Officials recently marked a key construction milestone

HOUNSFIELD — Officials expect the new passenger terminal at the Watertown International Airport to open this September.

The project reached an “important construction milestone” when crews lifted one of the last steel beams into place during a ceremony held on Friday, Dec. 20 at the airport, located in the town of Hounsfield, in Jefferson County.

Construction workers were invited to sign the beam that morning at the construction site, and a short ceremony followed a few hours later. It included remarks by Jefferson County Administrator Ryan Piche and William Johnson, chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators. Crews then put the beam in place.

A topping-off ceremony is a “longstanding construction tradition” that celebrates the completion of a building’s structural phase by placing a significant beam into place — the final or tallest beam, per the Jefferson County announcement.

Jefferson County, as the owner and operator of the airport, signed a contract with McFarland-Johnson, Inc. (MJ) of Binghamton to complete planning, engineering design, and construction administration for the new facility. MJ — and its project team including BCA Architects and Engineers of Watertown — have designed the new passenger terminal measuring about 25,000 square feet (more than double the size of the existing terminal) just to the west of the existing building along the nearly completed new airport access road.

Project construction is currently in the first of two phases. Jefferson County anticipates the second phase to include the construction of a connector between the new building and the existing terminal as well as improvements to the existing terminal to enable the operation of a restaurant.

Several grants from the state and the FAA are helping to pay for the overall project, along with grant matches provided by Jefferson County. The new passenger terminal is currently scheduled to open to the public in September 2025.

Project details

The new terminal will incorporate features that have never previously been available at the Watertown International Airport that will “significantly enhance the passenger experience,” per the announcement.

Crews will build an automated baggage belt within the baggage claim to allow for incoming baggage to circulate through the space and for passengers to spread out as they await their baggage to arrive. They’ll also construct a passenger boarding bridge (also known as a jet bridge) connecting the new second floor waiting area directly to the aircraft.

Passengers will no longer have to deal with the weather elements while entering or exiting the aircraft and can walk through the climate-controlled bridge that will be constructed so that it can accommodate two aircraft parked at the airport terminal.

Crews will install a new heating and cooling system within the building using geothermal heat pumps which the facility says will reduce the airport’s operational costs as compared to a traditional heating and cooling system and also reduce its on-site CO2 emissions.