Passenger traffic has grown steadily at the Helena Regional Airport since the last terminal expansion was completed in 2005. Passenger traffic has grown 23% over the last 6 years. 2018 saw an increase of 13% over 2017. In 2018, the airport gained 30,630 seats into the Helena market as a result of increased flights and larger aircraft during peak travel seasons. In addition to this level of growth, airlines are changing the fleet mix of aircraft serving Helena over the next few years. 50 seat “regional jets” will be replaced by larger 76 seat jet aircraft. Additionally, turbo prop aircraft currently served by ground boarding, will eventually be replaced by jet aircraft necessitating the need for additional jet bridges. When completed, the terminal will have the ability to serve 6 aircraft simultaneously from jet bridges and still retain 1 ground boarding station, also accessible from level 2.
The Airport is continually working to convince airlines to add service to Helena, and this project will lend itself to increased future opportunities.
Planning work for this expansion began back in 2016 as part of the Airport Master Plan Update. The construction phase of the project began in July of 2018. The construction occurred in 3 phases over the course of 2 years. Funding came from a mix of FAA Airport Improvement Program funds as well as local Airport revenue sources. No local tax dollars, bond levies or mills were used to fund this expansion. The FAA Airport Improvement Program is funded by a fee charged nationwide on airline tickets, aviation fuel sales, and air cargo transactions. A portion of those funds are provided to the airport for eligible portions of specific infrastructure projects including some parts of airline terminals.
The project was completed in 3 phases to allow for continued operation during construction. Phase 1 was completed in March of 2019 and passenger boarding operations were moved into the new phase at that time. Phase 2 is the largest piece of the expansion and was completed in March of 2020. Phase 3 included connecting and remodeling of the existing TSA screening area and allow for the TSA screening checkpoint to be relocated further into the building. As of July 2020, the project was completed. The project was completed ahead of schedule and within budget.
PROJECT TEAM:
Owner: Helena Regional Airport Authority
Architects: CWG Architects of Helena, Price, Simpson & Harvey Architects
Engineering/Project Management: Morrison Maierle Engineers of Helena
General Contractor: Dick Anderson Construction of Helena
Sub-Contractors:
ANDERSON STEEL SUPPLY INC
ARCO BUILDERS, INC
ATS FACILITY SYSTEMS
BARGREEN-ELLINGSON, INC
CONTRACT DESIGN ASSOCIATES
CRAFTMASTER CABINETS, INC.
FINISHING TOUCH CLEANING LLC
FRONTLINE GLASS INC
GALLATIN VALLEY ELEVATOR, LLC
GRUBER MASONRY INC.
G & S MECHANICAL USA, INC
HARRINGTONS FLOOR COVERING INC
HELENA INSULATION INC
HELENA SAND & GRAVEL
IT&M DIVISION INC
JOHN BEAN TECHNOLOGIES CORP
JUST RITE ACOUSTICS, INC
K2 SECURITY SOLUTIONS GROUP
MERIT MECHANICAL SERVICES INC
RDJ BROTHERS, INC
MOCKEL PRECAST
SMITTY’S FIREPLACE SHOP, INC.
SPARROW ENTERPRISES
SUMMIT ROOFING INC
T & L PAINTING INC
TRI-COUNTY MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL
LANTEK, INC
The pictures below show the progression of this project through the 3 phases of construction:
