Gerald R. Ford International Airport has revealed its plans for a $90 million expansion project.

Ford airport will add eight new gates and amenities, such as restaurants and stores, to Concourse A.

The project will widen the 66-foot concourse to 120 feet and lengthen it by 510 feet, to a total of more than 900 feet.

Concourse A currently has seven gates, and Concourse B has eight gates.

When completed in 2022, morning flights will be more seamless for passengers and airlines, and the airport will be situated to accept many more daily flights for thousands of additional passengers, Ford airport said. 

The expansion to Concourse A is expected to create more than 125 construction jobs and more than 300 permanent positions.

Construction is set to begin next spring.

The project will be paid for with a combination of federal and state grants, municipal bonds issued by the airport and user fees.

Project Elevate

The $90 million Concourse A expansion is part of the airport’s three-phase Project Elevate.

The next phase is to create a $24 million federal inspection station, enabling international commercial flights, the Business Journal previously reported. The $5 million raised for this phase so far was granted by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Work on the second phase of Project Elevate is slated to begin next spring and will include improvements to the curb front and the addition of a new baggage claim device.

The third phase of Project Elevate will move the air traffic control tower from its current location atop the airport terminal to the east side of the airfield, the Business Journal previously reported.