Redmond Airport expansion padded $10 million with state grant
Published 4:09 pm Thursday, October 10, 2024
- Concept art of a possible design for an expansion at Redmond Airport.
A $10 million grant awarded by the Oregon Department of Transportation will provide an added bonus to the $170 million Redmond Airport terminal expansion set to be completed in 2028.
The Oregon Transportation Commission approved the award at a meeting in Bend on Thursday as part of a $46 million package for 19 projects across the state, which were recommended by regional transportation committees from a field of 35.
Redmond Airport Director Zach Bass said the airport was already moving forward with designs under a budget of $170 million in previously-secured funds. Another $10 million will allow the airport to make a new addition to designs, but what that is hasn’t been decided, Bass said.
“We’re still in the middle of full design,” Bass said, adding that the project will break ground next summer. “There’s a lot of things financially we’re still trying to figure out.”
Redmond airport expansion ready to take flight
The grant will “help grow the project and make it a better project, for sure.”
One possibility could include adding a baggage claim, which would cost about $10 million, Bass said.
Other funding comes from a mix of federal and state grants, loans and the airport’s own cash. The upcoming expansion, dubbed as Phase 1, is driven by booming growth. The airport’s passenger numbers have doubled since 2016. The expansion will add 100,000 square feet to the 145,000 square-foot airport, several new jet bridges, new restaurants and retail and 800 new holding seats, more than tripling capacity in that regard.
The new grant comes from a program called Connect Oregon, which invests in public and private projects for marine, rail and air transportation. Funding comes from Oregon’s vehicle privilege tax on car dealers, and is distributed every few years after regional transportation committees prioritize projects.