CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Florida-based engineering and architectural firm will lead the effort toward a reimagined Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Work on the airport’s new master plan got under way earlier this month and is expected to continue through early 2021. RS&H, headquartered in Jacksonville, was hired by the city to shepherd the project.
The plan will likely include several possibilities for remaking the aging airport, both short- and long-term, modest to major. A new terminal, at a cost of more than $1 billion, is one probable option.
Said Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson: “This master plan process will identify investments that will make Hopkins a more modern, user-friendly airport to attract business flyers as well as leisure travelers.”
RS&H will be paid $4.5 million for the plan, funded by the airlines that do business in Cleveland.
First on the firm’s to-do list in Cleveland: taking inventory of existing property and structures on the airport’s 1,700 acres southwest of downtown.
The public will be invited to make suggestions at some point during the process, according to RS&H vice president Jeff Mishler.
In recent weeks, The Plain Dealer has asked readers what they think should be done with the congested airport, built in the 1950s. A large majority think major improvements are necessary, though respondents were split on whether a new terminal should be built.
Priorities include: wider, higher concourses, with more natural light; additional parking; a revamped Customs/immigration facility; a better shuttle drop-off/pickup process; bigger bathrooms and more.
Cleveland Hopkins was recently ranked the second-worst mid-sized airport in North America, in J.D. Power’s annual Airport Satisfaction Survey. Only Kahului Airport in Hawaii scored worse among airports with between 4.5 million and 9.9 million passengers.
RS&H, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, has worked for decades on airport planning and engineering projects across the country, according to its website. Recent projects include work at Indianapolis International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Houston George Bush International Airport.
Airport master plans are required by the Federal Aviation Administration for certain federal funding. The last master plan for Cleveland Hopkins was completed in 2011, three years before United Airlines pulled its hub from the airport.
Hopkins has changed dramatically in the years since then, with a much greater percentage of passengers starting or ending their travels in Cleveland. As United downsized, new airlines filled in the gaps, occupying spaces in concourses A and B. Meanwhile, Concourse D, built in 1999 and paid for by Continental Airlines, closed in 2014.
Said Airport Director Robert Kennedy: “The new master plan will give us a road map of projects and improvements for years to come, given the dynamic changes the airport has undergone since 2014.”
Among the tasks facing RS&H: forecasting future passenger trends at the airport. In 2018, the airport welcomed 9.64 million passengers, the highest number since 2009. That number is expected to exceed 10 million in 2019.
Read more: Readers respond: Cleveland Hopkins’ most-needed improvements include wider concourses, more parking