Quad Cities International Airport Unveils New Facility in First Phase of $60M Renovation

The first phase of Project GATEWAY, Quad Cities International Airport’s $60 million renovation project, has been marked complete.

Elected officials and airport leaders gathered [March 31] to unveil the airport’s updated ticket counters and new 14,600 square foot baggage handling facility. As part of the first phase, security screening and baggage handling were relocated from the ticketing lobby to the new facility, which houses an updated conveyor belt system. This phase of renovations cost $18 million.

The 14,600 square foot facility will process checked baggage before vehicles transport the baggage to aircraft. The facility is secure and not open to the public.

Benjamin Leischner, executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport, said the upgrades were long overdue, with the last renovations to ticketing counters having been completed in 1985.

“These improvements not only improve the passenger experience, but also improve safety efficiency behind the scenes, allowing us to serve travelers better,” Leischner said.

The ribbon-cutting included speeches by Leischner, U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen and Randy Clarahan, project manager at Mortenson, the construction company behind the facility.

In an interview with the Dispatch-Argus/Quad-City Times, Clarahan said visitors will now experience a “seamless” baggage screening process upon entry to the airport.

Before the renovations, travelers hauled their luggage to a counter to be weighed, and then brought it to TSA agents where bags were screened in public view. Now, ticket agents will weigh baggage and place it on a belt to be screened in the new facility, out of sight.

The luggage will then be ready for ramp workers to move it onto cars and then quickly to the aircraft.

“It’s smoother and cleaner,” Clarahan said. “You check it, they weigh it, you’re done with it.”

Project GATEWAY is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and through Federal Aviation Administration airport entitlement funds, as well as airport capital. Airline fees were not increased for the project, according to a press release provided at the ribbon-cutting.

Airport officials broke ground for the baggage facility April 4, 2024, expecting construction to last exactly one year, an expectation the airport exceeded by one week.

“We made promises and commitments that said we would deliver this project safely, on budget, on time,” Clarahan said. “And those promises were met.”

Of the 15 subcontractors and suppliers who worked on the project, 11 are based in the Quad-Cities, and only two are from outside Illinois and Iowa, Leischner said in his speech. More than 96% of labor hours were from Quad-Cities employees.

“Today is more than just a ribbon cutting,” Leischner said. “It's a testament to community commitment.”

Project GATEWAY’s next phase will involve renovations to public-facing areas of the airport.

In this phase, the airport plans to replace the terminal’s brick floors, add a curbside canopy for weather protection, update restrooms to include companion care facilities and nursing rooms, relocate public meeting spaces for better accessibility and create an indoor and outdoor observation area for travelers.

These renovations will begin late fall 2025, and are set to be completed within 12 to 15 months, with a possible six-month extension due to the potential for tariffs on imported materials, Leischner told the Dispatch-Argus/Quad-City Times.