Officials Wednesday broke ground on a new concourse at Southwest Florida International Airport, more commonly called by its airport code — RSW.
They did so even though work on the $1.1 billion project began last October.
Concourse E will have 14 gates and walkways to connect to the current terminal. E also will have more food options and a nine-lane security checkpoint. It is scheduled to open in late 2027.
The work is happening as phase one of the RSW expansion project remains stalled for the past year.
Design and construction issues have halted the effort to expand the current terminal. The contractor, Manhattan Construction, at one point suggested the Lee County Port Authority may have to pay another $346 million to complete the work. All of phase one was budgeted for less than that: about $331 million.
The money for airport expansion does not come from local property taxes. It comes from grants from the federal and state governments, and from fees paid by the airlines to use the airport.
Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka serves on the airport board and has dug into problems between Manhattan and the design company, Atkins North America.
He previously discovered numerous issues between the two companies. And he even found an instance in which Manhattan drilled into reinforced steel bars in the concrete of the existing terminal.
The Port Authority said all areas of the current terminal are safe.
Mulicka spoke about what he has seen in his recent research into phase one.
"It's not getting better," he said. "There's just been a lot of missteps and a lot of things that I wish we could do over. Miscommunications and just, you know, fractured process, things that we just need to resolve."
Mulicka said he has not seen a new cost figure or timeline from Manhattan to complete phase one.
When asked whether Manhattan is the company to resolve the issues, Mulicka had this response.
"I'm still finishing my research," he said. "I don't want to answer that at this time."
On Wednesday, Hertha Welborn of North Fort Myers came to RSW to pick up someone. Welborn, who said she worked for the airport some years ago, said people need to be patient while waiting for phase one to be finished properly.
"I do a lot of traveling, and I've seen it all over the United States," she said. "All the airports are getting rebuilt."
And what about finishing phase one at RSW?
"There's a lot more travelers now," she said. "Many more than there used to be. So they don't have a choice. You're going to have to get the money somewhere. We're going to have to get it done."
The Port Authority's board of commissioners has scheduled a special meeting for March 24. At that meeting the board may decide whether to stick with Manhattan Construction to finish phase one, or find a new contractor.
Manhattan is not involved in the new phase two work.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News, and also teaches journalism at FGCU.