BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WV News) — Mascaro Construction, a Pittsburgh-based firm, was awarded a $25 million contract Tuesday to construct the new terminal building at North Central West Virginia Airport.
The project is expected to begin during the first quarter of 2023, according to Airport Director Rick Rock.
“We’ll be cutting a ribbon for the new building in the second half of 2024,” he said.
During a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, members of the Benedum Airport Authority approved the $25,347,000 contract and authorized Rock to execute FAA grants supporting the project.
“Today has been a long time coming,” Rock said. “It shows that the people this airport serves, their patronage has helped us get to this position.”
The FAA grants will provide around $19,267,000, Rock said.
“Then the rest will come from state, local and airport funds,” he said.
Bridgeport Mayor Andy Lang, who serves on the BAA’s Special Projects Committee, said Tuesday’s contract was more than five years in the making.
“If you don’t think your government works for you, this is an example of how it does,” he said. “You can take a mayor, local county commissioners and they can work with all the agencies in the state and federal government and actually make things work.”
Lang expressed thanks to Gov. Jim Justice and to U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito for their support.
“For North Central West Virginia, we’ve taken a huge step here at the airport,” said David Hinkle, BAA president and Harrison County commissioner.
“This is just the first step of many to come to make this airport grow,” Hinkle said.
The airport’s new terminal building and the associated growth in the local aerospace industry are expected to add nearly $428 million in annual economic activity to the state’s economy — $587 million in total annual economic impact once secondary suppliers are factored in, according to a study by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University.
The total economic impact of construction expenditures for the terminal project is estimated to be $88 million, of which more than $55 million will be spent directly and another $33 million will be generated in secondary industries, according to the study.
The terminal expansion project is estimated to employ about 356 construction workers directly and another 199 in supplier industries, for a total employment impact of 555 jobs.
Growth at the airport is estimated to add an additional $16.7 million in expenditures in the local economy over 10 years. Counting secondary impacts, it’s estimated this spending will result in more than $28.5 million in total economic impact over the same 10-year period.
Expansion on the airport’s campus is expected to allow for the addition of seven to 11 small- to medium-sized businesses that will either expand or locate in the area, for a total of more than 1,300 new jobs.
These new businesses are estimated to result in an additional $582 million in annual economic activity to the state’s economy, with $424 million coming from direct expenditures by the new firms.