The US Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation have given $7.5 million to Central Wisconsin Airport.
According to the Herald Times Reporter publication, the funds will be used to fully upgrade CWA's passenger terminal, contributing to a $10 million modernisation programme set to transform the airport from 1 September 2012 onwards.
CWA's baggage security checkpoints will be relocated from their current position to a location to the rear of the ticket counters, while the ticket counters themselves will be enlarged, with the aim of lowering passenger congestion levels on site.
Central Wisconsin Airport Upgrade
In addition, the Central Wisconsin Airport upgrade will see a geothermal energy system installed and, once this is in place, the airport's utility bills will drop significantly, with natural resources supplying all but 20 per cent of its heating and cooling needs.
Owned by Marathon and Portage counties, Central Wisconsin Airport isn't among the US' largest airports but, with two main runways and a single terminal, serves four cities. American, United and Delta airlines all operate services to and from CWA and, in 2010, the airport handled in excess of 160,000 passengers.
CWA Terminal Upgrade
"It gets real crowded in the current configuration", Tony Yaron - the airport's manager - explained in a statement on the CWA terminal upgrade, adding: "We're confident this renovation will help meet traffic needs for many years to come."
The internal CWA upgrade programme's start will coincide with the end of a linked, external upgrade programme, which is giving the site new car parking facilities, LED lighting structures and other elements.
CWA also hopes that, in coming months, at least one more major passenger carrier will start using the airport but, although talks have taken place, no definitive announcement's yet been made. Looking further ahead, additional upgrades are in store and, according to Yaron, within the next three years, the airport will really start to take shape. "By 2015, we should have a very good-looking campus", he said.
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
