After years of working on plans and funding, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport “broke ground” on its $95 million Concourse E Redevelopment Project, which will demolish and replace the long-shuttered Concourse E on the south end of the terminal.
Airport officials say that the project will increase the airport’s capacity for international and domestic flights.
Expected to be completed in 2027, the new concourse – which will extend out of the main terminal pointing more to the southwest than to the southeast as the current concourse does – will include two flexible use domestic/international gates and have the ability to process 400 international arrivals per hour.
The project – which airport officials say will create more than 200 construction jobs – also calls for a green roof and solar shading for energy efficiency.
The new concourse will replace the current International Arrivals Terminal, which is located outside of the main terminal, offering a less than optimal experience for arrivals. That small terminal only has the capacity for 140 international arrivals per hour.
“The new Concourse E will improve efficiency for international operations, since airlines will handle international and domestic arrivals and departures from the same gate, rather than towing aircraft from the International Arrivals Terminal to the Main Terminal,” said Milwaukee County Airport Director Brian Dranzik.
“The new concourse will also be environmentally-friendly, have a modern U.S. Customs facility, and bring MKE’s passenger experience to an even higher level.”
The project is funded entirely through airport revenue, bonding, and $13.5 million in Federal funding.
Findorff Construction is the general contractor on the project, which was designed by Alliiance.
Though the main stem of Concourse E – like the other concourses – dates to the 1950s, the rotunda at the end was added during a 1969 renovation project of the original “south pier” which was then called the South Concourse.
The $1.3 million South Concourse was officially dedicated on March 2, 1970 as part of North Central Airlines’ inauguration of its new routes between Milwaukee and Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati.
By then, however, the first flight – North Central Airlines Flight #7 – had already taken off on Dec. 8, 1969.
Over the years, the concourse served 16 airlines via its 10 gates until the last flight – United Airlines 5428 – taxied away on May 23, 2017. That’s when the airport’s carriers consolidated their flights in the other two concourses and Concourse E went dark, opening the door for this re-envisioning.
“MKE Airport is the front door for visitors from around the world to experience all the great things that the Milwaukee area has to offer. Milwaukee County owns and operates the Airport, and we want our visitors to have the best possible experience,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
“This project will set the stage for expanded international connections and economic opportunity for our region. That means more options for Milwaukee-based travelers, more people visiting the Milwaukee region, and more opportunities for Wisconsin’s business community to grow.
"And, best of all, this project will not use a single property tax dollar.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
