LANSING, Mich. — The Capital Region International Airport broke ground Tuesday morning on an expansion of the cargo ramp. The expansion will add 63% more ramp space, which is equal to seven football fields in size.
"Our partners today with UPS and the suppliers they use up a majority of the cargo ramp space we have right now during their peak times, morning and later at night, so what this does is provide additional space for our current and even future development opportunities we might have with other partners," said Capital Region International Airport CEO and President Nicole Noll-Williams.
Around $1 billion of revenue is brought to mid-Michigan every year by the airport. The expansion was made possible by lawmakers like Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Sen. Gary Peters.
Noll-William's says Stabenow fought to bring federal funding to the airport assisting the $8.1 million expansion.
"This has always been a priority for me, when we look at what we need to do in mid-Michigan for jobs, economic activity, quality of life and so on," said Stabenow.
Local businesses rely on the cargo port for same-day supplies, a driving force in the airport's expansion.
"We also know that businesses depend on this airport, and that's why we're here, product in, product out," said Stabenow.
Construction is also estimated to provide 200 part-time jobs.
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