Video-relay sign language interpreting for travelers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Camera-equipped glasses that facilitate real-time navigational cues for visually impaired passengers. Flow-through elevators and restrooms specifically designed for wheelchairs. Improved pictogram signage to communicate crucial wayfinding directions without written language.
Ronald Mathieu believes in three things regarding infrastructure projects: listening to customers, doing it right the first time and preparing for the future. As executive director of Bill and Hillary Clinton National (LIT), Mathieu stayed true to each of those core principals while overseeing $25 million of recent enhancements throughout the concourse of the Little Rock, AR, airport.
For more than 20 years, travelers, airport employees and the general public have enjoyed the 12.5-mile Hiker-Biker Trail that loops around the outside of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). It even includes bike rentals for just $13 per day and passes through a park with a playground.
Most terminal connectors are simple structures'enclosed hallways without much additional utility or aesthetic flourish. The five-level connector that opened at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 2016 is an entirely different story. The new, modern facility that joins Terminal 4 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal includes a checked baggage inspection system, an interline baggage transfer facility, its own TSA passenger checkpoint and a public plaza with outdoor seating.
Wander through the new Northeast Cargo Facility at Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD), and you never know what you'll see. It could be a multimillion-dollar racehorse, a 1950s Ferrari restored to impeccable condition, or something so unique it's hard to tell exactly what it is.
Completely rebuilding a terminal is a massive undertaking in and of itself. But Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) recently doubled down when it replaced the adjoining airside apron and trench drain system during its comprehensive five-year terminal renovation.
Philadelphia isn't only about the Liberty Bell and other key pieces of U.S. history. It's also the site of a new and innovative approach to airport design and concessions. In October, Philadelphia International (PHL) cut the ribbon on a completely renovated Terminal B and formally marked the end of its $48 million stem-to-stern overhaul.
After years of negotiations, the design of the Multi-Modal Transportation Center at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) finally hit all the right notes for airport officials and the rental car, bus and taxi operators that serve the new facility. With the $5.5 million project complete, residents and visitors in Allentown, PA, are set to benefit for years to come.
Unlike most aircraft traffic, pedestrian traffic inside the terminal is notoriously tricky to track and predict. It takes no time at all for congestion to build at ticket counters/bag drop areas or lines to form at security checkpoints. JFKIAT, the private company that operates Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), is leveraging technology to change this frustrating dynamic.
After four years making do with an alternate landing surface, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) is pleased to be operating with its primary runway back in business. Pronounced and accelerating damage caused by an alkali-silica reaction in the original pavement prompted XNA to close Runway 16-34 for a complete rehab in June 2012 and now the airport is addressing the same issue on the rest of its airfield.
"Be prepared' isn't only the motto for Boy Scouts. The Houston Airport System follows the same philosophy for providing emergency services at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Field (EFD). The timeless wisdom of its approach was demonstrated last June, when an F-16 crashed at EFD' a three-runway airport that serves a variety of military, NASA and general aviation operations.
In the course of meeting FAA design standards for runway safety areas, Merritt Island Airport (COI) upgraded its previous grass safety zone and completed four associated environmental mitigation projects in 2016. Apparently, management's above-and-beyond philosophy also extends to construction administration, as crews finished the $4.8 million initiative $700,000 under budget and one month ahead of schedule.
My wife, Lisa, is hooked on podcasts. She used to listen to music; now she?s into podcasts. Same for my kids. The episodes are educational as well as entertaining, and time whizzes by when listening to them.
In the spirit of continuous improvement and service to the industry, the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) recently modernized its process for generating research projects.
