With soaring glass walls, luminous interior, and flowing roofline, the current Indianapolis International Airport opened for arriving and departing flights on November 12, 2008. Designed for maximum convenience, comfort, and safety, it is a modern and inviting airport serving more than 8 million passengers each year.
Planning for a new airport complex began in 1975, when the Indianapolis Airport Authority adopted a master plan for development. The initial plan called for layout of two parallel runways with a non-intersecting crosswind runway, leaving room for a “midfield” terminal between those runways. Highway access via Interstate 70 was also included.
Over 30 years, the plan was reviewed, modified, and updated. The “Midfield Project,” as it came to be known, resulted in what you see today—a modern new gateway to central Indiana built with no local or state tax dollars.
One of first U.S. airports constructed and opened since 9/11, the entire airport complex is nearly one mile wide and over two miles in length. It includes a new FAA air traffic control tower and terminal radar approach control facility, a new fire station, new roadway system, new surface parking lots and garage, new Ground Transportation Center, and $4 million in specially commissioned, original public art.
Providing employment for about 3,000 workers over about three years, the Midfield Project made a significant impact in central Indiana’s economy. Completion of the project, which was the largest civic development in the city's history, renders the airport well-positioned to serve the city and state for many years into the future.
Midfield Project information
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