Construction of a $300 million Jacksonville International Airport concourse that could bring new dining options for travelers and possibly international flights — Mexico and the Caribbean are two possible destinations — hit the mid-way mark on Oct. 24 with a topping-off ceremony.
Before the placement of the last piece of steel in the structure of the concourse, construction workers and Jacksonville Aviation Authority officials were able to sign their names onto the steel beam used Oct. 24 for the celebration.
Some added messages: “Keep soaring JAX!” “Top it out!” “Dollar, Dollar Bills, ‘y’all.” “Jacksonville continues to fly.” “Job security!!!” “Beyond has arrived.” “Years in the making.” “We did it!”
The “We did it” message was written by Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh. He became CEO in Jacksonville in 2018 and said that when he signed his name on the beam, he was thinking about all the challenges the project has faced.
“It was a huge sigh of relief to me when you’ve worked so hard on a project and then unforeseen things are thrown at you like COVID or tariffs on steel — just everything you can imagine,” he said after watching a crane lift the signature-covered beam into place. “And finally to be here, it’s just a sigh of relief.”
Here’s what’s coming next for the construction project that will continue into next year.
When will passengers start using Concourse B?
The goal is for the construction to finish before the end of 2026. The aviation authority doesn’t have an exact date for when that will happen in relation to the holiday travel season in 2026, though Van Loh said, “I was promised a Christmas present. I’ll leave it at that.”
The topping off ceremony marked the completion of the structural phase of the construction so it’s possible now to see the dimensions and shape of the building where it extends between existing concourses A and C.
Workers who have been part of the construction of the new concourse being built at Jacksonville International Airport could sign their names to the last piece of steel for the structure during a topping off ceremony on Oct. 24, 2025.
Since construction started 15 months ago, crews have removed 15,000 cubic yards of pavement, driven more than 600 piles into the ground, poured more than 2,500 cubic yards of concrete and installed 4,500 piece of steel. The project has logged a total of 300,000 hours of work so far.
Over the next year, constuction will continue on the exterior, such as windows, and then the interior of the concourse.
What added flight service will come to Jacksonville?
Concourse B will start with six new gates that will be used by American Airlines, which is the the No. 1 carrier at Jacksonville International Airport.
The room for growth comes as the airport set an all-time high for travelers in 2024 with about 7.6 million passengers, breaking the prior record set in 2023.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority oined its partners in a topping off ceremony on Oct. 24, 2025 celebrating installation of the last piece of steel for the structure of the new concourse being built at Jacksonville International Airport.
VanLoh said the airport would like to add direct flights to more U.S. cities, such as San Francisco and Seattle, but the main focus is getting international flights in tandem with the new concourse coming online.
“I would love to see Caribbean and Mexico immediately,” he said.
What new restaurants are on tap for Concourse B?
VanLoh said the additional space for restaurants in the concourse will bring some new dining spots to the airport. He said the names of those establishments could become public when the Jacksonville Aviation Authority board votes on agreements at its November meeting.
He said they are “restaurants that everybody’s been asking us for years” to bring to the airport.
Construction workers await the topping off ceremony at Jacksonville International Airport on Oct. 24, 2025 marking a milestone for installing the last piece of steel for the structure of the new concourse being built at the airport.
What is timeline for opening of new parking garage?
The other big construction project at Jacksonville International Airport is a new 2,000 space parking garage to accomodate the growing demand for parking that comes with more people flying out of Jacksonville.
Friendly skies: Jacksonville International Airport ranks 4th in US customer satisfaction survey
That parking garage is slated for completion on the same timeline as the concourse.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville International Airport concourse is halfway to completion