Terminal Builders Prepare for 'Decisive Year'

Officials with Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture are striving to meet critical deadlines in June and July for new gates and the implementation of the first portion of a new baggage system.

By Scott Judy

A joint venture of Odebrecht Construction of Miami and Parsons Transportation Group of Pasadena, Calif., is on track to meet critical project milestones on its $1.1 billion North Terminal Development contract at Miami International Airport.

The upcoming milestones include one in June for opening new gates for American Airlines and another in July for the carrier’s new ticket counters and the first phase of a baggage system.

2009 is “the most challenging year for the project,” says Lucas Prado, a project executive with POJV. The current contract started in 2007 and is targeting a 2011 completion.

Miami-Dade Aviation Dept.’s overall program budget for the North Terminal is more than $2.8 billion, representing the biggest single portion of MIA’s $6.2-billion capital improvement program. The terminal will be home to American Airlines and its Oneworld Alliance partners, which include British Airways, Japan Airlines, LAN, Qantas and others.

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Odebrecht officials estimate that the joint venture is delivering more than $1 million worth of construction per day to the North Terminal project, or nearly $40 million per month.

The 1.3-mi-long terminal structure will accommodate roughly 3.2 million sq ft of new and renovated construction work. POJV has broken the construction into eight main “projects” and 19 others. Most of the main projects involve areas of the various concourses that make up North Terminal.

One of the biggest engineering feats rests atop the current structure, however. That’s where POJV and Sumitomo are building a $134.9-million, nearly 1-mi-long rooftop automated people mover, with approximately 8,500 linear ft of track, to shuttle passengers between the terminal’s four passenger stations. The stations also are being built on top of the current terminal facility.

The APM, which will have sufficient capacity for 9,000 passengers per hour, is scheduled for a 2010 completion.

The North Terminal has a length of over 1 mi. An automated people mover will eventually run along the terminal’s roof. (Photo by Andres Romero courtesy of Parsons Odebrecht J.V.)

Meanwhile, MCM Dragados, a joint venture between MCM of Miami and Dragados USA of New York, is overseeing a $125.6-million contract that immediately abuts the POJV contract. The work consists of interior renovations and exterior alterations to 450,500 sq ft at the airport. It entails installation of new finishes, lighting, furnishings, graphics and electrical installations. The project also includes two roof structures to accommodate new HVAC units and reinforcement of existing structural footers, columns and beams.

This interiors contract has to conclude at the same time as POJV’s in order to meet the June and July target dates for the baggage system and ticket counters, says Jim Eldridge, an Odebrecht employee and construction manager for POJV.

“We have a common goal,” Eldridge says of POJV and MCM Dragados. “We have to finish at the same time so the ticket counters can open.”

Eldridge, who has more than 30 years of construction experience, says the North Terminal is the most complicated and demanding effort he’s handled in his career. That’s understandable, considering the more than $1 million of construction delivered per day, or the numerous separate projects progressing at any one time. Eldridge says that since late 2008, “We have people all over the place like ants.” He estimates an average of 850 workers onsite daily.

All of the work must be performed within and around the existing terminal.

“Doing construction and not impacting the existing airport operations is the main objective,” Eldridge says. “That means we have to work closely on a day-to-day basis with the airlines, MDAD, construction personnel and the airport maintenance and operations departments to make sure we don’t impact airport operations.”

Coordinating the work of the subcontractors is a major focus.

“Changing conditions is a major factor here,” Eldridge says. “It’s about getting their work orders approved and getting the money so we can do the work. It’s about communication, coordination and follow-through.”

Juan Carlos Arteaga, NTD program director for MDAD, says he’s pleased that, so far, the job is being properly managed. The first milestone of opening gates D-24 and D-25 is still on target for June 4, he says.

“All other 2009 significant milestones that would affect substantial completion are maintaining schedule,” he adds.

The number of gates will soar from 11 to 50. The 39 new gates will each be able to accommodate domestic and international flights. Also, when completed, the new North Terminal will feature 123 ticket counters.

The first try on the North Terminal started with a contract between American Airlines as owner and Turner Austin Airport Team, a joint venture, that worked as construction manager. That contract began in 1998, but construction didn’t begin until 2001, which would become a bad year for the aviation industry due to the terrorist attacks in September. That initial contract soon ran into delays due to project complexity and funding issues related to American Airlines, which experienced financial woes after the Sept. 11 attacks. That contract was eventually terminated.

In July 2005, Miami-Dade Aviation awarded POJV a $542-million, four-year managing general contract, with airport officials at the time expressing hopes that the terminal would be ready in 2008. The team had been the lone bidder.

As POJV started proceeding with its contract, however, the team discovered that original documents did not fully address the project’s complexities, Prado says. The joint venture and the airport went into negotiations that resulted in an amended and restated agreement valued at nearly $1.1 billion.

MDAD is apparently satisfied with the contractor team to date. The joint venture team notched another win in September when MDAD awarded POJV a $259-million, design-build contract to build the MIA People Mover. This APM, which will measure nearly 1.3 mi in length, will link MIA to the Miami Intermodal Center, the $370-million transportation hub that Turner Construction of Miami is building across LeJeune Road from the airport.

POJV received notice to proceed on the APM in March. The APM’s 6,200-ft-long elevated guideway will carry two light-rail tracks and will be approximately 40 ft above grade. Concrete piers approximately 120 ft apart will support the guideway. The contract’s completion date is September 2011.