January/February 2024 - 35

PROJECT OF THE MONTH
Matt Needham, Director of Aviation
and Transportation for HOK, explained,
" You've got deliveries, you've got a central
plant, you've got an enormous amount of
people. You've got a train system. You've
got people who are coming to and from
the original origin and destination passengers,
and then you've got transfers
from a hub. "
A lot goes into running and maintaining
a city, just like it does airports.
Imagine one day the city you live in says,
" we're starting over " . You may ask, " well,
what does that mean? " , or " how will we
remain operational under construction? "
or " what's staying the same, and what's
changing? "
The same questions get asked hundreds
of times when an airport " starts
over " and decides to build a new facility.
So, the question remains ... " what
does it take to build a self-contained city? " .
Over the past few years, the Salt Lake
City International Airport (SLC) asked
and answered that very same question.
SLC embarked on the mission to
build a brand-new airport in 2010. The
need for a new airport in Salt Lake City
had been on the horizon since the '90s.
However, circumstances, such as the
events of 9/11 and the Great Recession
in 2008, delayed the project until
2010-2011.
In that period, SLC selected HOK as
the architect of record and a combination
of national and local construction
firms: Big B and Okland Brothers from
Salt Lake City, Holder from Atlanta, and
Austin Construction from Texas.
" We explored the possibility of rehabilitating
the existing concourses, aiming
for a unified terminal in Phase One, "
Needham said. However, as the design
progressed, the cost difference between
full rehabilitation and new construction
was minimal. Thus, the decision was
made to proceed with all-new facilities.
The primary driver for this monumental
project was the need to accomSlot
canyon design in the main terminal.
PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA MARSH
World map from the original airport, now
featured in the " family room " of The New SLC.
modate passenger growth. The old airport's
layout, with its finger pier design,
caused congestion and delays for airlines.
Bill Wyatt, the Executive Director
of Airports for Salt Lake City, said the
decision to fix this layout became crucial
for the success of Salt Lake as a hub.
" Most U.S. airports today are 60, 70,
some even 80 years old, and such was
the case here in Salt Lake City, " he said.
Prior to opening The New SLC, the
airport served more than 26 million passengers
a year from facilities that were
designed 50 years ago, which were
intended to serve half as many travelers.
Wyatt said a lot has changed since the
early 1960s. SLC has grown into a hub
airport, with many flights arriving and
leaving around the same time. Security
needs have evolved, and there was a need
for buildings that met earthquake safety
standards.
" SLC's former facilities served the
community well, but it was time to make
way for the next generation of airport
design, " he said.
The New SLC
The project comprises four phases, with
the first phase opening in September
(Concourse A) and October (Concourse
B) 2020.
" The first was really the most significant
because it includes all of the actual
terminal facilities: check-in, baggage,
et cetera, and also all of the landside
facilities, so all the parking, rental cars, "
Wyatt said.
Phase Two, completed in the fall of
2023, extended the A Concourse by 22
more gates. Wyatt pointed out that the
design consistency across phases ensures a
seamless experience for travelers. " All the
gates, the restrooms, the concession areas,
they all have a very similar look and feel. "
Phase Three includes a Central
Tunnel (River Tunnel) connecting
Concourses A and B; plus five additional
gates initially opening in fall 2024 then
10 opening in fall 2025.
" The old airport, I like to tell people,
looked like the palm of my hand, and
had these pincer sort of concourses
moving out. Great for a small-town
airport, which is what it was back when
it was built, not great for a hub airport.
It really restricted the movement of aircraft, "
Wyatt said. " So, Phase Three,
which is a design of two long, parallel
concourses, is the opening of the Central
Tunnel (River Tunnel) and the gates and
the connecting infrastructure right on
the other side from Concourse A to
Concourse B. It'll really change the
passenger experience a lot. "
Additionally, a larger Delta Sky Club
will be built in Concourse B, " When
that opens, we'll have 60,000 square feet
of Sky Club. And of course, we are a
Delta hub, so that's very important for
them and for their connecting passengers
and local as well, " Wyatt said.
While Phase Four was initially a
future consideration, increased traffic
post-COVID prompted plans to add
more gates sooner than expected. " Salt
Lake is going to go from an airport that
had 52 jet bridges to one that has 94 in
the space of seven years. "
Regarding future phases, Wyatt clarified,
" We have a Concourse A. We have
a Concourse B. The next concourse
would be a C and after that would be
a D. " Although there are no immediate
plans for Phases Five and Six, the airport
is preparing for future expansion with
enabling work currently underway.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 35
http://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM
January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2024
