The Gary/Chicago International Airport kicked off the initial phase of $24 million in upgrades to its air cargo services.
The sector has grown exponentially since UPS launched operations in 2020.
“This is a pivotal step to securing the future of our increasingly important air cargo offering, with these infrastructure investments made possible by the past several years’ of increasing cargo sector growth,” said Dan Vicari, executive director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport, in a press release.
The first phase of the project will include $2 million in upgrades to the sanitary sewer system, which the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will build. A cargo logistics apron also will allow eight more cargo planes to operate from the airport.
The long-term expansion project will include the installation of a Jet-A fuel pipeline and a deicing facility.
Federal, state and local officials collaborated to raise the funds necessary for the upgrades. U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-IN, allocated more than $10 million in Community Project Funding in 2023 and 2024. The Federal Aviation Administration committed $4 million as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the State of Indiana offered grants of $9.8 million.
“This is the model of how we can collaborate at all levels of government and with private industry and our workforce to continue to create more
good-paying job opportunities and business development throughout our Region,” Mrvan said.
The initiative is part of the airport's long-term master plan, which was approved by the FAA in 2022. Airport improvements started in 2015 with a runway expansion to 9,000 feet. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility opened at the airport in 2018.
