terminal in three phases:

* Phase 1 would increase departure lounge space and make improvements to the baggage sorting area, including the TSA screening location for checked baggage.

* Phase 2 would include upgrades to the concessions and TSA passenger screening areas.

* Phase 3 would further increase departure lounge space and make upgrades to passenger and restroom amenities.

The proposed terminal expansion could more than double the size of the departure lounges to allow space for six gates and additional retail options. Ticketing and outbound baggage facilities would also be expanded.

The project is intended to address capacity issues at the airport’s existing terminal, which has operated beyond its original design capacity for years, according to background information provided to commissioners by Airport Director Greg Haug.

Haug wrote that the terminal was opened in 2005 and was designed to handle about 240,000 passengers annually, and Remynse said that number has been surpassed every year since 2014, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the airport saw more than 309,000 passengers, and, by 2043, that number could grow to more than 456,000 every year, according to a recent study by Ubl Design Group.

Remynse said the design contract’s approval keeps the airport on track to start construction on Phase 1 as soon as 2027 or early 2028, with completion targeted for 2031.

“We’re really excited to get into it,” he said. “We’re looking forward to expanding the terminal to meet the needs of the community and to provide a great gateway for passengers and visitors.”

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