Bids for the final phase of the Wilmington International Airport’s expansion and renovation project came in higher than anticipated, airport officials said Monday.

In a rebid process in late August, ILM had one bidder, Monteith Construction Corp., and airport officials are now in the process of review and negotiation, said Granseur Dick, ILM’s planning and development director.

Monteith Construction’s total bid came in at a nearly $52.2 million, he said. The Wilmington-based construction firm is also working on the first two phases of the build.

“Since we were over budget with these bids, we have over the past month been going through the bid, and looking for value engineering items and other cost-cutting measures to help reduce the cost of the project while maintaining the level of capacity and service that we are trying to meet with this expansion,” Dick said.

The final contract, which will build a new concourse, and expand the gate area and TSA checkpoints, is anticipated to add around 68,000 square feet of new terminal space. It will also add more dining and retail space.

The second phase of the project is currently underway and slated to be completed next summer.

Airport officials have previously said construction on the final phase is set to begin in the fall of 2020 and previous estimates for its construction were at $38 million.

Recently, the FAA announced $157 million in airport infrastructure grants to airports around the United States, according to a news release. As part of the awards, ILM was granted $3.1 million for the terminal expansion project.

New Hanover County Commissioners adopted a budget ordinance in August for a $20 million loan for ILM's project.

“That is an option that we are working on,” Dick said about the county loan, adding that ILM is also working on other funding pieces.

“We are looking at additional funding sources, but anything we can get from the FAA helps,” he said.