The Central Illinois Regional Airport has about $70 million in infrastructure projects underway, or in a six-year pipeline. Some are moving faster than others.
A road project at CIRA has hit a snag. Airport executive director Carl Olson said a proposed cargo access road has lost about $1.5 million in federal funding. The road would divert heavy truck traffic from the main airport road used by passenger traffic, increasing safety and reducing road wear. Olson said design work for an intersection is done.
“We still have the Airport Authority funding set aside. We're looking to find a few million dollars. We're currently searching through federal and state infrastructure and roadway and economic development dollars to co-mingle with the authority funds to get that project back, moving forward again,” said Olson.
Design work for the road itself is ready to start when money is available. The total estimated project cost is $5.8 million. Olson said early signs in this year's federal budgeting process are encouraging.
“The design work for the intersection is done that could go out to bid. We're ready to do that. The design work for the roadway is ready to kick start. We don't want to go too far until we know we've got the funding locked down. I just don't know how fast we're gonna be able to get that secured,” said Olson.
Multi-modal business park
A multi-modal business park project on Bloomington's east side is nearing completion. Olson said work is done on water and sewer extension to the 250-acre site on airport land just south of Ireland Grove Road.
“The hope is we can help kick start industrial development in that area, which has the added advantage, besides bringing in new jobs, to also put that property back on the tax rolls because right now it's Airport Authority. It's not on the tax rolls ... It would be a multi-modal business park, we'd be the only one in the region,” he said.
The site has class one freight railroad access. Norfolk Southern tracks run through the middle of the property. Olson said that could make it attractive for manufacturing firms that bring in raw materials by rail and send out finished product.
Economic development leaders identified an industrial park as a strategic imperative several years ago. Olson said CIRA, the City of Bloomington, and the Economic Development Council will conduct an aggressive coordinated marketing campaign.
“I think it's going to be more of a process than a project with a deadline because it's important that the airport find just the right project," he said. "We want to make sure it doesn't attract wildlife or interfere with our electronic signals. We also want to make sure it's a good project for the community and doesn't create problematic smells or noises or views.”
CIRA has had talks with several prospective tenants, but those have so far not advanced.
Runway work
The next big project CIRA faces will be about a $24 million rehabilitation of the east-west runway. Olson said that will require a blend of federal and state airfield infrastructure funds coupled with Airport Authority capital money.
“That pavement was last rehabbed in 1998 and with the increased use by heavy, large aircraft, annual wear and tear beyond what we can do with regular maintenance and upkeep. That would be a complete rehabilitation,” said Olson.
Phase 1 could start in the summer of 2026, and phase two in 2027, he said, adding the Federal Aviation Authority [FAA] has told CIRA it has approved Phase 1 money. Phase 2 would be next.
“We've had funding for design, and we're starting to work towards funding for Phase 2 construction as well. So far, we are getting the green light from the FAA,” said Olson.
The east-west runway will be closed during construction — May-September — and reopen for winter operations. The same thing will happen in 2027. The main runway will remain open.
Other runway and shoulder work has happened episodically over the last decade.
General aviation
The oldest structures at the airport are the nearly half-century old General Aviation structures for private, small single-engine aircraft, that also are undergoing replacement at a $23-25 million price tag.
“We have constructed a new ramp, new taxiways and 58 new small hangars for our aircraft tenants. We expect construction to be completed for middle of next month, and we expect the first tenants to move in by late summer,” said Olson.
Main terminal
The “new” airport terminal building is now about 24 years old, and Olson said so far there is no pressing capital need for that part of the airport infrastructure — but one could emerge after the next master plan comes out. The existing plan is just about built out and Olson said a new plan would take several years to develop.
“When they designed and built the building, they really did it with an eye towards the future," he said. "I really tip my hat to those folks. They did a nice job when you look at the different components of the building that the airline side, there's sufficient capacity, the bag screening or bag claim side, there's capacity.”
A potential future question might be a need for additional departure gates.
“When the building was built, it was servicing aircraft that had 19 to 35 seats in it. Now, we have aircraft that have 190-200 seats. The aircraft are so large we've had to take one or two gates out of service because you just couldn't park the aircraft that close together. That would be something to consider,” said Olson.
He said the modular design of the building would allow expansion without much difficulty.
Taxing district
One of the least visible and most intensive projects CIRA has faced in recent years also is done. The airport has completed all the work to transform the previous Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority into a new governing body.
In 2023, the state legislature passed and the governor signed a measure to create a county-wide taxing district for the airport. That has created new property taxes for rural residents of McLean County and reduced the airport share of the tax burden for Bloomington-Normal residents.
It allows the airport more flexibility in addressing capital needs of the future.
