MSP, Duluth airports get federal grants for terminal improvements

More than $11 million in federal grants will be used to upgrade the main terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and fund a new terminal building at Sky Harbor Airport in Duluth.

The money comes from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help modernize 99 of the nation's airports through nearly $1 billion in grants this year.

"Americans deserve the best airports in the world, and with demand for air travel surging back, this funding to improve the passenger experience couldn't come at a more urgent time," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in a statement. "These grants will make it faster and easier to check your bags, get through security, and find your gate, all while creating jobs and supporting local economies."

MSP will receive $10 million to support a major renovation of Concourse G at Terminal 1. Construction is expected to begin next year.

The project will focus on the area between existing gates G8 and G13, according to Jeff Lea, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates MSP. The footprint between the two gates will be expanded, allowing for more gate seating, concession spaces and new restrooms. No new gates will be added, Lea said.

The design elements of the project will be consistent with improvements completed earlier this year between gates G17 and G22, Lea said.

This is the second consecutive year MSP has been awarded grant funding through the federal infrastructure program. Last year, the airport received $12.5 million for three projects at Terminal 1: six new passenger boarding bridges, improvements to MSP's signature folded plate roof, and a new electrical substation serving the airport's baggage system, checkpoints and airport police operations.

Duluth's general aviation airport, Sky Harbor, will receive $1.2 million to help build a new terminal building, replacing the existing 40-year-old structure.

The new single-story terminal will provide an efficient layout for flight-planning functions, pilots and passenger waiting areas, said Natalie Baker, spokeswoman for the Duluth Airport Authority, which owns the airport. Ground will be broken this summer, with the new terminal opening in the spring of 2024, she said.

Sky Harbor opened a 2,600-foot runway along Superior Bay in 2020 after more than a decade of planning. The $13.2 million project was almost entirely paid for by the Federal Aviation Administration, with about $1 million in state support.

The airport, used for small personal aircraft and seaplanes, is on Park Point off Lake Superior, about 10 miles from Duluth International Airport.