Maryland officials on Thursday approved a $60 million renovation and expansion project at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport over the objections of Comptroller Peter Franchot and residents who live near the airport.
The Board of Public Works voted 2-1 to fund the project — which airport officials say is needed to fix aging infrastructure — but the panel also voted to not allow the Linthicum airport to open more airline gates until they come back to the board for additional approval.
«The terminal is failing from a customer service standpoint,» Smith told the board. «The restrooms are overcrowded. People are walking over each in the food court. There’s no place to sit. … The baggage handling system has all but failed. I had a conversation with a gentleman the other day who said he waited three hours to get his bags.
The project approved Thursday adds five new gates and passenger waiting areas to Concourse A, as well as food and retail concession space and restrooms in a 55,000-square-foot addition.
Airport officials said they would close some gates as they add others. Board members voted to require the airport to seek additional approval by the board to increase the total number of gates.
With Thursday’s vote, the Maryland Aviation Administration said it plans to solicit bids for the project and award the job by December. The expedited procurement process would allow construction to break ground in January and finish by July 2020.
Source: AviationPros