KALAMAZOO – The structural steel is in place at the new Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Airport terminal, marking a major waypoint on the construction of the new $38 million project.

Iron workers from Pro Services and Midwest Steel set 800 tons of structural iron to frame the terminal, a 92,000-square-foot building that’s being erected on a former car rental parking lot.

The existing facility was built in 1958, expanded in 1979 and was last renovated in 1989. The terminal is cramped, outdated and inefficient, and has been a target for an upgrade for years.  Federal money that came through last year finally allowed the start of construction last summer. No local tax dollars are paying for construction.

“While our existing terminal has served the Southwest Michigan region well for over five decades,” said Kalamazoo County Board of Aeronautics Chair, Gil Collver, “the aging structure coupled with a dramatic change in the fundamentals of commercial air travel post 9/11 have rendered the existing building inadequate to serve its intended purpose.”

The new terminal will have seven gates and upgraded passenger screening facilities, to serve the more than 500,000 passengers who annually go through the airport. The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Airport, located south of I-94 off Portage Road, had about 35 departing flights scheduled one day last week, mostly to destinations like Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis. Four airlines serve the airport, which has three runways and sits on 832 acres.

“This gateway to the Kalamazoo area will look toward its bright future but at the same time we won’t forget its impressive past,” said project architect Martin Wander of Reynolds, Smith and Hills. “We are pleased that we have achieved the significant impact of bright open spaces and warmth of materials with simple and efficient spaces.”

Union iron workers from Locals 340 and 25 topped out the structure on Jan. 25, with the American flag and evergreen attached to the final beam, on the northeast wall of the structure.

The iron working team is led by Supt. Garth Gruno, Project Managers Jason Moss and James Berry, and foremen Tim Brennan and Rick. With much of the work being done in the dead of winter, Berry reports that the steel work is about 95 percent complete, “and the job has been done on time with no accidents.”

“It’s been a real smooth job,” he added.

Skanski USA Building Co. is managing construction of the entire terminal project, which will include passenger bridges, ticketing area, rental car and vendor space, baggage handling and a tug drive-through area. It will also include a security screening section, Transportation Security Administration offices, and administration and security offices for airport personnel.

“This new terminal means a great deal for both Kalamazoo and Battle Creek – enhancing the region’s overall travel experience, as well as carrier capacity,” said Kirk Frownfelter, executive vice president for Skanska’s Midwest operations.

The new terminal is scheduled to open in April 2011.

IRON WORKERS topped out the new $38 million terminal on Jan. 25 at the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek Airport.

THE NEW Kalamazoo-Battle Creek Airport terminal, shown here in a rendering, is slated to open in the spring of 2011.