ND: Ground Broken on New $40M Minot Airport Terminal

Gov. Jack Dalrymple joined federal, state and local officials in breaking ground on a new $40 million terminal at Minot International Airport, an enhancement that will help address the region’s rapid economic growth and increased airline boardings and activity at Minot’s airport. The new terminal is part of a larger capital improvement project that will cost nearly $70 million. The state will provide more than $21 million in Energy Impact Grant funding for the total project, including $18.5 million for the construction of the new terminal.

“This new terminal and the other capital improvement projects planned for Minot International Airport are important and necessary enhancements that will help the community and region address rapid economic growth and historic increases in airline activity,” Dalrymple said. “The state has been working closely with federal and local officials to secure the funding for this project and has provided Minot with a large portion of the Energy Impact Grant funding that was allocated specifically for airport authorities in the state’s oil and gas producing counties.”

The new terminal will be approximately 115,000 square feet, more than three times the size of the current terminal, and will include six gates, additional space for car rental companies and ticket counters with self-check-in kiosks, and a restaurant and gift shop. The terminal is expected to be completed in the fall of 2015. In addition to the state’s share of the funding, $13.7 million will come from local funding and $8.1 million will come from federal sources.

According to Dalrymple, airports across the state have seen a significant increase in boardings over the past several years as a result of the state’s rapidly growing economy. That increase has been especially significant in western North Dakota, including Minot. Over the past decade, passenger boardings at the Minot Airport have increased more than three-fold, from over 70,000 in 2003 to more than 224,000 last year. Minot’s 2012 total of 224,421 boardings marked a nearly 50 percent increase over the previous year, the largest increase among any of the eight major airports in North Dakota.

In addition to breaking ground on the new terminal, Dalrymple joined other officials in dedicating the airport’s new snow removal equipment building. The new facility will provide additional space for storing and maintaining the airport’s snow removal equipment. The $326,000 building was funded with $163,000 in Energy Impact Grant funding.

Other capital improvement projects at the Minot Airport funded with Energy Impact Grants include:

• $1.65 million to construct a terminal access road.
• $805,000 to construct a new terminal apron used for parking aircraft.
• $100,000 to purchase furniture for the new terminal.

In all, the state will invest about $2.6 billion to support the state’s oil and gas region during the current biennium. The state commitment – more than twice the amount of the previous, two-year funding package of about $1.2 billion – includes funding for highway, county and township road improvements; water supply and water treatment projects; airport capital improvements; and the development of affordable housing. A total of $240 million from the state’s Oil and Gas Impact Grant Fund – an increase of $140 million over the previous biennium – has been allocated to address impacts in areas with the greatest need in western North Dakota. Of that amount, $60 million has been set aside for airport authorities.