An air traffic control tower is one of the most important parts of any airport, and Bay County's new airport now has its tower firmly in place.

Walbridge VP of Operations Richard Marshall said, "Major milestone for the project. We're celebrating really moving from an outside project to an inside project."

The addition of the top tier of the 11 story tower marks a shift in the construction process at the new site.

"The complexion of the work we'll be doing changes entirely we're going from structural steel guys and concrete guys to dry-wall guys, and painters and tile guys. It's a whole different set of guys that will be doing the work," added Marshall.

The terminal at the airport is the latest sign of progress, and officials are excited about it.

Marshall added "First real major milestone that we can say yea we're making that transition, and now we're less subject to the elements so now we can work our forces...its alot more control of what we have."

The contractor, Walbridge, held a special luncheon to thank its workers for making it this far in construction, but the celebration will only last a day.

"We wanted to catch the guys that have been working on the structure to show them appreciation for the work they've done," said Marshall.

It's now back to business as usual to try and reach the goal of opening next year.

Over the next couple of months, work crews will be completing the structure by installing the glass, and an elevator.

When the new airport opens in May 2010, air traffic controllers working in the tower will have a 360-degree view from the tower.