Monterey Regional Airport Replacement Terminal Project gets $3M More in Federal Funding
MONTEREY – Another $3 million in federal grant funding has been secured for the design and construction of a replacement terminal at Monterey Regional Airport bringing the total for the project to $7.2 million.
“Every dollar we can get is critical for the project and the airport,” said Monterey Regional Airport Deputy Executive Director Chris Morello.
In the third quarter of 2021, the first $2.14 million was awarded from the Department of Transportation and in December 2022, another $2.14 grant was awarded. The $3 million in additional funding is part of the Airport Terminal Program made available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The $7.2 million in funding is for the design of the new terminal, which will be located east of the existing terminal, along with the design of landside components such as parking and terminal access traffic flow, said Morello.
The funding brings the Monterey Regional Airport’s plan for a new all-encompassing building for airline passengers and airport employees to conduct the business of air travel closer to reality. Its aim is to provide the nearly 500-acre, non-hub commercial airfield, which serves more than 400,000 passengers annually, a facility that aims to meet the future needs of the Monterey Bay region in a safe, responsible and forward-looking manner.
The new terminal project is a component of the overall Monterey Regional Airport Safety Enhancement program, a multiphased project that includes several components to be phased in over 10 years.
The Monterey airport has been working on different phases of its Safety Enhancement Program for the past few years including currently constructing a new aircraft rescue and firefighting facility at the regional airfield.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $15 billion for airport-related projects as defined under the existing Airport Improvement Grant and Passenger Facility Charge criteria. The money can be invested in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections and roadway projects, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
HOK Group Inc., a design, architecture, engineering and urban planning firm out of St. Louis, has been selected by the Monterey airport as the architect for the replacement terminal project. The firm was founded in 1955 and has numerous award-winning airport designs under its belt.
Morello said the Monterey airport is waiting to hear from the HOK Group for the final scope of work for the design. The design work will take about one year to complete.
“They’re putting it together now and then we’ll have a price, but we estimate this will cover the design cost,” said Morello.
Once the scope of work is completed and accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration, the architect can price the construction work to be done. The Monterey airport has estimated the total project cost to be between $50-$60 million but will not know until the design work is completed.
The terminal building will be completely financed using grant funding revenues from the airport. No property tax funding or general obligation bonds will be used, according to airport officials. The Monterey Regional Airport expects the project will be completed in the next four years.
The Monterey Regional Airport continues to work with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation to access additional grant funding for the terminal and the rest of the Safety Enhancement Program.
The Monterey Regional Airport currently estimates the total cost of its Safety Enhancement Program to be about $145 million including the new terminal building, parking lot, hangar relocation, new fire station, road work, utilities, and the realignment of the parallel taxiway to meet FAA safety standards.
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