Lambert Overhaul Work Back to Drawing Board for Cost Cuts
Pictured Above: Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge
Date Posted: July 21, 2026
Posted In: Featured, Regionalism, Transportation Resources,
From STL Today: The team designing the planned overhaul of St. Louis Lambert International Airport is reworking some parts of the project to try to trim some costs, Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said Monday.
As a result, a milestone of reaching 30% of the design work that had been expected in April has been delayed, she said in an interview. She said she hoped that the 30% point could be reached in the next month or so.
“We’re not looking at a particular number,” Hamm-Niebruegge said of the cost. “We’re looking at what is the best way to make sure it gets to the finish line.”
Costs Exceed Estimates
In March, she said the project is expected to exceed the $2.8 billion to $3 billion figure estimated when the project was unveiled four years ago.
The overhaul calls for the airport’s two passenger terminals to be consolidated into one larger rebuilt facility. Also in the plan are a much larger parking garage, more airline gates and various road improvements.
She said the team of companies hired for the design is working “hand in hand” with Lambert’s airlines.
Buy-in by the airlines is essential because their landing and terminal rental fees would pay off the interest on the bond issues funding much of the work.
Airline Buy-In Needed
Airline approval is needed for the design work to continue from the 30% stage to the 60% milestone, when a guaranteed maximum price is set. That could be delayed beyond the early fall projection Lambert had set but Hamm-Niebruegge doesn’t expect a major lag.
The airlines’ endorsement is required then to move the process to the 90% design stage, when they must again sign off on the project.
Hamm-Niebruegge plans to retire Aug. 15 after leading Lambert for more than 15 years. Mayor Cara Spencer named a six-person committee last month to lead the search for Hamm-Niebruegge’s successor.