$70 million worth of improvements planned for South Bend International Airport

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – There are some ambitious improvement plans for South Bend International Airport, with a total cost of $70 million.

Gate Four in the hall has been out of service for a long time – it was shut down because it no longer met ADA regulations.

“And we actually rebuilt and created an ADA compliant walkway so we could maximize the space in the building and get another gate for better service and more airlines,” Patrick Mac Carthaigh of the St. Joseph County Airport Authority told WNDU 16 News Now.

Airport officials have been looking for ways to modernize the airport and increase its capacity and efficiency, and work is underway on a redesigned taxiway.

“By lowering the pavement level, we can utilize existing infrastructure and accommodate the door heights of larger aircraft,” explained Mac Carthaigh.

In addition, the car rental companies that were previously scattered throughout the site will now be consolidated into one location. This move will keep cars away from the driveway and create the opportunity for new development or clearing of the lots.

“We have a lot of federal, state and local investment in the airport, which is really a gateway to the community, to the region,” Mac Carthaigh said. “If you have a mile of road, you have a mile of road. If you have a couple of miles of runway, you can go anywhere in the world.”

On Thursday, the South Bend Redevelopment Commission agreed to fund up to $500,000 in airport improvements needed to attract a new airline to the airport.

Breeze Airways will begin nonstop flights from South Bend to Orlando in November.

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