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Airport officials outline $95.2 million international terminal budget update and timeline
Summary
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport staff told the transportation committee the GMIA international terminal project will resume construction with a revised budget of $95.2 million and an anticipated construction start in September 2025 and completion in late 2027.
Milwaukee County airport and finance officials told the County Committee on Transportation and Transit that the capital project to replace the existing international terminal at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is ready to resume and requires a budget update to reflect higher design and construction costs.
Samta Bhatnagar, director of finance for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, reported the capital project WA 0221 GMIA International Terminal will replace an undersized, disconnected international building with a concourse attached to the main terminal. The project is intended to increase aircraft parking flexibility, improve passenger flow and accessibility, and enhance safety and operational efficiency.
Bhatnagar said the design phase began in 2017 and construction was originally scheduled to finish in 2022, but the project was paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, global inflation and supply-chain changes increased costs. The department now requests an appropriation transfer to increase expenditure authority to $95,200,000. Staff described the net change in overall cost as $40,400,000 (raising the project from roughly $54.8 million to $95.2 million). Additional federal grant revenues cited included awards under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Airport Terminal Program; staff said $14,400,000 of federal grants are available for the project. The increase is funded by airport revenues, federal and state grants, and passenger facility charges, and was described as having no impact on the county tax levy.
Officials said construction is anticipated to begin in September 2025 with completion in late fall 2027. Because the appropriation transfer is an informational item to the transportation committee, Bhatnagar reminded the body that jurisdiction for final action rests with the Committee on Finance per Wisconsin statutes, section 59.6(8).
Committee members asked whether federal funding remains available; airport staff said entitlement and ATP funds are secure pending paperwork and that the airport has local reserves and passenger facility charge capacity to cover its share. No committee action was taken in the transportation committee; the item was placed before Finance for action.
