In April, the Washington, D.C., airport unveiled its new 14-gate concourse, a 230,000-square-foot facility built to replace its remote and cramped Gate 35X. Until recently, about 6,000 American Airline passengers rode airside buses every day to Gate 35X, where they boarded regional jets parked at 14 hardstand gates. The arrangement was the airport's way of continuing vital service while demand stretched beyond its contiguous facilities.
Ever feel like the finish line keeps moving farther away' Jon Stout, airport manager at Charles M. Schulz'Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, CA, knows just what you mean. Stout and his team are in the midst of a $31 million terminal expansion and renovation that began in November. But even when they cut the ribbon in fall 2022, STS will only have 70% of the recommended space to handle its peak passenger volume.
Replacing a dated and inefficient building, the new terminal includes more space, updated security and several firsts for APN: a passenger boarding bridge, an automated baggage system and airside restrooms. While adding the new amenities, the airport and design team also managed to pay homage to the region's rich industrial background, storied maritime history and rustic Northwoods surroundings.
The new Concourse D at Nashville International Airport (BNA®) didn't just add gate capacity and new customer amenities. It is also facilitating future expansion to help the Tennessee airport cope with years of explosive growth in passenger volume. Operations from elsewhere at BNA have moved into the new concourse to allow remodeling and construction of other areas.
New signage is making it easier for drivers to navigate Broward County's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL). A comprehensive project substantially completed in December replaced aging signs with brighter, easier-to-read LED displays.
The new terminal, set to open in January 2021, is 91,000 square feet, with four gates that can accommodate four narrow-body aircraft simultaneously. The entry hall features an expansive 45-foot glass wall that bathes check-in, baggage claim and a meet-and-greet area in natural sunlight. The TSA checkpoint exceeds minimum design standards to prepare BRO for evolving security requirements.
In mid-September, Salt Lake City International (SLC) unveiled the first phase of its $4.1 billion redevelopment project, a comprehensive series of much-needed operational and aesthetic upgrades throughout the entire airport.
Construction moved ahead, but not without challenges. From the airport's perspective, it was crucial for the project team to communicate frequently and coordinate effectively to keep daily operations running smoothly. Hensel Phelps stressed the importance of updating stakeholders about the construction schedule, especially when work transitioned between the two phases.
New York is the city that never sleeps. That's the level of energy brought by the private consortium that recently redeveloped the Terminal B Arrivals and Departures Hall at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), one of the largest airport construction projects in the world.
As part of its ongoing commitment to customer service, Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) refreshes its restroom facilities on a rotating three-year cycle. 'They get a lot of traffic, so the goal, with the support of our airline partners, is to keep a nice, updated, uniform design throughout our terminals,' explains Alex Leon, deputy commissioner of design and GPS for the Chicago Department of Aviation.
In mid-March, just as most of us started using the phrase 'social distancing' and began wondering how the impending shelter-in-place orders would affect our states, Oakland International Airport (OAK) in California was dealing with one of its first 'unprecedented' events related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in North Carolina has officially turned coronavirus lemons into lemonade. Fueled by vacation and business traffic alike, ILM crossed the 1 million passenger mark last year and was in the midst of a large terminal expansion project to accommodate its rising traffic when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March.
