b'44 DENTERMINALSDenver Intl Doubles Its Escalatorsin Concourse A BY KRISTIN V. SHAWIts hard to believe it has alreadyThe previous FACTS&FIGURESbeen about 30 years since thesituation created a Project: Adding New Escalators to Improve Passenger Flow new Denver International Airportbottleneck, and we Location: Denver Intl Airport(DEN) replaced Stapleton International.saw backups when Since then, traffic has ballooned,multiple flights hit Scope: Removing 8 existing escalators; installing stretching the limits of what the terminalthe concourse at the 16 new ones can accommodate. As the team at DENsame time, explains Construction Cost: $8.96 million sought solutions for associated pedestrianMatthew Robb, DENsMATTHEW ROBBFunding: Airport circulation challenges, it honed in onsenior vice president Timeline: Contract awarded Oct. 2021; work completed alleviating a choke point in the center ofof technical operations. That was a pain in June 2023 the terminal. Fixing it required both finessepoint for us.General Contractor: PCL Construction Servicesand brute strength, not to mention carefulIn 2023, DEN welcomed a record-Escalator Removal & Installation: Industrialplanning and clear communication.breaking 77.8 million passengers, which Constructors/Managers (ICM) Analysis showed that travelers boardingwas 12.3% more than in the previous year. Structural Engineering Consultant: Baurand deboarding the passenger trains inCompare that to the 31 million passengers Engineering Concourse A were getting snarled up atthe airport served in 1995 when it opened, Escalator Manufacturer: Konethe escalator banks. There was an existingand its no wonder the escalator banks Escalators Installed: 16 set of eight escalators, four on the northcould feel cramped during busy times. But Weight: About 20,000 lbs. eachside and four on the south side in a splitthe escalators werent the only equipment configurationon each side, there wastargeted for replacement. This was part of Maintenance Contractor: ThyssenKrupp one escalator leading up to a landing anda much bigger initiative. Key Benefits: Improving access to in-terminal train;on to the next floor, with the same setup newer, faster escalators move passengers more efficientlygoing down. January | February 2025AirportImprovement.com'