The Memphis International Airport is going through a massive renovation, which includes tearing down one of its terminals to make way for other uses.

Demolition of the airport’s Concourse A building — which was originally constructed in 1974 — began on July 8 with a bulldozer plowing through the upper corner of the building and gradually moving across the facility.

Glen Thomas is the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority communications director. Thomas said Concourse A hasn’t been used since 2022 when the airport opened the revamped $245 million Concourse B and moved all airport operations in that wing.

Here is a closer look at what is planned at the airport.

What will the former Concourse A site be used for?

Thomas said the former Concourse A site will first be used for storing construction materials needed for the modernized terminal project and the replacement of the outer drive. The outer drive — which airport officials say will take two years to complete — will result in a seismically enhanced and expanded departures-level drive. This phase of the project is needed to enable the terminal building expansion. The remodeled building will move outward into the existing inner-curb lane.

The former Concourse A site will also clear the way for a new 63,500-square-foot Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCA) administration building that will house about 150 employees including those in finance, development, terminal operations, information technology, airport police staff and maintenance, according to Thomas. The ground floor of the new administration building will also contain a new consolidated baggage inspection system (CBIS), which is touted to allow for faster inspection and transport of checked bags from the ticketing lobby until they are loaded onto the aircraft.

How long will demolition of Concourse A take? Will it impact passenger traffic?

The Concourse A demolition is expected to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026. Thomas said the fate of Concourse C is still to be determined.

“We are going to need to utilize some of that area, while we are working on the B terminal,” he said. “It’s still an area where we have a security checkpoint if needed, and it also could be the potential location of the consolidated rental car area should we move in that direction.”

Glen Thomas, communications director for the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, speaks to the media about the demolition of Concourse A at the Memphis International Airport on July 8.

Thomas noted that so far there hasn’t been any passenger impact from the terminal construction. However, he said that will change once the airport moves rideshare (Uber and Lyft) down to the arrivals area of the terminal.

“That is going to create a situation where people are going to have to change their habits and they’re going to be getting their rides downstairs, instead of up on the ticketing area," Thomas said.

"Also, as we begin to work on that outer drive, of course, that is going to have a lot of impact. Two years from now, once we get inside the terminal that will be most significant (impact). But later this year, there will be greater impact and we’ll definitely be communicating a lot about that.”

What firms are involved in the terminal modernization project?

The airport’s modernization project is estimated to cost roughly $700 million, which is the largest capital project in Memphis International’s history. The project is likely to increase as design and construction details are finalized.

The terminal modernization is a venture between three construction companies: Turner Construction, Chris Woods Construction and Ardmore Roderick.

Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected] or 901-293-1610.

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