New era of air travel begins in western Nebraska

North Platte Regional Airport in Nebraska is celebrating the grand opening of its new passenger terminal.

The $29.6 million terminal’s ribbon cutting was attended by numerous local, state and federal leaders, including Nebraska Governor, Jim Pillen, and US Senators Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer.

The leaders praised the terminal’s role in supporting economic growth across western Nebraska while enhancing the passenger experience.

All images courtesy of HDR.

Serving a 15-county service area, the new terminal is designed to meet the needs of modern travellers with jet bridge boarding, updated restrooms, natural light and food options.

It also features modern, energy-efficient building systems, a mass timber structure, and cross-laminated timber roofing, leading to reduced embodied carbon compared to steel construction.

Other sustainability features include the capture, storage and reuse of stormwater runoff to satisfy non-potable water demand, photovoltaic skylight glass to provide renewable energy for building systems and a geothermal heating and cooling system to reduce energy demand.

HDR has assisted the North Platte Airport Authority on the project since the beginning, including co-authoring the authority’s FY2024 Airport Terminals Program application and advocating for the project with local, state and federal leaders.

In total, the airport authority secured $21.8 million in federal funds for the new terminal, which is several times higher than the airport’s annual budget.

“Projects like this succeed because of strong partnerships and a shared commitment to creating something that will serve the community for decades to come,” said HDR’s project manager Ryan Hanson.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to support the North Platte Airport Authority throughout this journey and congratulate them on delivering a terminal that enhances the travel experience.”

HDR also helped the airport authority modify its design, project delivery strategy and provided engineering and architecture support throughout construction.

“This project is a great example of how our engineering and architecture experts can work together to deliver a beautiful and modern structure for our airport clients,” noted HDR Aviation director Bill Peduzzi.

“We’re proud to have worked alongside the North Platte Airport Authority to deliver a transformative project for western Nebraska.”

The airport currently handles around 30,000 enplanements per annum and has a daily United service to and from Denver.