New airport project information, architectural model now on display

INDIANAPOLIS—Passengers and visitors to the current Indianapolis International Airport now can get information about the new Indianapolis International Airport project through a display area in the existing terminal.

The new display has just been installed on the Baggage Claim level of the current terminal, adjacent to the main escalators. The display includes a scale model of the new passenger terminal building, now under construction between the two main runways, as well as informational signs, flyers, display boards and artists' images of the new terminal building.

The new airport will feature a new terminal building located between the two existing main runways along with new highway access, new and improved parking and support facilities and improved utilities and airside operations. It will include:

• A new passenger terminal that contains 1.2 million square-feet and features two concourses, 40 passenger gates, more retail space for restaurants and shopping, and state-of-the-art security, passenger conveyance and baggage handling facilities. The focal point of the terminal will be Civic Plaza, an expansive gathering place that reflects the art, history and culture of Indianapolis.
• A new Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control Tower that provides 360-degree visibility of the entire airfield, as well as the latest in airplane safety, radar and communications equipment.
• A new main entrance from Interstate 70 through a dedicated interchange that means less congestion, quicker drop-offs and pick-ups, tighter security and more parking.

Through the use of commissioned, site-specific or architecturally integrated works of art, the new airport will provide visitors access to a wide variety of artists and art forms from Indianapolis, Indiana, the United States and the world. An airport art and culture program will provide temporary exhibitions of art by local artists as well as a performing arts series, and will highlight the rich cultural diversity of the city.

Planning for a new Indianapolis Airport began in 1975 when the Indianapolis Airport Authority adopted a master plan for airport development. The plan called for layout of two parallel runways with a non-intersecting crosswind runway while leaving room for a new “midfield terminal” complex between those runways and new highway access from Interstate 70.

Over the past 30 years, these plans have been developed, reviewed, modified and updated. The midfield terminal site is on unencumbered "greenfield" location that has been reserved for the airport's expansion since 1975. The site is nearly a mile wide, over two miles in length, and has ample space for landside and airside development.

The approximately $1.1 billion cost of the New Indianapolis Airport is being financed through a combination of federal grants, passenger facility charges, airline facility rents and aircraft landing fees. No state or local tax money is being used to finance construction of the new airport or to repay construction bonds.

Construction of the new terminal building began in July 2005. The new terminal is scheduled to open in late 2008.