WALLA WALLA — As the parking lot at the Walla Walla Regional Airport grows noticeably fuller, airport officials have decided to throttle up on a terminal renovation project that has been in the works for years.

Jennifer Skoglund, airport manager, said the upgrades to the main terminal and surrounding tarmac are overdue, and now with newer, faster and larger jets, the time has come to address the comfort of those who fly to and from Walla Walla.

The last time the airport terminal was updated was 2000.

“A lot has changed in 23 years,” Skoglund said. “When the terminal and the footprint was designed for a 37-seat aircraft, and the airport’s master plan updated to accommodate about 76 passengers, where we are today, we have outgrown the terminal.”

What to expect

The updates, Skoglund said, will be noticeable with work zones involving the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint area and the waiting room where customers sit before departing on a flight.

“The TSA checkpoint will be moved into an expanded area,” she said, and the seating area also will expand.

The passenger seating area now can accommodate about 76 passengers, the expanded area will be able to hold close to 110.

“Once this project is complete, customers will hopefully have a more comfortable seating experience,” she said.

The TSA checkpoint will be moved and expanded to bring in new security equipment such as the walk-through full body scanners that are often used in larger airports. Skoglund said the TSA had not been able to bring the new equipment to the airport because of space limitations.

“Like anywhere else, you’ll still have to divest any of your carry-on bags and electronic devices,” she said. “The body scanner will be a huge improvement because it should reduce the intrusiveness of any checks if an alarm does go off. Hopefully, once it’s all up and running, it will keep people moving through faster and more efficiently.”

The project also will include the removal of the turn-style doorway from where passengers come into the terminal after departing a plane. The exit lane will become an automated exit lane where the doors will close behind the customer and another set of doors will open in front to lead them out of the terminal.

“That is a requirement to make sure there is no backtracking into the secured area,” she said. “That will be a good addition. I know the turnstile door is one of the things passengers hate.”

Skoglund said there is no specific date yet when construction will begin at the terminal, but she said customers who are either flying in or out of Walla Walla should expect the site to be “a construction zone.”

“We will keep the area safe for passengers, but it could be loud and dusty,” she said. “The end result will be 100% worth it.”

The construction will be phased, starting with the removal of the turn-style door and the creation of the automated exit lane. The TSA checkpoint expansion will be the second phase, then the additional expansion of the passenger holding area.

“There are always improvements going on at the airport,” Skoglund said. “Most of it is driven by funding and making sure we find the appropriate funding available.”

For this project, the airport is using FAA CARES Development Grant dollars that were allocated through the CARES Act. The CARES Act is a law created by the federal government to help the country during the COVID-19 crisis. The big financial boost of $2.2 trillion has been used to support people and businesses and was approved in March 2020.

Skoglund said even before CARES funding was available, these updates to the terminal were already on the airport’s master plan. “We really try to forecast out as to when we can do these projects, but it really just depends on when those federal dollars are available.”

Funding used for this project from the CARES Act has a four-year expiration date. Skoglund said the airport received the funding in June 2020 so the money must be spent by June 2024.

The terminal project, she said, is estimated to cost $2.1 million.

“We’re getting down to a tight time frame, but there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on for the last year and a half,” Skoglund said. “It hasn’t gone as fast as I would like, but we’ll make it.”