Eastern Iowa Airport planning additional parking

The Eastern Iowa Airport is adding more parking spaces in the long-term section of the passenger terminal lot.

The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission on Monday approved a $695,000 contract with Rathje Construction of Marion to construct 233 spaces.

Gene Cossey, airport operations director, said the additional parking will provide travelers with on-site parking during holiday and other heavy travel periods.

'The additional parking also will allow us to provide ample parking when we close other sections for repair over the next several years,” Cossey said.

Commission Chairman Pat Baird noted that nine bids were received from contractors as far away as Cascade and Epworth. The Rathje Construction bid was substantially below the $1.2 million engineer's estimate for the project.

Cossey attributed the larger-than-usual response - three to four would be normal - to the timing of the project.

'Many contractors are finishing jobs and looking for additional work,” Cossey said.

Separately, the commission voted to accept a $319,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation Vertical Infrastructure Program. Don Swanson, airport director of finance and administration, said the grant will fund a small portion of the $6.8 million B concourse remodeling and expansion planned for bid next spring.

The B concourse work is part of a $50 million terminal expansion and modernization. The four-year project will be completed without incurring new debt, increasing costs for tenants or passengers, or accepting city or county tax revenue.

Cossey told the commission that the terminal work remains on track with airline ticketing and check-in counters scheduled to relocate in early November while that area of the building is remodeled.