Construction crews are on track to complete the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's Exchange and Express shoppette on time.
The new 167,000-square-foot Exchange is scheduled to open in the summer of 2014, while the Express is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Mangers at both construction sites said the projects are going as planned and are meeting the initial timelines.
"I'm very happy right now with how everything is going," said Jonathan Bright, general manager of Fort Meade Consolidated Exchange. "We're still in the early stages, but both projects are still on schedule with no delays."
The $37 million Exchange will replace the current 130,000-square-foot facility and will feature a gun shop, pharmacy and larger food court with six food vendors. While not all food vendors have been announced, Bright said the new food court will include a Starbucks, Dominos Pizza, Subway and Charley's.
Work on the Exchange began in December with the removal of nonfriable asbestos from the old PXtra, which was demolished to create new parking. The new Exchange is being constructed on the former parking lot.
The temporary lot of roughly 208 spots will soon be upgraded as well, Bright said.
"Pretty soon we're going to be starting on maintenance," he said. "We're going to do more striping and filling up the potholes. We're working on the temporary parking right now."
Mike Hunter, construction superintendent at the Exchange site, said all the construction steel is set and crews are preparing for the roofing with metal decking.
"The building shape has been defined," he said. "Right now we're in the rough stages of getting ready for concrete pourers. We have those scheduled for the middle of July and beyond."
Bright said the facility is on schedule to be turned over to AAFES next summer. Once the new building is ready, the current Exchange will be demolished and a parking lot will be constructed on the land. The entire project is expected to be finished in the winter of 2014.
The Express is a shorter-term project that began in March and is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year. The 8,420-square-foot facility is being constructed on the former softball field on Mapes Road near the Route 32 gate and will feature six gas pumps, a Burger King with a drive-through, mini-mart and pizza restaurant with delivery.
Once the $5.6 million project is completed, the Trading Post store across from the Defense Information School will close, but the Express on MacArthur Road will remain open as a 24-hour store. The new site will mirror the hours of the nearby gate.
Project manager Sebastian Cianciolo said work is on schedule and all utilities are in place, except for water.
"We're doing ground work on the building right now," he said. "Right now the entire site is 80 percent done."
Currently, the construction crew is preparing to install the oil tanks for the gas pumps. Cianciolo said the hole will be 16-feet deep and roughly 60 feet by 80 feet to fit the large tanks.
After the tanks are placed, construction can begin on the buildings.
"The only thing we have right now is a huge hole for the oil tank," Cianciolo said. "Once we get them in, we'll get the instructions, backfill it all up and start working on the canopy footings and foundation."
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