Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Monday released $335 million for capital improvements at three Hawaii airports, including $305.5 million for a new consolidated rental car facility at the Kahului Airport on Maui.

The money includes roadway connections to and from the Maui airport, a multilevel car rental building, four 15,000-gallon fuel storage tanks and a people-mover system to and from the terminal, Abercrombie’s office said.

The funds released for the Maui facility include $303 million for construction costs, as well as $2.5 million for consultant and non-labor staff costs, according to a spokesman for Abercrombie. The car rental facility will cost a total of $318.5 million and is targeted for completion in October 2017, the spokesman said.

The funds released Monday also include $14.46 million for roadway improvements at the Honolulu International Airport’s overseas terminal and $11.75 million to add 28,000 square feet of concession space to the Ewa Concourse in Honolulu, which currently has only 5,200 square feet of concession space.

The work will include demolishing and/or renovating existing restrooms and enclosing what is now an exterior sidewalk to create new space for concessions closer to the gate areas.

The money for Honolulu is part of the state’s $739 million expansion of the airport there.

Another $3.3 million will go toward construction of a new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Facility at Hilo International Airport on the Big Island. The project will replace the current facility, which does not meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements and will be used for storage after the new building is completed.

“We have seen great strides in our Hawaii Airports Modernization Program over the past few years, and the release of these funds is evidence that we remain committed to transforming our airports into world-class facilities,” Abercrombie said in a statement. “Any investment in our airports is an investment in our economy and jobs.”

by bizjournals.com