TEXARKANA, Ark. -- With the Texarkana Regional Airport's future new passenger terminal's foundation now in place, the structure's steel skeletal frame is starting to take shape.
Airport Executive Director Paul Mehrlich told Airport Authority Board members Thursday, that the Phase 2 portion, which started last month, could potentially be complete by May of this year, with the pouring of the building's second floor slab set to commence next month.
With construction expecting to last into the summer of 2022, Mehrlich added that both Phase 3 and Phase 4, which involved installing both the building's first and second floor interior walls, along with jet bridges, can be conducted simultaneously.
Mehrlich also said that as a result of the Congress's recent passage of the infrastructure bill, the airport will be receiving about $1 million later this year. This could go toward conducting Texarkana Regional's future master planning set to cover the next 20 years. Such plans call for the the airport's primary runway, to be extended 500 feet by 2026.
Arriving from Houston
In other business, Mehrlich said there's a reception planned for passengers of United Airlines' first flight from Houston to Texarkana Regional, set for 1:30 p.m., when the plane lands Feb. 13. From that point forward, United will offer one flight per day, to and from Houston, for a one-year trial period, in order to see if enough business is generated. If so, the flights would continue.
The projected air time between Texarkana and Houston averages out to be about 45 minutes.
For Texarkana Regional Airport, this will be the second time since 2008 that an airlines will be attempting to offer commercial flights here, to and from Houston. In Continental Airlines offered commercial passenger flights from here to there, but they were eventually discontinued.
Currently, Texarkana still has three American Airlines flights per day to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. These flights are about 35 minutes in duration.
Construction on the Texarkana Regional Airport's new passenger terminal has progressed to the point of getting the building's steel skeletal structure in place. Work on the structure started last month and is projected to continue to through May. (Submitted photo)