At a special meeting on Tuesday, January 8, the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved awarding Merritt Island-based Ivey’s Construction Inc. a US$78.98 million contract for Port’s Cruise Terminal 3 project and a US$29.53 million contract for the adjacent parking garage for 1,800 vehicles.
Ivey’s was the low bidder to construct a 2-story 188,000ft2 terminal as part of the largest single building project of the port in its 65-year history: a US$163 million complex that is due to become the home port for Carnival Cruise Line’s largest cruise ship, Mardi Gras, when it debuts in May 2020.
In December 2018, Port commissioners approved issuing up to US$117 million in bonds to finance the project. Miami-based Carnival will provide US$50 million as part of a long-term agreement between the cruise line and the Port Authority that began in September. The port will additionally receive US$6 million in grants from Florida Department of Transportation for project infrastructure work.
The new cruise terminal is being constructed on the site of the old Cruise Terminal 3, that was demolished earlier in 2018. The terminal will boast a futuristic design inspired by Kennedy Space Center, situated nearby. Its planned technological features include integrated mobile passenger check-in and modernized systems to facilitate US Customs and Border Protection screenings of passengers.