BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — Officials with the North Central West Virginia Airport in Harrison County have looked at improving their terminal for the past few decades and now a plan is in place to bring the improvement to the facility.
On Monday, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D, W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R, W.Va.), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $15 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Terminal Program for the airport.
According to the airport (CKB), the funding was made possible through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will support the construction of a new terminal building as part of a $70 million project to improve the whole facility.
“This project means additional space, more green and modern terminal, ability to have multiple gates. It helps us utilize the land that we do have,” Richard Rock, Director of North Central West Virginia Airport told MetroNews.
Rock said the terminal, which was built in 1945, sends out 100,000 passengers per year. As a result of the project, the terminal space would grow from 12,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet.
There have been 3.1 million cubic yards of dirt moved on the property, according to Rock, to prepare for the terminal and airport development. An additional 17 acres of property will be used for the new terminal and 83 acres for airport development.
“We’re sending 100,000 people through this airport in a year and it wasn’t built for this volume,” Rock said.
Rock expects the project out for bid by the end of 2022 and a completion sometime in 2024.
“I am pleased the FAA is investing in this new terminal project at the North Central West Virginia Airport to improve safety and efficiency for West Virginians and Americans traveling to and within our great state,” said Senator Manchin in a release.
“Our airports are the gateway to the rest of the world, and this investment will boost local tourism and spur economic development across the entire state. I have worked closely with the airport for years to advance this project, and I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of the funding. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to support transportation hubs across the Mountain State.”
GOOD NEWS: North Central WV Airport (@FlyCKB) will receive $15M to construct a new terminal building. This investment will boost tourism & spur economic development. I was proud to vote for the #BipartisanInfrastructureLaw which made this funding possible. https://t.co/G5wTkokjnx
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) July 11, 2022
Senator Capito said, “This is yet another example of the bipartisan infrastructure law benefitting West Virginia. During negotiations, I made sure to prioritize our airports and advocate for the resources they need to grow and succeed.
“This funding will provide a major boost for the North Central West Virginia Airport in Clarksburg by nearly doubling terminal capacity and replacing aging infrastructure with brand new equipment. I was proud to send a letter in support of this project to the FAA because supporting our airports is key to creating new economic development opportunities. This project is a positive step in the right direction to achieve that goal.”