The first phase of the Redmond airport expansion project, now with projected cost of $145 million, is expected to break ground this summer and will include a brand new concourse on the second floor, seven jet bridges and new options for food and shopping.

The updated airport expansion plans were discussed at the Oct. 24 Redmond City Council. Zach Bass, Redmond airport director, said concepts for the project were created with thought about what the region will need in the next 10 to 20 years as it continues to grow.

In 2016, roughly 600,000 passengers used Redmond’s airport compared. Just seven years later those number have more than doubled. In 2023, 1.25 million passengers are projected to move through RDM.

“The expansion that we are looking at now is just unbelievable in terms of its size,” said Redmond mayor Ed Fitch. “It is five times bigger than the current terminal.”

The project will eventually include three distinct phases and stretch over many years. The focus currently is on the first phase of redevelopment, which already has the necessary $145 million in funding in place. Most of that cash is already in hand, including $25 million in savings from fees paid by travelers and 75 percent likely to come from state and federal grants.

“The major thing is going to be a 50-to-60,000-square-foot concourse on the second floor. Brand new. Seven jet bridges. A new restaurant. A new retail shop. Probably a new coffee shop. And then some other small amenities,” Bass said of the first phase’s biggest ticket item.

That first phase of the project — expected to take roughly two years to complete — will also include 12 to 14 new check-in counters. That extra space will allow for expanding square footage for existing airlines and having space to accommodate new ones. The airport’s basement, which is behind security, will also be expanded to allow TSA to screen and process more baggage. A new outbound baggage carousel will allow bags to be loaded onto aircrafts more efficiently.

Currently, Redmond passengers board and deplane on a tarmac that is always exposed to the elements, even during a wicked Central Oregonian snowstorm. But with the new jet bridges, passengers on some flights will be able able to travel right from the plane and into the airport, Bass said. He said the expansion is likely to attract new airlines, new destinations, more flight frequency and larger aircrafts.

“It is not a build it and they are already coming, it is more of a build it and you give yourself the option for them to come,” Bass said. “We are meeting with a few different airlines regularly about the possibility of coming here sooner rather than later. This project allows that to happen, but we are still a few years out.”

The concourse expansion will also allow passengers to sit comfortably, many on the second floor with views of the Cascade Mountains, in a a more modern airport lounge. Currently, the terminal can get quite full during busy times, Bass said. And without adequate seating and few options for shopping and food, sitting at the airport for awhile can be difficult.

The other two phases which are still in the design phase, would include moving the car rental kiosks to the airport administration area, and then to build a new area for airport administration, Bass said. The phase would also expand TSA capabilities. The third phase would include another smaller concourse to the east of the building which would allow the airport to convert entirely to jet bridges.

Steve Curley, the director of Redmond Economic Development Inc., said Redmond has already outgrown its current airport and that the expansion will be a boon especially for the construction and construction adjacent industries that will set up shop to support the growth of the community.

“I’ve talked with a few companies that will support that that are looking for space and finding space in Redmond because they know for several years they are going to be working on that project,” Curley said. “It is obviously a significant project.”

Curley said there is already a significant workforce in place in the region, mainly workers who worked on other major projects, and the airport project, as well as others in Redmond, will keep that workforce gainfully occupied for some time.

“They will be able to tap into those folks who have been building data centers in Prineville. That work is slowing down a little bit, therefore it is a nice opportunity to keep those folks who have relocated to Central Oregon and have been working on those projects, and other significant projects,” Curley said.

Aside from the clear economic impacts of the project on the job market, the new airport will help leave a good first impression for visitors to Central Oregon, and also help the perception of the community.

Curley said the expectation for many visitors who are coming from metropolitan areas and large cities is that the airport experience will not be great. While Curley said he believes the current airport is already very good, the expansion will bring it to the next level.

“The airport is another critical service and amenity that the community has. It shows the commitment of the community to support the growth. And really it is not just Redmond in this case,” Curley said. “The airport services all of Central Oregon and even beyond. But it is a commitment to the whole region that we are going to continue to have the amenities for people to continue to live here as the region grows.”

Ed Fitch remembers when the city’s airport was just a small building with just a few flights and few employees. Then in the 1980s, the terminal was built in its current location and was expanded about 20 years later.

“There was a huge party when we opened the terminal as I recall. There was even a 5 kilometer run, there was a big party, all the cities in Central Oregon participated in that. It was quite a regional accomplishment. Now we are joining the big boys, in terms of airports, with the jetways and the bigger jets.”