Feature Story - November 2005

Airport Contruction

Introduction

Projects Pop Up All over Tristate Region

Airports in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are busy with new projects.

Capital improvements have taken off at New York's major airports and at smaller facilities around the region.

Many projects are focused on increasing capacity to accommodate the rapid growth of low-cost carriers and the rise in private aircraft ownership.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is overseeing several of the largest projects at its major airports - John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia in Queens and Newark Liberty International in Newark, N.J. [see related article in this section]. Other regional hubs are also busy with projects in Connecticut and at New York's suburban airports.

In several cases, investment by air carriers is fueling the work. American Airlines is developing a $1.1 billion new terminal at JFK [see related article in this section].

Meanwhile, also at JFK, Turner Construction of New York completed the design-build construction of a 140,000-sq.-ft., $35 million hangar for New York-based JetBlue Airways in the spring. The new facility enables the low-cost airline to service its existing fleet of Airbus 320s, and would also give it capacity for up to 200 Embraer 190s it has on order.

"The financial condition of carriers like JetBlue is enabling them to make investments," said Nick Walsh, a Turner vice president and general manager of transportation.

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Turner is also providing preconstruction services for JetBlue on a new 640,000-sq.-ft. terminal at JFK.

"Our presence at JFK has gotten very strong," said Richard Smyth, vice president of redevelopment for JetBlue. "We've been working with the Port Authority for a few years to develop a business plan and long-term lease for the Terminal Five site."

While the Port Authority will continue to own that property, JetBlue will design and lease the two-level, structural-steel terminal. The $875 million project includes building JetBlue's ticketing area and 26 gates, an in-line baggage system, a 1,500-space parking garage, roadwork, and apron paving.

The project also entails repurposing and rehabilitating the front portion of Eero Saarinen's landmark 1962 TWA terminal, which will serve in part as the entrance to the new terminal.

"The Port Authority master plan retains the crown jewel in the main front building, and the flight wing in the back gets demolished," Smyth said.

Plans for reconfiguring the Saarinen structure are still under development. It could contain a museum, restaurants, or retail, as well as JetBlue electronic check-in stations. JetBlue's new terminal will connect to the Saarinen structure and the AirTrain station.

Gensler, an architectural firm based in New York, is designing the new building, and DMJM Harris of New York is designing the roads and parking.

Turner, which expects to begin pile driving this fall, will isolate the construction site to avoid disrupting JetBlue operations. Construction should take three years.

Other Regional Projects Taking Flight 
Other smaller airports are busy with renovations and upgrades across the region.

For instance, Southwest Airlines, another carrier experiencing rapid growth, is upgrading terminal space around the New York area.

Aviation Capital Management, owner's representative for Southwest, is managing phase two of an $82 million, 175,000-sq.-ft. terminal construction project at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, N.Y.

"Southwest is investing money in Long Island to be competitive in the New York market," said Andrew Vasey, vice president of Aviation Capital, which is based in Indianapolis. "It's great for Long Island and keeping people from driving into LaGuardia."

Phase one involved building four gates and a two-story, structural-steel terminal with exterior block. That work finished in February.

During phase two, the project team will replace three old gates with four new ones that conform to the airline's standard terminal design. Clear-span structural steel in the concourse eliminates all interior columns to offer maximum flexibility for airline operations. The $25 million second phase will wrap up next summer.

"The entire construction site is inside the [Secure Identification Display Area], the most secure part of the airport," Vasey said. "We've had to carve an island out of the SIDA, so we could get material and workers in every day. It's a big security process."

Southwest is also busy, along with other carriers, on upgrades to Bradley International Airport in Hartford. Bradley's passenger count this year has increased 11 percent over 2004, according to John Wallace, its director of communications.

The airport has a $21 million rehabilitation project under way, which includes raising the roof of its existing two-story terminal to match an addition completed two years ago. Lawrence Brunoli Inc. of Farmington, Conn., the general contractor, is self-performing the demolition, spread-footing foundation, and concrete work.

"It's essentially a gut job on the interior with some major structural modifications and creation of a new airside lobby, which involves removal of portions of the existing roof and raising it to a higher elevation with all new steel," said Peter Gavin, project manager for Brunoli.

The rehabilitation is part of a $200 million, three-phase program at Bradley to create a unified terminal complex, designed by HNTB of Boston. American Airlines, which already has a presence at the airport, will move into the remodeled terminal after construction wraps up in about two years.

The airport's board was also expected to review a proposal for a new runway and taxiway project.

At Westchester County Airport, a general aviation facility in White Plains, N.Y., recent work has included $2.5 million in road improvements and construction of a roundabout to protect the jet fuel storage area. It also involved $1.6 million in safety improvements, including a taxiway replacement.

The airport, which also offers commercial service to about 20 major cities, most recently requested bids in late summer for a $1 million upgrade of its ticket counters.

A $3.5 million perimeter detection system, which entails placing a series of cameras along the 7.5-mi. fence line, is also underway at Westchester. The cameras feed into a software system that provides an aerial overview of the airport, said Lawrence Salley, commissioner of transportation for the county.

In another project, LZA Associates, a division of Thornton-Tomasetti Group of New York, has designed a $7 million renovation and expansion of the Jet Systems/Avitat Hangar at Westchester. The project, scheduled for completion next spring, includes a new 21,000-sq.-ft., lean-to terminal as well as offices, crew areas, maintenance, and storage.

Salley said Westchester is one of the top three airports in the country for private and charter aircraft operations. He called fractional jets - planes shared by several owners - the most profitable segment of the aircraft industry, because it is becoming an attractive alternative for frequent business travelers. Low-cost Independence Air also serves the airport, he said.

"We were slow to pick up after Sept. 11, but we have seen steady increases throughout most of this year," Salley added.