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San Joaquin County supervisors approve $26M for Stockton airport improvements

The largest share of the money will go to terminal improvements.

STOCKTON, Calif. — San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved more than $26 million for improvements at the Stockton airport Tuesday.

The most significant portion of the $26,225,000 is $8 million for terminal improvements. It will go to building a new hold room to accommodate 400 peak hour passengers, remodel part of baggage claim, remodel part of the TSA security area and ticket counters, add new baggage conveyors, upgrade bathrooms and add space for rental car counters.

Around $7 million will go toward restoring and redesigning the west ramp to accommodate new hangar construction.

Around $5.8 million will go to constructing new aircraft storage hangars and sunshade awnings while another $4.5 million will go to acquiring an existing commercial hangar to update and repurpose.

Smaller projects include constructing a pilot center and self-serve fueling facility, and an air traffic control tower study.

SCK Airport Director Richard Sokol says the air carrier terminal building is more than 60 years old, and the layout and functionality of the building hasn’t been changed.

“Aircraft size and passenger load has increased and the way airlines use airport facilities has substantially changed since the 1960s. The existing building must be updated to successfully meet the needs of air carriers who wish to grow the airline market at SCK,” said Sokol in a news release.

San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors chair Miguel Villapudua says the addition of an updated terminal with competitive airline service would help future economic development in the Central Valley.

An estimated date of completion for the various projects wasn’t immediately available.

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