BILLINGS- The Billings airport is one step closer to the start of construction of its terminal expansion project.
Sletten Construction was approved as the project general contractor and construction manager by the Billings City Council during its Monday meeting.
The company will begin its work now to assist in the design phase, and the project will go out for bids in the summer, according to Kevin Ploehn, Billings director of aviation and transit.
Ploehn said a general contractor isn’t usually needed this early in the game, but it’s necessary because of the complexity of the project.
“It’s really good to have them on board. What they’ll start doing is they’ll start looking at what the design time has already put in place, start analyzing what can be built easily and what can’t be built easily. Ask questions, get the architect to think things through a little bit,” Ploehn said.
The tarmac will also get a makeover, thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Heavy snowfall this past winter, and the wet spring, caused the tarmac’s 20-year-old concrete to crack, which can be dangerous to aircraft.
The grant will allow the airport to do design work, and construction will begin next year.
Reporting by Victoria Hill, MTN News
