SYRACUSE — Crews have started work on the first phase of a $48.8 million construction project to turn Syracuse Hancock International Airport into a “modern-day facility.” 

The project includes a “wide-scale” redesign and reconstruction of the terminal building, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release issued Oct. 17.

It will offer travelers a more modern and spacious airport, with the terminal itself increasing by 14,500 square feet. 

The project, which is scheduled to conclude in the fall of 2018, will create more than 850 construction jobs. 

Cuomo first announced the initiative during his State of the State message in January.

“Across the state we are investing in revitalizing and rebuilding our deteriorating airports and transforming them into vital gateways,” Cuomo contended. “With this project to revamp the Syracuse Hancock International Airport, we are investing in a state-of-the-art facility worthy of the Empire State that will greet passengers flying into Central New York for generations to come.”

Total construction costs will amount to $48.8 million, including state funding of $35.8 million, federal funding of $9.1 million, and $3.9 million from Syracuse Regional Airport Authority and Onondaga County.

The announcement complements “Central New York Rising,” the region’s “comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development.”

Project details

The new project includes the removal of the existing overhead precast concrete drive-thru canopy along the front of the terminal to address longstanding maintenance issues and open the space in front of the terminal for natural light. 

Workers are moving nearly 5,000 tons of material from the site “immediately to further advance” construction throughout the fall. 

The new terminal will include new amenities to “improve the travel experience,” the governor says. The amenities include “better” food, beverage, and retail options; e-ticketing; and “upgraded” ticketing counters and baggage claim areas. 

Crews will add more than 140,000 square feet of new terrazzo flooring to the facility’s downstairs section.

In addition, workers will install more than 25,000 square feet of new glass during the project, along with a new, 650-foot-long canopy with LED (light-emitting diode) lights. Those lights will keep cars and passengers “protected from the elements” during arrival and departure, Cuomo’s office contends.

Above the passenger drop-off area, two renovated glass pedestrian bridges will provide passengers using mobile airline tickets a “more efficient” route, connecting them “directly to flights by skipping the ticketing lines.” 

The airport’s exterior will feature perforated steel panels that are supposed to “withstand” inclement weather; “energy efficient” windows; and a new rainwater-collection system. 

Crews will also outfit the airport with “energy efficient” lighting and rooftop solar arrays.

GEDDES — People attending the next New York State Fair will notice some differences even before they reach the gate, including a paved parking area with marked parking spaces in the orange lot.

Crews will begin work on a $27 million project to “upgrade and improve” the 65-acre orange parking lot at the State Fairgrounds “this fall.”

The office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo didn’t provide a more specific date or time frame in the Oct. 17 news release.

The work will conclude before the start of next year’s State Fair on Aug. 22, 2018.

As currently configured, the orange lot is not paved, does not have lined parking, and loses up to 30 percent of its parking capacity during wet weather, Cuomo’s office said. 

The project will bring traffic patterns and parking availability “up-to-date to meet the needs of 21st century fairgoers.”

The orange lot serves as the main parking facility for the New York State Fair and the Lakeview Amphitheater. During popular concerts and busy fair days, traffic backs up on the Exit 7 ramp leading to the lot, causing delays on Interstate 690.

The new lot will “help alleviate” some of these delays, Cuomo’s office contends.

Project details

In this project, crews will pave the lot and increase its capacity, “improving traffic flow,” according to the news release. They will also install new drainage features to prevent flooding. 

The project will involve a redesigned intersection from Exit 7 on I-690 with a new traffic signal, and a new exit from the west end of the orange lot to I-690 West. 

These changes, coupled with the construction of new access roads, will “expand” parking; “improve” the flow and circulation of traffic entering and exiting the orange lot; and “reduce delays” on I-690, Cuomo’s office said.

Once the first phase is done, the parking lot will have more than three miles of paved interior roadways, two miles of sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, 114 new LED lights for improved visibility, along with improved storm-water management. LED is short for light-emitting diode. 

Following the completion of this project, New York will enter into a “long-term” agreement with Onondaga County for the shared use of the parking lots, “building on the partnership between the Lakeview Amphitheater and the New York State Fairgrounds.” 

“For a century, the fairgrounds went virtually unchanged, and in just a few short years, New York has completely upgraded and transformed this historic attraction into a world class, multi-use operation,” Cuomo contended in the release. “Transforming the orange lot is critical in our efforts to complete the Fair’s modernization, and will provide much needed additional capacity as we continue to attract more and more visitors to the grounds and to Central New York as a whole.”

The announcement complements Central New York Rising, the region’s “comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development.”

Second phase

The project’s second phase will focus on additional access improvements between the orange parking lot and the adjacent interstates to eliminate the temporary traffic signal that is installed on I-690 every year during the fair. 

This part of the project will include an additional redesigned on and off-ramp access system from the 695 South interchange; a new bridge to create a direct access from the orange lot to the 690 East on-ramp; and a new pedestrian bridge from the western portion of the orange lot to the state fairgrounds. 

Cuomo’s office anticipates funding for the second phase “in the near future.”