San Antonio International Airport celebrates completion of new Terminal B

The City of San Antonio will be celebrating the completion of its new San Antonio International Airport Terminal B facility. This milestone marks the substantial completion of a major Airport Expansion Program that was initiated as part of the 1998 Master Plan. The Terminal B groundbreaking occurred in June 2008, and just shy of 18 months later, it will be ready for the first flight in November 2010.

The public is welcomed to experience the new Terminal B facility during a Public Open House set for Saturday, October 23, 2010, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Complimentary parking for the event will be provided in the airport’s parking garages.

Terminal B is scheduled for on-time airline operations and first flights in November 2010.

For first flight in November, the City’s Aviation Department is working closely with contractors, airlines and concessionaires to ensure a smooth transition from the old Terminal 2 to the new Terminal B. With a well orchestrated overnight changeover, Terminal B will come online and begin operations.

As part of the overall Airport Expansion Program, a new wayfinding system will be implemented. All building interior and exterior directional signage and roadway signage directing passengers to the airport terminals will undergo a major facelift.

In addition to Terminal B, there were several other major projects that were included in the Airport Expansion Program. They are: a new long term parking garage structure; the bi-level roadway system; Consolidated Baggage Handling System (BHS); and a new Central Utility Plant (CUP).

Some details on the completed projects featured in the Airport Expansion Program include:

Terminal B

Since Terminal 2 had outlived its useful life, a terminal expansion was recommended in the 1998 San Antonio International Airport Master Plan. When Terminal B is opened in November 2010, Terminal 1 will be renamed Terminal A.

Beginning early next year, the City of San Antonio will commence demolition of the old 1960’s era Terminal 2 facility.

Terminal B will be the home to Continental Airlines and American Airlines. Terminal A will continue to house Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Aero Mexico, Frontier Airlines, AirTran Airways, Delta Airlines, Mexicana and US Airways.

Long Term Parking Garage

In 2008, a new $45 million long-term parking garage was completed adding 2,800 spaces and doubling the number spaces to 5,566. With the hourly parking garage, SAT offers 7,076 parking spaces, all within walking distance to the terminals.

Bi-Level Roadway

The roadway project was initiated in 2007, partially opened to traffic in November 2009 and fully operational by the spring of 2010. Following completion of the Terminal B construction in 2010, the new roadway system will double vehicle capacity with separated lanes at the A and B terminals for dropping of passengers on the four-lane upper level and picking up passengers on the five-lane lower level. A future Terminal C was also considered in the design and construction of the new roadway system.

Consolidated Baggage Handling System Structure and Screening Equipment

The City began construction on a Consolidated Baggage Handling System or BHS structure in 2009. It will be completed in November 2010 to coincide with the opening of Terminal B. The behind-the-scenes BHS structure will house Transportation Security Administration or TSA baggage screening equipment. Once the facility is fully operational, passengers using Terminals A and B will check bags in at the curb fronts or at the ticket counters and go directly to the TSA security screening area. TSA checked baggage screening equipment, which is currently set up in the lobby area of Terminal 1, will be removed, freeing up space for better passenger circulation.

Central Utility Plant (CUP)

Plans for a new Central Utility Plant or CUP were set in motion in 2009 to meet the need for cooling capacity upgrades for the new and existing terminal facilities and to be compliant with current building codes and industry practices. The new CUP was completed and brought online in May 2010, and was designed with the future Terminal C in mind.

Airport Expansion Program Project Construction and Management

The program management team overseeing the Airport Expansion Program is headed up by the City’s Capital Improvement Management Department and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

The architect/engineer for the $108 million Terminal B, new $30 million central baggage screening facility and $13 million central utility plant was 3DI/Parsons. Clark/Byrne was the construction contractor on all of these projects and will be the contractor for demolition of Terminal 2.

Design and construction of the $44 million roadway and utilities/hydronic line relocation were accomplished by 3DI/Parsons and Archer Western Contractors, Ltd, respectively.

Design of the $45 million long-term parking garage was accomplished by The HNTB Corporation and construction was completed through the partnership of Bartlett Cocke/Walbridge.

U.S. Department of Energy Grant Accepted for the Airport’s First Solar Panel Installation

As recent addition to the San Antonio International Airport was a solar panel installation on the top floor of the new long-term parking garage. This energy saving project was in conjunction with the City’s Office of Environmental Policy and thanks to a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. This array of solar panels will help offset the energy used by the airport and its parking structures, and allows for the installation of several plug-in stations that will be used to re-charge electric vehicles. The solar panel array atop the long-term parking garage was built by Lyda Swinerton Builders Inc.