Austin-Bergstrom International Airport can’t build its way out of a gate shortage without first taking gates out of service. Concourse M is the workaround. The airport held a ceremonial groundbreaking Sept. 29, 2026, for the six-gate, roughly 37,500-square-foot concourse on the west side of the airfield, with Hensel Phelps as prime contractor and the Stantec/Fentress joint venture as designer.
It’s a reliever, built to keep flights moving while the bigger pieces of the Journey With AUS program go up around the Barbara Jordan Terminal. AviationPros, reporting the start, put the overall program at more than $5 billion.
Project Scope
Concourse M will have four contact gates with passenger boarding bridges and two walk-out gates, sized for six narrow-body aircraft. It won’t connect to the main terminal. Passengers will reach it by shuttle bus from Gate 13, the terminal’s only ground-level gate. There’s no parking on site.
Inside, the program is lean: restrooms, a nursing room, public Wi-Fi, a pet relief area, seating and a coffee and grab-and-go concession. Shaded outdoor areas serve the walk-out gates. Community Impact described the building as a temporary addition during the expansion.
Next to it, the airport is building a Maintenance Ramp Expansion that adds six aircraft parking positions, four with boarding bridges and two for ground loading. RS&H handled planning on the ramp and Austin Bridge & Road is overseeing construction, with completion expected in 2027. The FAA has put more than $9 million into the ramp through its Airport Infrastructure Grant and Airport Improvement Program. Concourse M could open as early as 2028.
Why It Matters
Austin’s terminal has been short on gates for years, and the program’s headline projects need room to work: a 26-gate Concourse B with a tunnel, a new arrivals and departures hall, and a renovation of the existing terminal. Every gate lost to construction is a gate airlines can’t sell. Concourse M buys that room.
The design choice says a lot. A bus-connected, no-frills concourse isn’t glamorous, but it’s quick to build and stays out of the way of the terminal-side work. The old South Terminal closed in spring 2026 and is being taken down for new taxiways and a second concourse, so the airport is juggling demolition, airside paving and new gates at once.
Funding comes from airport revenues, cash reserves, federal grants and future revenue bond proceeds. The airport hasn’t published a separate budget for Concourse M, so what it costs per protected gate is still an open question. The sequencing logic isn’t. If Concourse M opens on time, the heavy lifting on Concourse B can start without squeezing an airport that’s already running hot.
Project Team & Details
| Owner / Client | City of Austin (Austin Aviation / Austin-Bergstrom International Airport) |
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| Architect | Stantec/Fentress Joint Venture (Design) |
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| Consultants | RS&H (Planning, Maintenance Ramp Expansion)
Austin Bridge & Road (Construction Oversight, Maintenance Ramp Expansion) |
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| General Contractor | Hensel Phelps (Prime Contractor) |
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| Status | Under Construction |
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| Funding Source | Mixed |
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