New Orleans Airport to add five additional gates and $110 million to current expansion
By David Malone, Associate Editor
The replacement and expansion project for the North Terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has just about reached the midway point in construction. Originally projected to have 30 terminals across 650,000 sf and cost $650,000,000, increased passenger demand has caused all of these numbers to inflate.
According to city officials, the project is adding an additional five gates for $110 million, bringing the total price tag up to about $917 million. The terminal now sits at an estimated 802,000 sf.
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Atkins collaborated on the design for the new terminal, which, despite being designed with 30 gates, allowed for the easy expansion of up to 42 gates, if necessary. Some of the design’s features include a 2,000-space parking garage, Interstate-10 highway connection, retail development, airline ticketing offices, and consolidated security screening.
Construction on the terminal began one year ago and, despite the addition of the five extra gates, the project is still scheduled to open on Oct. 1, 2018. Construction is being led by a joint venture between Hunt Construction, Gibbs Construction, Boh Brothers, and Metro Service Group.
