Since the early 1990s, Kraus-Anderson has been the contractor of choice for the MSP airport. Originally known as Speedway Field (as it was built over a failed race car track), and then as Wold-Chamberlain (to honor local pilots Ernest Wold and Cyrus Chamberlain, who died in WWI), the Twin Cities airport eventually settled on a version of its current name in 1948 with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
February Friday History: MSP Airport
When MSP became the area’s major airport (because, among other reasons, it was equidistant from both downtowns) passenger counts continually exceeded expectations. By the 1980s, the Minnesota legislature studied two possible courses: fit out the current airport to accommodate the millions of passengers now projected to use the airport every year or start from scratch with a whole new facility in a whole new location.
In choosing the first option, the Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) committed to a program of capital improvements within an operating airport. As the construction manager for MAC, Kraus-Anderson has been a partner in building the MSP airport while it flies. The challenges have been rewarding. MSP is often listed as a favorite airport for travelers, and it is consistently ranked among the top US airports in efficiency and innovation.