Memphis International Airport is moving forward with a major component of its $700 million Terminal Modernization and Seismic Program (TMSP). According to a recent article in the Memphis Business Journal, the airport filed a $66.8 million building permit for a new administration building and checked baggage inspection system (CBIS).
The new facility, designed by UrbanArch Associates, will replace existing office space that will be displaced during the ongoing terminal upgrades, according to Glen Thomas, Director of Strategic Marketing at the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA). The building will also house the airport’s new CBIS on its ground floor, which Thomas said will enhance the speed and efficiency of baggage inspection and transport before bags are loaded onto planes.
Plans call for a four-story, 105,000-square-foot structure featuring a combination of masonry, curtainwall, and metal panel facade. The CBIS and admin building are directly tied to the phased demolition of Concourse A, which began earlier this year.
A separate permit was filed in March to cover cleaning the pedestrian bridge connecting Concourses B and A, which will eventually connect to the CBIS within the new building. Demolition of Concourse A is expected to take between eight and ten months and is being carried out by Turner Construction Co., Ardmore Roderick, and Chris Woods Construction.
The MSCAA board of commissioners approved the Concourse A demolition in the summer of 2023 as part of the airport’s long-term strategy to modernize its terminal facilities and improve overall operations.
