The Designs Are in: What Hilton Head Airport Will Look Like After $37.5M Terminal Project

Jul. 28—What will the terminal expansion at Hilton Head Airport actually look like?

Beaufort County has released new renderings to show residents what to expect when the $37.5 million project is eventually completed.

Jon Rembold, airports director for the county, presented the designs to the Hilton Head Island Town Council during a meeting last week.

The renderings "may have some minor tweaks as we go, but this is pretty much what you'll see," Rembold said.

He also announced that the county still does not have a set timeline for the project's construction, as design work and the permitting process continue.

Rembold, though, does expect construction to ultimately take 2 1/2 to 3 years to complete.

The new renderings show more space for travelers inside and passenger drop-offs outside, among other things.

"The entire project is not fully funded yet, and we're still in the designing and funding part of it," Rembold said last year.

The impending terminal project comes on the heels of a runway extension that has made it easier for larger planes to land at the airport. The Island Packet previously reported that, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the airport was experiencing 200% increases in passengers from previous years.

The terminal plan would add 42,000 square feet to the 18,500 square-foot building, about half of which is a holding room for passengers waiting to board, according to an application filed with the island's Design Review Board for discussion last December. The other half includes a new grand hall and a four-lane passenger drop-off and pick-up area, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet.

The project's budget is $37.5 million, and $20 million of that is being paid for by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, Rembold has said.

After standard 5% contributions from the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, and the airport itself, the project still needs about $15 million, Rembold previously estimated.

Stu Rodman, the chair of Beaufort County Council's public facilities committee, at a Monday meeting said that "staff is working through a recommendation on how to do a balance of the funding."

"I think we'll be successful," Rodman said.

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