Ewing Township officials joined with state and county leaders on Oct. 9 to break ground on the new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting facility at Trenton-Mercer Airport.
The new ARFF building will replace the existing firehouse and is part of a broader initiative to upgrade the airport’s infrastructure. In addition to housing the fire department, the facility will serve the Ewing Township Fire Department under a shared services agreement.
The two-story, 20,000-square-foot building will include training areas, equipment storage, medical decontamination rooms, workshops and a conference room. It was designed with energy efficiency in mind and features a stormwater system to reduce runoff and environmental impact.
Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann praised the collaboration between the township and the county, emphasizing the significance of the project. “The groundbreaking for the new ARFF Fire Station is a big win for our community and shows what teamwork between Ewing Township and Mercer County can do,” he said.
“This project doesn’t just give us a stronger firehouse—it’s part of a well-coordinated plan,” he added. “We need this in place to move forward and clear the ground for the county’s new terminal.”
Mercer County Executive Dan Benson said that the groundbreaking is an important milestone during the first year of his administration.
“When I ran for this office, I pledged to see the Terminal Replacement Project through to completion and build it with union labor,” he said. “The new firehouse is the first step toward realizing Trenton-Mercer Airport’s potential as a transportation and economic hub.”
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Ewing resident, said the groundbreaking reflects the ongoing commitment to ensure that New Jersey residents have access to the best infrastructure, public safety and job opportunities.
“Whether it’s improving runways, upgrading facilities, or—as we see today—ensuring that we have a state-of-the-art fire station, we are delivering on the promise to build a better, safer future for our great state,” Watson-Coleman said.
Wayne DeAngelo, president of the Mercer County Building Trades Council noted that this initiative is a major success for working families in Mercer County. “When we build with union labor, the job is done safely, on-time and under budget. I am confident that the men and women working on this job will do exceptional work.”
The ARFF facility is the first step in the larger TTN Terminal Replacement Project, the biggest public works project in Mercer County in more than 50 years.
The project calls for the existing 28,000-square-foot terminal, which was built in the 1970s, to be replaced with a new 125,000-square-foot facility. A 1,000-space parking garage is also part of the plan.
Once complete, the project is expected to turn TTN into a major regional hub for travel and business, creating jobs and boosting the local economy. The entire project will be built using union labor under a project labor agreement.
In an interview with communitynews.org earlier this year, Ewing Business Administrator Aaron Watson said the terminal expansion “is probably going to be the biggest economic generator that this county has ever seen.”
Watson oversaw the airport in his role as Mercer County deputy county during the Brian Hughes administration.
“The design is already done (for the terminal),” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the funding in place. I know that the mayor has been fighting tooth and nail with the congresswoman (Watson-Coleman) and the legislators to try to get funding for that piece. I think once that happens, you’re going to see this town metamorphosize.”
Others in attendance at the groundbreaking included Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora; Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli; John Cimino, chair of the Mercer County Board of Commissioners; and Kristin McLaughlin, vice chair of the Board of Commissioners.
DY Consultants designed the facility with architectural support from Mott MacDonald. The AECOM/Tishman/Jingoli team is serving as the project’s owner’s representative, with Epic Management overseeing construction. Environmental permitting was handled by DY Consultants, with assistance from the Davey Resource Group and Van Cleef Engineering.
The Trenton-Mercer Fire Department is operated by Pro-Tec Fire Services.
