6 airport megaprojects taking flight in 2025

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In 2025, several significant airport projects priced at over $1 billion are set to advance around the country.

The growth is driven by a healthy demand for larger and more modern facilities, as well as by the continued rollout of federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding. 

Here are five airport overhauls and expansions with multibillion-dollar price tags and big milestones to keep an eye on in the coming year:

John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio
Cost: $2 billion

The John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, is undertaking a massive $2 billion project to overhaul the aerodrome and replace its current terminal, which opened in 1958. Greeley, Colorado-based Hensel Phelps won the project in September 2023.

Hensel Phelps will construct a 1 million-square-foot terminal that will allow the airport to serve more than 13 million passengers annually, according to the builder. Alongside it is a new 5,000-person parking structure and seven new gates, according to the project’s information page. Once work is complete, the old terminal will be demolished.

The terminal will be made of five primary components: a pedestrian bridge, an entry canopy and head house, a marketplace and east and west concourses, per the contractor.

The construction team broke ground last month, according to Columbus Business First. That was moved up from Hensel Phelps’ original groundbreaking date target of early 2025, according to the builder. It projects that the terminal will open in early 2029.

Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh
Cost: $1.57 billion

Pittsburgh International Airport’s $1.57 billion modernization project features a new landside terminal, scheduled to open this year.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority is leading the project, which will consolidate airline operations, public spaces and passengers under one roof, and introduce a new roadway system and multi-level parking garage.

Pittsburgh-based Mascaro, the general contractor for the project, is overseeing foundational work, structural steel and concrete decks for the parking garage, as well as the terminal’s architectural enclosure. The construction management team — New York-based Turner Construction and a joint venture between Pittsburgh-based PJ Dick and Indianapolis-based Hunt — is collaborating to ensure the project meets its timeline.

The terminal’s design incorporates biophilic elements like tree-shaped steel columns and a long-span roof inspired by Pittsburgh’s hills, according to New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, the project’s structural engineer. Locally sourced timber and energy-efficient glazing contribute to the airport’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2028. 

Advanced engineering solutions, such as high-density geofoam to stabilize construction above the active underground people mover, aim to ensure that operations continue uninterrupted during the build. With the exterior now fully enclosed and the project on track, crews are shifting focus to interior work.

Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida
Cost: $1.5 billion

Tampa International Airport will soon get its first new airside terminal in almost 20 years. The project broke ground Dec. 18 and is scheduled to open to passengers in 2028. The 16-gate Airside D will serve as the international arrivals and departures facility.

Greeley, Colorado-based Hensel Phelps is the leader of the design-build team, along with architecture and engineering firm HNTB of Kansas City, Missouri, and in association with San Francisco-headquartered Gensler. 

Design features include two levels and a mezzanine, two airline lounges, international passenger processing areas and shopping and dining locations. 

TPA currently serves 25 million passengers annually, but the expansion will help the airport accommodate regional growth to serve 35 million passengers annually by 2037.

Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennessee
Cost: $1.5 billion

Nashville International Airport is undergoing a series of projects to keep up with a rapidly growing passenger count. Its $1.5 billion New Horizons plan entails expanding two concourses, upgrading the baggage handling system and overhauling terminal roadways to improve traffic flow. 

The airport completed the first phase of its current overhaul in February. Phase 2 includes reworking Concourse A, adding more gates to Concourse D, expanding transportation infrastructure around the airport and modernizing the bag handling system, according to the news release.

Hensel Phelps was selected in November to serve as construction manager at risk for the Concourse A project. A Hensel Phelps/Fentress Architects JV is already working as general contractor for the $250 million expansion of Concourse D, which started in late 2023.

Funding for the improvements will come from bonds, federal and state aviation grants, passenger facility charges and other airport funds, according to the airport. The overall project is scheduled to wrap in late 2028.

Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento, California
Cost: $1.3 billion

Sacramento International Airport’s $1.3 billion improvement program has plenty of runway in front of it. 

In August, Balfour Beatty broke ground on a $140 million pedestrian walkway and skybridge that will include moving sidewalks, escalators and elevators to connect Terminal B to Concourse B, according to a news release from the Sacramento County Department of Airports. The walkway will be an alternative to the airport’s existing automated people mover and feature three major public art pieces representing a $2.5 million investment.

The project is being funded, in part, by $33 million from the IIJA, as well as a low-interest loan through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. 

The construction is just one of seven projects currently underway or planned under SMForward.

In October, Sacramento-based and woman-owned Otto Construction turned dirt on a $229 million Terminal B parking garage, which will house 5,500 spaces, a passenger guidance system, reserved parking and electric vehicle charging. It is slated for completion in fall 2026. 

Other construction plans and their approximate kickoff dates include:

• A new rental car facility, for which the airport issued an RFQ Dec. 4.
• Terminal A expansion, including additional gates, winter 2025.
• A new Terminal A exit road, Q3 2025.
• Concourse B expansion, including additional gates, Q1 2026. 
• A new ground transportation center, Q3 2026.

Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey
Cost: TBD

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is charting a comprehensive reimagining of the 97-year-old Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey with modern terminals and infrastructure, an intuitive roadway network and a redesigned taxiway network to accommodate more aircraft and reduce delays. 

Developed in partnership with London-headquartered design firm Arup and New York City-based architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the plan will enable the airport to handle current needs and future growth, according to an October news release. Much of its current infrastructure dates to the 1970s, when terminals B and C and the original Terminal A were built, per the release.

Work includes a new international terminal to replace the current Terminal B and enhancements of Terminal C. It also will incorporate ongoing modernization projects at the airport, including the replacement of the airport’s AirTrain system with an automated system. The project will take a phased approach to minimize the impact on airport operations.

The Port Authority expects to begin a two- to three-year planning process this year for major elements of the redevelopment, including cost projections and project delivery alternatives. Its board has approved a total of $55 million for preliminary design work for the new Terminal B.