Todd Clausen

@ToddJClausen

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says local airport will get $39.8 million in state funds for renovation work.

Work will "transform" the airport and may spur more direct flights from the airlines, officials say.

The local airport serves roughly 2.4 million incoming and outgoing passengers annually.

Monroe County will make major upgrades to the Greater Rochester International Airport with the help of nearly $40 million through a recently created Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization competition.

The competition brought Gov. Andrew Cuomo as well as other state and local leaders to a hangar off Scottsville Road on Wednesday morning for the announcement.

The state funds will be added to roughly $23 million in local and federal funds to push through a renovation of the airport, which serves approximately 2.4 million incoming and outgoing passengers annually.

Renovation work at the airport is expected to total $63.4 million and be completed within three years, Cuomo said.

"Airports today are different than they were 10, 15 years ago," Cuomo said. "They are destinations, in and of themselves. People expect to be able to fly in and have all the amenities they have at these new state-of-the-art airports.

"This airport is literally going to be transformed into a state-of-the-art airport and it will happen quickly."

The Rochester airport and an airport in the Elmira-Corning area were the only two in the state announced to receive funds through the competition. In total, 16 upstate airports submitted 26 different plans, Cuomo said.

'AIRPORT OF TOMORROW': State gives $40M for expansion

"This is going to transform the way the airport looks," said Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo. "One of the things businesses want is, they want more direct flights in and out of Monroe County. ... With this transformation of the airport, I think we are going to be able to put those pieces together to encourage airlines to have more direct flights."

Renovation work is expected to completely overhaul the airport experience for travelers, adding new retail and dining options, upgraded security measures and new scanners, charging stations for mobile devices and Bluetooth technology allowing visitors to tap into updated flight and gate information.

"Frankly, their plan really jumped out at us," said Matthew Driscoll, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the revitalization fund.

Meanwhile, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, said the airport supports 10,000 jobs in the region and contributes more than $800 million annually to the economy.

"This is a major investment in our airport that will help our region take advantage of Rochester’s resurgence as a hub for the flow of goods and people," she said in a written statement. "That will only grow as our region prepares to face increased travel demands from scientists, engineers and government officials as AIM Photonics ramps up."

County seeks $40m for airport upgrades

Plans at the Rochester airport call for a new play area designed with help from The Strong National Museum of Play. Rochester Institute of Technology will collaborate on a new onsite business incubator.

The airport will incorporate technology designed by RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf to make traveling easier for the deaf and hard of hearing, state leaders said.

There will also be color-coded navigation between the airport’s concourses, new digital information hubs and new signage added around the facility.

The airport will get a new massive solar canopy that will keep visitors dry and collect rainwater for irrigation purposes. New heating and cooling systems are also being installed.

Some work has already started, but much of the design and engineering efforts have yet to be completed for the project, Dinolfo said.

"Fasten your seat belts (and) get ready for takeoff, this is really an all-hands-on-deck effort," she said. "The timeline is really aggressive."

TCLAUSEN@Gannett.com