Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan takes part in groundbreaking ceremony for expansion at Gary/Chicago International Airport.
A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on Tuesday, Oct. 8, for the initial phase of a long-term expansion project at the Gary / Chicago International Airport.
The expansion project is specifically aimed at the airport’s increasingly critical air cargo sector, which has quickly expanded since beginning operations in late 2020.
The groundbreaking announced roughly $24 million of multiple infrastructure enhancements to the airport, including the installation of a Jet-A fuel pipeline, installation of a new sanitary sewer system serving cargo facilities and a deicing facility and a new cargo logistics apron. When complete, these enhancements will provide GCIA added capacity to service its air cargo operations.
“This is a pivotal step to securing the future of our increasingly important air cargo offering, with these infrastructure investments made possible by the past several years’ of increasing cargo sector growth,” said Dan Vicari, Executive Director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport. “We are immensely grateful for the partnership of Congressman Mrvan, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the State of Indiana for their continued support for our airport and its ability to fuel the local economy.”
Funding for these enhancements came from a variety of sources at the state and federal levels and total roughly $24 million, pulled together over a period of years. Indiana Congressman Frank J. Mrvan secured slightly over $10 million in Community Project Funding (CPF) from Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will provide slightly over $4 million in funds via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), with the State of Indiana awarding approximately $9.8 million in grant funding for the enhancements.
“Thank you to all of the leaders with the Gary/Chicago International Airport, the State of Indiana, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for taking these tangible actions to invest in the long-term economic success of the City of Gary and Northwest Indiana,” said Congressman Frank J. Mrvan. (IN-1st) “This is the model of how we can collaborate at all levels of government and with private industry and our workforce to continue to create more good-paying job opportunities and business development throughout our region.”
This Phase 1 project will also create and upgrade roughly $2 million in enhancements to the airport’s sanitary sewer system, which will be constructed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). Phase 1 will also create a new cargo logistics apron that will ultimately be utilized to accommodate an additional eight (8) air cargo planes to operate out of the airport concurrently.