This article was originally published on wrcbtv.com.
Airport President Terry Hart says with how fast Chattanooga is growing, they want to make sure the airport keeps up with the growth of the scenic city.
The Chattanooga Airport will start construction on a new $25-million parking deck next spring.
Airport officials say they want to expand one of their terminals while the parking garage is being built.
Airport President Terry Hart says with how fast Chattanooga is growing, they want to make sure the airport keeps up with the growth of the scenic city.
“As this region has been growing from all the economic development that’s taken place, we too have been growing,” Hart said.
Hart says the amount of growth the airport has seen in recent years has been extraordinary.
Now that the new economy parking lot is finished, they can begin the next phase of their project.
The new 1,300 space parking garage will be toward the front of the airport.
The terminal expansion will follow once parking issues are addressed.
“So, we will be able to expand that area and give more space for our customers, more gates for the airlines, more concessions with for the customer, so I think it will be a plus for us,” Hart said.
The airport rotunda suffered damage to its copper dome last month from severe weather.
Hart says they have done patch work, but could possibly use a different material for the roof and plan to have a permanent fix soon.
“It will take a few months to get that project under way and get going with that, but as we move forward on that, we are going to fix what was done and actually repair all that area,” Hart said.
And with Chattanooga near bigger cities like Atlanta and Knoxville, hart says they need to do everything they can to meet the future of air travel.
“It’s critical that we keep up with our infrastructure and continue to support the growth. We need to do that so we can continue to accommodate all of our customers,” Hart said.
They also plan to present the design to upgrade hanger 20 in October, and start construction in November.