Duluth to get new terminal
June 29, 2012, 02:21 pm
The new 110,000-square-foot terminal at Duluth International Airport in Minnesota is nearly finished. The building features new 40-foot ceilings in its lobby and walls of glass. The exterior is said to represent the beauty of lake superior, with the rolling waves of the curved roof and the rear structure containing the boarding area to feature red brick like the iron ore ships often seen on the lake.
“The airport really is the gateway to the community,” said John Hippchen of Reynolds Smith and Hills, which serves as the architect of record. “We wanted to make it as pleasant as possible for people traveling to and from Duluth. It’s the first thing people see coming in. We wanted to make it as pleasant an experience as we can for the flying public.”
The renovation began to update the old looking building, meet stricter aviation requirements since 9/11 and increase overall efficiency for travelers going through the airport.
The project is set to cost $77.5 million and began in 2009, replacing the old short-term parking area. The terminal hired 60 contractors to complete the project and created nearly 260 jobs.
The Great Falls International Airport Authority in Montana recently awarded a $5.5 million construction contract to Guy Tobacco Construction of Black Eagle to expand the terminal building, streamline the security process and increase comfort for travelers in its facility.
The project is expected to start in late July and will take about a year. The new setup will allow passengers to go through a single smaller Transportation Security Agency checkpoint in front of the escalator. Airport officials are confident the new design will make security clearance quicker and more efficient for passengers and the TSA. Along with improvements in security, the airport additions will also feature a new restaurant, gift shop and restrooms.
The construction at Great Falls won’t disrupt current airport operations, but the same can’t be said for Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey.
“It’s going to cause a significant impact,” said South Jersey Transportation Authority’s security and operations manager, Kevin Rehmann, about the installation work.
The airport is undergoing a $27 million project to add three departure and arrival gates and expects travel delays will likely occur in the upcoming weeks, due to the blockage of sidewalks and roadways at the terminal entrance. For pilot servicing the industry, pilot life insurance will prepare a financial future, in the unlikely event of an emergency.
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