The development of three warehouses for JT Logistics in Altoona is continuing, with the final building expected to be completed next fall, the contractor on the project said.

Jesse Rognes, president of Synergy Contracting LLC, said the development, owned by Hawkeye Investment Groups of Chicago, will have an estimated value of about $130 million once completed.

The first building was completed and occupied by JT Logistics in January. The second building is scheduled to be completed in June or July, with the third building expected to be finished in October or November, Rognes said.

He said JT Logistics will lease all three buildings — which will total about 1 million square feet — to serve a variety of different customers. The site is on 21st Street, north of Interstate 80.

“They work with multiple different companies, and they do the operations of the warehouses,” Rognes said. “Anyone who wants a warehouse that already has an operator in it, they would go to a company like JT, and JT would provide those services. Not just the space, but the day-to-day loading and unloading and the management of the goods in and out.”

He said the warehouses are being built to specifications provided by JT Logistics.

Opus Group is the subcontractor on the project and responsible for the vertical construction of each warehouse, including walls, the roof and the interior.

Rick Tucker, senior project manager with Opus Group, said the second building is enclosed and work is being done on the electrical and interior mechanical systems. The third building is almost enclosed, with roof work nearing completion, he said.

He said the first building that was turned over to JT Logistics on Jan. 3 is about 300,000 square feet. The second warehouse is about 250,000 square feet. The third is about 400,000 square feet.

Both Tucker and Rognes talked about how the development is a natural fit for the area, which is ripe for industrial growth.

“The data centers are what’s driving a lot of the industrial development around there,” Tucker said. “Those buildings require a lot of support. I think that’s why there’s a big influx of that development in that area right now. And just the access to I-80 right there is great, and you’re seeing just kind of a perfect storm being pro development and good access and visibility.

Rognes cited the city of Altoona’s willingness to work with groups on industrial development for the growth in northeast areas of the metro.

“But also the proximity to major interstates, and you have Amazon just up the road with two big large warehouse facilities, and you have the Meta facility, along with renewable energy incentives through MidAmerican Energy that some of these companies have been able to work with, so I think there’s multiple drivers there that have helped promote this kind of industrial development,” he said.