Tulsa World: Airport hires project manager

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Airport hires project manager

An architectural rendering shows a renovated passenger concourse at Tulsa International Airport. Courtesy

By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer
Published: 5/30/2008 2:07 AM
Last Modified: 5/30/2008 3:07 AM

Now comes the hard part.

Although contractors and staff at Tulsa International Airport have managed almost $31 million in passenger terminal construction projects during the past seven years, most of the work was out of sight, behind construction walls.

The next major terminal project, the $25 million reconstruction of the east and west passenger concourses, will be more complex.

"We will have to renovate the concourses while they are still open to passenger traffic," said Jeff Hough, deputy airports director of facilities and engineering. "There are all kinds of approaches, but I don't know what the right approach is. That's why we brought in URS."

URS Corp., based in San Francisco, is an engineering, construction and technical services management company. It has been awarded a $400,000 contract by the Tulsa Airport Authority to manage construction of the concourse projects.

The east and west concourses are 75-foot-wide peninsulas that project 600 feet north of the center terminal.

Each concourse is divided into three 25-foot cross sections: two 25-foot boarding gate areas on the perimeters and a 25-foot pedestrian hallway in the middle.

Most of the concourse renovations will be in and above the 8-foot-tall ceilings of the pedestrian hallways.

Hough said Benham, the project architect, proposes to raise the ceilings and roofs of the hallways from 8 feet to 10 feet. On the east and west sides of the raised ceilings, contractors will install glass "clerestory" windows that will function better than skylights to bring in light to the concourses.

"The clerestory windows will be 4 to 6 feet high," Hough said. "We have something like it over the food court (pedestrian boulevard) area, which we will extend around the concourses."

In addition to raising the concourse ceilings and roofs, the project includes upgrading the roofs, and integrating and installing heating, air conditioning, ventilation and fire suppression systems above the ceilings.

The concourse projects also include constructing new, centrally located business centers, passenger amenity areas, and flight and boarding information kiosks, and installing new finishes in hold rooms, circulation areas, business centers and restrooms.

URS, which will manage construction of the concourse projects, has experience in complex projects. The company is project manager for $6.4 billion in airfield and terminal construction projects at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. Those projects include construction of the $1.2 billion, 1.6-million-square-foot International Terminal.

Garry Jones, URS's director of aviation operations, said the Atlanta project is the largest airport construction project under way in the world.

The concourse renovation at Tulsa International, however, will not be a comparative piece of cake, Jones said.

"Every project has its own complexity," he said in a telephone interview. "I headed programs very similar to Tulsa's in Kansas City and Baton Rouge. You have to maintain active airline, food, and beverage and passenger operations every hour of the day, every day during construction.

"It's like baking a cake and renovating the kitchen at the same time."

Airport projects

Seven years and $30.9 million of construction at Tulsa International Airport’s passenger terminal:

$5.4 million expansion of terminal to the north.

$6.1 million outbound baggage conveyor system.

$6.2 million relocation of security checkpoints to center terminal, construction of central pedestrian boulevard and food court.

$1.1 million replacement of six baggage carousels.

$1.9 million overhaul of ceilings, fire suppression system in east and west baggage claim rooms.

$1.3 million construction of east and west concourse passenger arrival lounges.

$2.6 million construction of center terminal elevators (in progress).

$6.3 million in design, architectural and construction management.

D.R. Stewart 581-8451
don.stewart@tulsaworld.com
By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer

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zorba, Sand Springs (5/30/2008 7:34:59 AM)

I looked at this job...this one is too intense for me at 50 (wish I was younger)...out of all jobs in this town...this one is by far, the most Challenging. Forget the Mayor's job, Police Chief...those are a cake walk...(public relations and listening to belly aches)

Marketing plan is going to take mega time and speculation. This one is a 'team project' vs. a solo one.

I hope Mr. Jones brings on a diverse team of devoted thinkers. The airport COULD be a great place for commerce, properity, & growth, for Tulsa and it's sister cities.

Good Luck!!

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