EDWARDSVILLE — Contegra Construction will handle construction services for a 482,000-square-foot warehouse distribution center at the Gateway Commerce Center.

The project will expand Westway I to a total 964,000 square feet with 32-foot ceilings. The original warehouse was built in 2007.

The project will accommodate the needs of an undisclosed Fortune 500 company and will cost $20 million, according to a statement from Contegra.

"This is going to be an economic engine for the entire area, and another step in the right direction," said Madison County Chairman Alan Dunstan. "It's going to attract more attention to this location ... we are becoming the distribution capital of the nation. In these economic times that we're facing ... this is a very good announcement."

This is a different project than a recently-announced proposal that would bring a 2.4 million-square-foot distribution center with 800 jobs to the Gateway Commerce Center, Dunstan said.

"This has been in the hopper for a while; it's a different company," Dunstan said. "It's an existing company that is expanding its operations."

The other project should be officially announced sometime in October, Dunstan said. If that company chooses to build at Gateway Commerce Center, it could be the largest distribution center under one roof in the nation, he said.

Contact reporter Elizabeth Donald at edonald@bnd.com or 239-2501.