Distinctly Montana Magazine

90 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 6 B OZEMAN YELLOWSTONE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS THE BUSIEST AIRPORT IN MONTANA BY A FAIRLY WIDE MARGIN. In fact, if you arrived in Montana by air last year, there is a 2-in-5 chance you flew into Bozeman. In 2025, a record 2.8 million passengers passed through BZN, dis- embarking into the concourse to hug grandchildren, shake the hands of colleagues, or, if they were lucky, set off on a Montana adventure. Some of them were arriving in Montana for the first time, and the airport terminal is the first thing they see of the Treasure State from the ground. What will that traveler's first impression of Montana be, then? An institutional labyrinth of junkspace, the word Dutch architectural theorist Rem Koolhaas coined for the continuous, air-conditioned interiors of modern life, of which the stereotypical airport is the prime example? Or something that feels like Montana? And now, as the airport undertakes a vital expansion, how will they maintain uninterrupted passenger flow while preserving the essential Montana character of the place? That's a challenge now being undertaken by Martel Construc- tion and Hennebery Eddy Architects even as the flights to and from our beautiful state continue unabated. The main part of the expansion, the largest in the airport's history, grows the terminal from 12 gates to 15. Past expansions just add- ed on, but this one has to wrangle the challenges of renovating a fully operating airport. The baggage must be routed through the network of conveyor belts and sensors without interruption, and the passenger's experience must change as little as possible for their convenience. Complicated systems like heating and cool- ing, fire suppression, and the PA have to stay operational while adjacent areas are taken down and reassembled. The goal, in the words of Travis Kabalin, project manager for Mar- tel Construction on the East Terminal Expansion Project and the man whose task it is to keep it all running, is "essentially allow- ing the airport to continue to function with minimal owner and passenger disruption." Even the smallest handover is involved: "A lot of planning goes into just turning over a small area for new by SHERMAN CAHILL A S k i Lod g e W ith a Runw a y :

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