The Kenton County Airport Board, the governing body of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, has awarded a preliminary design contract to a local firm for its ambitious Hangar Row Development.
The Kenton County Airport Board selected Cincinnati-based Woolpert Inc. to conduct preliminary design services for Hangar Row at a meeting on March 17. The contract is worth approximately $3.9 million. Woolpert’s proposal was selected out of five total other submissions.
“This project that we are bringing forward today does get us into on the preliminary design service scope of work,” incoming CEO Lawrence Krauter said.
Hangar Row will be developed on approximately 350 acres located on a southwestern portion of the airport’s campus. The project calls for building more hangars to store and repair aircraft, effectively expanding the airport’s capacity to handle and house more planes. Airport officials envision Hangar Row as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for maintaining and upgrading aircraft at CVG.
Several new facilities will be created through the project, including a new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, an airport rescue and firefighting training center, a police department training center and multiple aircraft hangars.
According to documents provided by the airport board, Woolpert is responsible for conducting design and engineering services to 30% completion. Woolpert’s work will provide a foundational look at the project’s scope and layout, which serves as a critical checkpoint for review and feedback.
Woolpert must conduct grading analysis for facilities development, taxiway connectivity, aircraft apron parking, car and truck parking, roadway access, utility right-of-ways and find a suitable hangar construction site. The firm is required to have a preliminary technical report by the third quarter of this year, with 30% design submittals due during the fourth quarter.
CVG’s selection committee picked Woolpert based on the firm’s ability to bring a “fresh perspective” in addition to providing a realistic assessment of the project’s feasibility and challenges.
Hangar Row is a top priority of CVG’s outgoing CEO Candace McGraw, who has touted the project as a way to bolster the airport’s aircraft service sector.
“It’s a long-term vision for about 350 acres we have that are currently undeveloped,” McGraw said at a funding announcement last September. “When you look at a site and you see a green field, we can envision great buildings there to help support the airport and the ecosystem for the airport.”
The project’s preliminary design phase will be paid for by a portion of the $20 million allocated to CVG by the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session.
Currently, consulting agency Landrum and Brown is conducting an environmental study on the land to assess the project’s potential impact on local wetlands and endangered species.
