8 » MorrisviUe and Preston Progress. October 1998
Raleigh-Durham Airport in
middle of expensive facelift
By Ron Page
Staff Writer
Wherever you turn there seems to
be construction underway—workers
laying cement pads and walks, walls
and roofs being erected, heating and
cooling systems, new baggage
areas, new concessions, new
hangars—remodeling almost every
where.
Growth has become a fact of life at
Raleigh Durham International
Airport.
A new parking garage is under
construction at a cost of $35 million.
Terminal A has just undergone an
$18 million upgrade, and other facil
ity improvements include $3.1 mil
lion in other renovations to Terminal
A, a new administration center at
$6.7 million. Work has also begun
on a five-year overall of general
facilities that will total about $35
million.
Although signs of expansion are
most readily apparent in parking lot
and garage development, here’s a
rundown of that and other work
being done at the airport:
^Parking Garage: Located across
the street from Terminal A, the
2,700-space garage will feature
glass-enclosed elevators which will
take patrons to a central pedestrian
mall that takes full advantage of nat
ural light. A tunnel to Terminal A,
complete with moving sidewalks,
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will reduce transit time and enhance
passenger safety and comfort.
The garage is scheduled for com
pletion in the summer of 1999.
Terminal Boulevard in front of
Terminal A will be widened. The
new parking garage is the first of a
series of parking garages that when
completed in 10 to 15 years will pro
vide more than 16,000 spaces
between the terminals. There are
3,100 spaces between Terminals A
and C today.
Ellis Don of Norcross, Ga., is the
general contractor for the garage
with a contract for $28,500,000.
Acorn Industrial of Raleigh holds
both a $699,000 contract for plumb
ing work and a $368,000 contract
for mechanical/HVAC. Aneco Inc.
of Holly Springs has a contract for
$2,325,000 for electrical work;
Walker Parking Consultants, con
tract administration and project rep
resentation, $1,375,750 contract;
S&ME Inc., construction quality
assurance, $290,000; and Walker
Parking Consultants, design, archi
tectural & engineering design,
$2,088,500.
□Terminal A Extension: The new
$18 million wing, an extended con
course of Terminal A, opened in
July and integrates the second floor
of the extension into the design of
the rest of Terminal A. This addition
integrates the second floor of the
extension into the design of the rest
of Terminal A.
Among the many improvements in
this project are: six gates; remodeled
lobby and ticketing and baggage
claim area; upgraded roof, heating
& cooling system; new security
checkpoint; and new concession
areas. Airlines in the new wing are
Continental and AirTran. US
Airways will use some of the gates
in October. The renovated terminal
now also holds its first portrait, one
of (he late North Carolina Governor
Luther H. Hodges. Governor
Hodges is honored for his contribu
tions to the establishment of
Research triangle Park. In addition
to his service as governor, Hodges
served as lieutenant governor and
later as U.S. Secretary of Commerce
under Presidents John F. Kennedy
and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Concessions now in Terminal A
include Samuel Adams Pub,
TCBY/Big Apple Bagel, and a news
and gift shop.
The general contractor is
American South of Sanford., with a
contract totaling $5,644,464.33.
Other contractors for the extension
include Brown Brothers, Durham,
plumbing, $352,849; Comfort
Engineers, Durham, mechanical,
$939,390; Aneco, Inc., Ft. Bragg,
electrical, $807,000; Stearns Airport
Equipment, five loading bridges,
$993,200; Henry Baker Heating
Co., 500-ton chiller, $683,000 and
Via Electric, chiller electrical,
^166,437; Harrod & Associates,
Phase I general contractor,
$248,953; T & H Electric Inc.,
Phase I electrical, $157,085; and
Taylor & Taylor, architectural ser
vices, $1,173,575.
□Terminal A Renovation: Work is
underway on the renovation of
Terminal A. An additional baggage
belt will be added in the main bag
gage claim area. New baggage
offices for the airlines will be built
as will offices for the RDU Law
Enforcement Department.
The building will also get new car
pet, paint and ceilings. The project is
expected to be completed this fall.
The general contractor is
American South of Sanford, with a
contract for $2,557,000. Comfort
Engineers provided
mechanical/HVAC work with a con
tract for $275,570, while Aneco Inc
of Holly Springs provided electrical
work with a contract for $292,796.
□RDU Center: The Airport
Authority’s administrative offices
A new parking garage is under construction at a cost of $35 million
Airport.
at Raleigh-Durham Internationai
moved in September to a new
30,000-square-foot building south
of the rental car area. The $6.7 mil
lion project will house the Authority
staff and the Research Triangle
Regional Partnership.
General contractor was American
South with a $3,342,100 contract.
Others included Brown Brothers,
plumbing work, $136,180; Southern
Piping, mechanical/HVAC,
$563,442; Pine State Electrical,
electrical work, $571,900; and
Pearce Brinkley Cease & Lee, archi
tectural/furniture communications,
$1,086,378.
□ General Aviation Area
Redevelopment: Work has started
on the five-year program to overhaul
general aviation facilities at RDU.
paving, apron area and concrete
pads for the new terminal,” Martin
explained. “Two large retaining
walls are also under construction.
The work is off International Drive,
the entrance area, and we’re about
half finished.”
When RDU’s third parking garage
opens in the summer of 1999, the
facility will not only add 2,700 park
ing spaces across from Terminal A,
but will be counted among the most
advanced and highly functional
parking garages in the country. AH
parking spaces will be angled and
helical ramps will move vehicles
between the five parking levels.
Openness is the primary objective
of the garage. Glass-enclosed eleva
tors similar to those found in hotels.
Among the facilities built will be will take patrons to a central pedes-
new T-hangers, corporate and con- " "f
ventional hangars. A new general
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trian mall that takes advantage of
natural light.
A pedestrian tunnel under
Terminal Boulevard between the
garage and Terminal A complete
with moving sidewalks, will reduce
transit time and enhance passenger
aviation terminal will be constructed
along with new facilities for RDU’s
fixed-base operators. Phase I is
expected to be completed in July of
next year.
The primary contractor is Glover safety and comfort.
Construction of Pleasant Hill, NC, Work on the facility began in
with a contract for $10.6 million. January after the Authority awarded
Ed Martin, Glover’s chief engi- a contract to Ellis Don of Norcross,
neer, said his company is handling GA., as the general contractor. The
the first phase of the overall devel- new garage is the start of a series of
opment, and that bids will be accept- parking garages that, when complete
ed for phase two sometime in winter in 10 to 15 years, will provide more
or spring of next year. than 16,000 spaces between
“Our work covers water, sewer and Terminals A & C. Today, there are
storm drainage lines, grading, 4,000 spaces between the terminals.
Until the parking garage is com
plete, parking between the terminals
will be limited. The construction site
and garage footprint has taken
approximately 800 spaces out of the
terminal area inventory.
On January 15, the parking rates
were increased for two reasons: 1.-
To create enough of a price differen
tial to open up spaces in the hourly
lots, and 2.-to help finance parking
projects beyond the first parking
garage. RDU will invest more in
parking facilities than in another
component of the airport.
Park and Ride Lot 4, formerly
known as the North Cargo lot, has
been expanded and upgraded. The
lot is located across from the North
Cargo complex and its capacity is
now 3,700 vehicles. The improve
ments include more entrances and
exits, better lighting and more bus
shelters. Park and Ride 4 will pro
vide a vital supply of parking during
the construction of the new garage.
Although available parking is lim
ited, particularly near the terminals,
RDU has more than doubled its
parking capacity over the past few
years. In 1992, RDU had 6,211
spaces. With the addition of Park
and Ride 1, 3 and the expansion of
Park and Ride 4, RDU has more
than 11,000 parking spaces. In
1997, a grand total of 1,701,329
vehicles were handled in the park
ing lots, the largest amount in the
airport’s history.
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