New flooring is going to be put down at the Springfield-Branson National Airport beginning late this summer. The carpet there now, meant to mimic the waterways of the Ozarks, has been in place since the terminal opened in 2009, and airport spokesperson Ren Luebbering said it’s seen better days.
"After more than 15 million people have walked across this carpet, they are really just worn out. They're reaching the end of their useful life," said SGF Spokesperson Ren Luebbering. "And the carpet that we know and love is going away and being replaced with something we believe is going to be just as iconic in the future.
That something is terrazzo — resin mixed with chipped glass and stone will be poured on the floor. When it dries, it will be polished and will be as hard as concrete. It's expected to last at least 50 years, and, Luebbering said, it’s easy to clean.
The new floor is mindful of the terminal’s three architectural themes: Water, rock and the natural green spaces of the Ozarks, according to the airport in a press release.
The $4 million flooring project will be done in sections to lessen the impact to airport customers.
"We're going to guide our customers and passengers through construction with great signage and wayfinding," said Luebbering. "It won't be really that unlike a detour during road construction."
The flooring project is part of $35 million in construction projects at SGF.
Since they're tearing up the floor anyway, the airport will add automated exit lanes. Luebbering said they're found at major airports like those in Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta.
The exit lanes are designed by Alliiance in conjunction with local architects Dake Wells. They are expected to provide a more seamless departure of deplaning passengers while reducing operation costs at the airport, according to airport officials in a press release.
“This technology has been successful in increasing safety and security measures at larger airports across the nation, and we are excited to bring it to Springfield,” said Dave Schaumburg, the airport’s assistant director of operations, in the release. “Plus, the design allows for future expansion of the TSA checkpoint.”
SGF recently completed $10 million in concrete for its cargo ramp reconstruction project, which replaced some of the oldest concrete within the fence at the airport, according to Luebbering.
Five passenger jet bridges are expected to be replaced in the next six months, replacing some that were brought over from the old terminal. The new ones will be air conditioned and have electricity connections.
An expansion of the terminal apron is underway with $6.4 million in federal funds secured by former Senator Roy Blunt.
