BGM airport upgrades take off: What to expect, timeline

Renovations are beginning to transform the 25-year old infrastructure at the Greater Binghamton Airport into a state-of-the-art facility for the Southern Tier.

At a Thursday morning press conference, local executives and industry leaders met to announce the work and break ground on the new construction project.

What's changing at the Binghamton airport, timeline

Renovations will include a new canopy and entry portals, updates to the lobbies, baggage claim, and lounges. According to Marie Therese Dominguez, commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation, construction on the outside of the building will begin in a few months, and continue throughout the year.

“With the start of major construction, we have taken a big step toward providing Southern Tier travelers with a state-of-the-art airport that will make their journeys more pleasurable and also serve as an economic engine for the entire region,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release.

“The improvements we are making to the Greater Binghamton Airport are part of our ongoing efforts to revitalize airports across upstate New York and create world-class travel experiences that will encourage people and businesses to visit, live and work in the Empire State.”

According to Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, the work being done at BGM is the result of hard work by the many groups involved to keep the airport going through difficult years plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lupardo said that the renovation will give airlines a new look at Binghamton, and bring business to the Southern Tier.

BGM Commissioner of Aviation Mark Heefner said the project will create over 140,000 work hours and is predicted to be completed in quarter one of 2025.

Economic impact of BGM upgrades

A large part of funding for the project comes from Hochul's $230 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition, which awarded the airport $32 million.

According to Heefner, the project will use various forms of funding, and exemplifies a successful private-public partnership.

"This project will continue to engage the local workforce and companies to stimulate local economy and to ensure our airport terminal is prepared for the future of aviation in the Southern Tier," said Heefner.

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State Senator Lea Webb seconded the importance of the public-private partnership which made the project a reality, and said the effects of the renovations will be far reaching.

"We have partners in higher education, health industries and so many industries that come to our community," said Webb. "The renovations that are happening at this airport, the positive effects are not only going to be seen here at the airport. It has a ripple effect for our economy and the livelihood of everyone not just here in the Southern Tier, not just in our state, but in the country as well."

According to Rob Aikens, president of the Binghamton-Oneonta Building Trades Council, a group which promotes unionized construction trades in the area, the project marks the first successful project labor agreement (PLA) in Broome County. PLAs are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements which set out the terms of employment for a project between contractors and unions.

"This PLA will put dozens of local members to work over the next couple years, and we couldn't be more proud of that," said Aikens. "The upgrades to the airport are greatly overdue and we know that projects like this one will transform the Southern Tier for the better."

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said the project is a long time in the making, and will engage the local economy as well as offer a great experience for travelers.

"This airport has not been revitalized since 2001, and it definitely shows," said Garnar. "We are going to have a beautiful new terminal, and a new front entrance. It is really going to be the jewel of upstate airports in New York State."

Dominguez said the work being done on the airport is emblematic of progress being made throughout the state.

"Binghamton in particular, and Broome County — what you guys are doing here is truly exciting and embodies that transformational element that we are so anxious to witness," said Dominguez.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton airport upgrades take off: What to expect