Lawton airport terminal expansion to be done by April 1

Work crews at Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport are on track to complete the last phase of the terminal modernization project by April 1.

Herring Construction began work in late 2023 on the last step in an upgrade that includes everything from a new front entrance, to new baggage claim, passenger holding and ticket counter areas.

“We’re so pleased with Herring Construction,” said Airport Director Barbara McNally of the construction firm that has been handling the $15.3 million Phase III upgrade.

The contractor moved into the final projects earlier this year, after completing the secured passenger holding area that doubles the size of the previous area where passengers wait after they have been through TSA security screening but before they board aircraft. Since summer, the final work has focused on the north end of the terminal, where TSA baggage check-in and the aircraft carrier ticket counters are, as ell as work to rebuild the terminal’s front entrances.

McNally estimates the work crews are three-quarters of the way complete with the project, with attention now being focused on rebuilding main terminal access doors and adding new brick to the exterior. McNally said crews also are finishing up work inside the building and expect to have the airline area done by the first of the year, so those personnel can return to their work space. Once that is done, work crews will focus on other tenant areas as they move toward the April 1 estimated completion date.

In all, the final phase has included upgrades to the carrier ticketing counter area; enclosing the TSA baggage screening area, so it is out of sight of the general public; and rebuilding the front entrance to lessen the number of access points to help with energy efficiency while also giving the exterior a cleaner look. That work will complement previously-completed work: a modern carousel baggage claim area; a larger secured passenger holding area that also has separate corridors for deplaning and departing passengers, and larger screening space for TSA; and a covered passenger boarding gate.

City Council members have said that once terminal work is done, they will allow work to move forward with a plan to upgrade King Road, the major access point into and out of the airport complex. That work is to include rebuilding severely deteriorated pavement in front of the terminal, as well as mill and overlay to the road leading into the airport from South 11th Street.

Herring Construction won the $15.3 million contract in 2022.