14
TERMINALS  
November | December 2026      AirportImprovement.com
BUR
Combining sustainability and tradition, one 
thing that has not changed at BUR: ground 
boarding. The airport purchased 14 custom-
built drivable boarding ramps from KCI GSE 
that run on solar power to continue the 
classic boarding method local travelers prefer. 
Bill Keith, president of KCI GSE, says BUR 
is the first U.S. airport to deploy all solar-
powered boarding ramps. “They’re doing 
something no one has done before,” says Keith. 
Different Strategy
Rather than sticking with its usual design-bid-build delivery 
method, the Airport Authority chose to use a progressive design-
build method for the replacement terminal project. Hatanaka says 
this helped maintain program cost within established funding 
parameters by managing design development with input from 
both the design and construction firms. It also was critical to the 
project’s accelerated schedule, he adds. 
“It’s pretty amazing,” Hatanaka says of the delivery timeline. 
For context, this was the fifth airport terminal project of his 48-
year career.  
Accomplishing a project of this scope on such a tight 
timeframe wows Johnson, who also credits the progressive 
design-build delivery method. “That was probably one of the 
biggest things—it enabled us to work on the design concept 
while getting out there and preparing the site.” 
Progressive design-build “demands that stakeholders connect 
early to solve foundational issues,” says Vogt. A series of 
week-long, all-hands workshops at the beginning of the design 
development provided an opportunity to collaboratively work 
through the program and align all parties, he adds. 
“[The team] wouldn’t have made the schedule without 
collaboration,” agrees Johnson.
Another benefit of the chosen delivery method, he notes, was 
adherence to the budget. “We started at $1.3 billion and we’re 
going to end at $1.3 billion,” he emphasizes. “You’re actually 
designing to a budget, so you understand the cost implications 
of design decisions as you’re advancing the design.”
Kelley says it’s important to include airport staff in the process, 
too. For instance, maintenance personnel were involved in 
reviewing decisions about facility systems.
BILL KEITH

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