b'22 FSD PARKINGmethod also expedited completion because deep foundations require much more time to build and set. A Fighting Past and Promising FutureThis September, FSD marked its 85th anniversary. Like so many U.S. airports, its history is rife with military connections. The Sioux Falls Municipal Airport opened in 1939 at a cost of $500,000equivalent to $32 million in todays dollars. At the start of World War II, it was leased to the U.S. Army as a training facility for radio operators. Over the next five years, the Army Corp of Engineers developed the fields triangular three-runway configuration that is still in use today.After the war, the city of Sioux Falls regained control of the airport but leased the southern portion to the South Dakota Air National Guard. It still maintains an F-16 fighter group there.Looking ahead, the airports next battle is to win back the business travel that has never fully recovered from the pandemic. Before that can happen, FSD must further expand its infrastructure.Adding a roof over the fourth floor protects vehicles and customers from inclement weather.Weve continued to grow leisure so well that weve exceeded the capabilities of our facilities, King reports. If fact, FSD hasnt Need Photographic Evidence actively courted local business travelers to swap their Zoom calls for in-person meetings in Your Garage? that require flights because that might overwhelm the terminal that is already bursting at the seams.Run a License Plate Inventory report to instantly discover where and when vehicles enter, park, and exit your parkingCurrently, the airport has seven jet bridges facility. Using our Parking Guidance System software, yourand six seating areas, all of which have been operator has correct data for violations, enforcement, lost upgraded in phases over the past 15 years. tickets, and reservations. Contact us to learn how! Plans are now in motion for a $130 million, six-gate concourse addition. Airport leaders are optimistic about breaking ground next spring on what will be FSDs largest project ever.Its not just budgeting for your next project. Its budgeting for the project thats beyond, King says.And if the larger terminal brings the added traffic airport leaders expect, FSD could then needyou guessed itmore parking capacity to complement this years addition. While there is no timeline yet, forward thinking has served FSD well for decades.Its not a one-and-done, says Kimley-Horns Schwientek. We thought throughparkassist.com future expansions, so when the airport grows, there is a plan. November | December 2024AirportImprovement.com'