Construction firm finishes $25 million tower

SARASOTA — Sarasota-based commercial construction firm Halfacre Construction Co. completed a new 139-foot tower at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Halfacre started the project in November 2015. The airport will now work with the Federal Aviation Administration to commission the facility. It's expected to be operational by summer 2018.

Halfacre owner Jack Cox says in a statement the work required about 30 contractors and more than 100 construction workers. The final cost, including design, construction and equipment was about $25 million.

The tower's glass was flown into place with a crane and hydraulic vacuum lifter. The large, custom glass pieces are from Bradenton-based Key Glass. They weigh about 1,560 pounds each.

“The new tower is equipped with the latest aviation technology, giving air traffic controllers more precise, system-wide information about weather and flight data,” Cox says in a press release.